But, no. Instead I get to finish one of those horrid, waaaaay overdue cleaning/organizing projects that I started yesterday out of sheer necessity (since that is the ONLY reason I do ANYTHING these days).
The schoolroom/office/library has been the stash-everything-room for four years, now. Everything I don't want to deal with goes in there, usually at the last minute when I'm having company over, of course.
Bins and bins of miscellaneous game pieces, important paperwork, school worksheets, blank paper mixed with not-so-blank paper, half-finished work books and coloring books, school supplies, camera paraphernalia, gift wrapping supplies, notebooks, puzzles, and the endless odds and ends that have no home.
I got to bed really late last night, Lola was up more than usual during the night, Leif is sick and crawled in bed with us at 5:30 am, and Russ is attending a class all day today. Must do laundry and dishes. Unexpected financial paperwork/phone calls/trip to the bank today. Fun stuff.
The boys keep coming out and taking stuff out of my piles. Ooooh! Look at this! Oooooh! You can't throw this away!! Oooooh! I think I'll scatter these flash cards all over the floor and cut up this piece of paper into tiny little shreds. They have now been sent to their disasterous room. Think three boys living in a tiny room that hasn't been organized since Christmas gifts. Maybe I'll get to that next year.
Must. Go. Work. Oh, wait. I hear a crying baby. Sigh.
I'll share a few inspirational words so this isn't a completely brain-sucking post.
Don't worry about genius and don't worry about not being clever. Trust rather to hard work, perseverance, and determination. The best motto for a long march is, 'Don't grumble. Plug on.'
You hold your future in your own hands. Never waver in this belief. Don't swagger. The boy who swaggers--like the man who swaggers--has little else that he can do. He is a cheap-Jack crying his own paltry wares. It is the empty tin that rattles most. Be honest. Be loyal. Be kind. Remember that the hardest thing to acquire is the faculty of being unselfish. As a quality it is one of the finest attributes of manliness.
Love the sea, the ringing beach and the open downs.
Keep clean, body and mind.
~Sir Frederick Treves, 1903
20 comments:
I've noticed that - how a mess always gets worse before it gets better. I have looked at messes before thinking...I don't even want to start because I know it will never end! I hope you get yourself all organized and even get some time to enjoy a nice cup of tea.
What? Only one comment?
More than 2 of us can relate, surely.
;)
While I was pregnant with Kieran one of the boys dumped out ALL of the games and toys in the storage closet. I left it there for over a year and am still getting up the courage to throw away the games instead of sorting through. (I did keep some.)
Oh Heidi...been there! Messy and crazy. Yet it is part of the poetry of our lives(did I read that on your blog?:) So think of it as beautiful, messy poetry! Happy new year. Loved your Christmas pictures. Blessings, Tracie
Been there? Actually I AM there. And I only have 1 little girl.
I totally relate to the stacks of clean and drawn-upon paper. Arghhhh!
You are SOOO honest and brave to show your pictures and that is what I LOVE about this post. It's real! I feel like I always have some amount to unorganization and messes like this in my life...it grows or shrinks in size as our family and life changes. Cheering you on as you continue to tackle this project!!! And for a happy baby and cooperative boys!
Well, the good news is I KNOW you {nor I} are the only one doing this right now!! I'm right there with ya! I've been doing the same thing. I actually found your post wonderful, reminding me that I am not the only one with messes, or that shoves something somewhere when people are coming. {I hide laundry in the boys shower when people show up unexpectedly} : )
Sometimes it is frustrating, but in the end it can wait, spending time with the kids is more important.
I decide to get rid of and thin through some stuff....the kids start in on their "that's my favorite, you can't get rid of that"..."Oh, I've been looking for that"..."oh fun, can we make these now?"...
It's never ending, some days I want to be one of those minimalist people and get rid of almost everything simply so there would be less to clean, but honestly that's just not me or how I decorate...I think we just need a bigger house with more room & storage ;)
I so get this. Bravo to you for tackling the project. I am looking ahead and rejoicing with you at your accomplishment! It will feel sooo good!!!
Right now, my living room has approximately 783 piles of paper that eventually will find their way into the appropriate files, which may or may not be made yet. And in my closet there are about 1,914 more pieces of paper. And a file cabinet that hasn't been dealt with in about 5 years.
I feel your pain! Power on!
Elaine
Yeah, we call our office "the pit." Everything that doesn't have a home or needs to disappear for a while goes in there. I completely understand the bigger-mess problem. Good for you tackling it though. I'd help if I could.
Right there with you in the sea of paper, piles and loose ends! Thanks for the encouraging words!
Amelia
That's exactly what I've been doing this past week. My poor husband is handling the storm before the calm, and lack of dishes, laundry, or any other thing really getting done quite wonderfully. Love the feeling of getting it done though!
If it makes you feel any better, I'm right there with you. But, as chair of my homeschool group, I'm also dealing with a mess there, on several fronts. I've tried the "climbing into bed for a nap", and it didn't work. The mess just got bigger. Hope this week is good and productive for both of us!
I love the photo of the tea and treat! I also like the real photos of ..well... life! Life with small children! I also have messes that grow and shrink! Sometimes I wonder what I am doing wrong to have messes so often. But then I look around and see busy little hands and minds and remember that 10 people live here!! Life happens and life is good! God is good! Thanks for sharing! I know you don't know me but I enjoy your blog photos and posts. God bless you.
Holy Cow! How did you get pictures of my house!
Jana
Heidi - here's a e-hug. Not that it helps any. :/ I'd come down in a heart beat if you wanted. :)
This is my theme song for 2011. 'Keep calm and carry on'. Some days it sounds like some horror flick soundtrack but then there are a few others where it sounds rather beach-ish. :) I may even paint that somewhere if we ever land anywhere for any length of time. Whatever.
These are the days....or so they say. I think they've all just lost their memories or blocked it because it was so....brain-sucking.
:)
You are not alone. I can especially relate to the "Don't throw that away" mantra the kids have and the "Making Messes Faster than I Can Clean Them Up" exercise. Good luck on your mission...you know that we are all cheering for you!
I am sorry that looking at these pictures makes me so happy. This is the second time I've come back to read this post. I'm awful, aren't I? I even showed my husband. It's just that your life and methods are so beautiful, and to know that you do indeed have the same messes as I do is very encouraging to me. Bless you for sharing.
Thank you, Lord, that I am not alone!!! I may now have the motivation to get started on my mess! :)
Even messy, I still love your house.
Oh my goodness, thank you for your honesty!! I am in the same boat, and even though I shouldn't, I compare myself to all these bloggers who accomplish so much and keep such immaculate homes and seem to have it all together all the time. My house looks just like yours, complete with Christmas toys still needing to find homes and the piles of things I've stacked until I can get to them.
I like your end quote, "Don't grumble. Plug on." :)
This was an absolutely riveting post Heidi!! Its real life, in real time. Not to say I enjoy your painstaking perserverance... but it is inspiring and reminds me we are all working in the same direction. I hope it ends well with the piles. Be back soon to see if we need to pull you out of the house and into the fresh air. But knowing you... you will get to that before I get back. ENJOY!!
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