Everything that usually belongs on my kitchen counter tops is on my dining room table. We haven't eaten a meal there in a few days. Well, earlier in the week the girls and I all squished up on one end and ate together. Cozy!
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| Disjointed weeks put EVERYONE in a bad mood! |
The contents of my bathroom are scattered everywhere. The girls' bathroom is a wreck and that's the one we've all been using. I have laundry that is washed but I haven't been able to put it away because the worker guys were in the way. We've somehow managed to do school this week despite saws and noise and drop cloths.
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| They LOVE running errands. |
I am not complaining. It is exciting getting the stuff fixed up around here that we've been dreaming about doing for 4 years. BUT....we're in a mess right now.
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| Sitting in traffic ROCKS! |
To be really honest, I can get in this kind of mess even WITHOUT home remodeling! Do you ever get that way? Where every. single. area. of your life feels a mess and out of control? Ug. Happens here often. Sometimes it's not even really that bad, but I feel very stressed out and so every pile of laundry seems 400 feet high, every bill seems like it will take 5 hours to pay, and every room of the house looks like a tornado went through it.
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| What a great week to decide to pull all the summer clothes out! They are now in the hallway. This is Sweetheart's tub. The one in the back is Little Bit's. Guess who I need to go shopping for? |
So what do you do?
Should you do the hardest and most dreaded task first to get it out of the way?
Should you clean something small like the bathroom so you can feel instant success?
Should you sit down and cry?
Should you line the children up in the hallway like soldiers and start passing out jobs?
Should you grab your car keys and go to the library, or your mom's house, or ANYWHERE that is neat and tidy?
Should you sit and read your Bible and pray?
Should you sit down and make a list, prioritizing each thing to be done so you are working with a plan instead of just willy-nilly?
What do you do when it seems like you are buried under a mound of "to do's"? What is your first move?
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| Or just shove everything on the coffee table over and put your feet up? |
(I know there isn't a "right" answer. Just wondering, that's all.)
crying is usually first on my list! followed by trying to pretend nothing's there by escaping into other people's blogs. neither actually work at taking care of the problem, by the way. when it comes to actually taking care of things, i make lists and then run around like a chicken with it's head cut off trying to get it all done, and really only succeeding at getting bits and pieces of things done, and rarely actually finishing one entire project. *sigh* obviously i am not the one to give advice! ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt's good to try a variety of things Erin! :) Ha! I think I've done all of those too. By the way, I just went and cleaned the bathroom. ONE spot of peace in this chaos!
ReplyDeleteignoring the mess, load up on dark chocolate. it's better than crying or getting angry, right? ;) the endless to-do list overwhelms me. *sigh* kuddos to you for getting school done through the renovation. we are still trying to get back on track here, after the girls took their turns with mr. flu.
ReplyDeleteCute post! I have picked 2 options. Ok, 3! 1. hand out as many jobs as you can
ReplyDelete2. you start in 1 room and get it done
3. REST! LOL!
Janet
www.homeward4.blogspot.com
Yep. That's where I was today. Before I lined them up and handed out jobs. And I thought there was wailing from the school work, right? But tonight when I go to tuck them in and I don't trip over anything I won't be gritting my teeth. And that counts for something. (LOVE the pictures)
ReplyDelete3 things; 1 day...
ReplyDelete1. pray (for sanity, peace, patience, etc)
2. write as many tedious, simple chores down as you can! really. like shoes, pencils, pillows, magazines, (basically ANYthing that is lying about that needs to be put away). Cut apart each chore, and place in a bowl. Then have the girls take turns pulling out a chore to do until bowl is empty.
3. Mad mama Marathon (as in crazy, lol)...
set a timer for 15 min, pick a room and GO!!! (as in mad.dash.clean as fast as you can, clutter away first obviously). *ding* move to next room, 15 min..*ding* next room...the last 15 min. of the hour, rest. have some tea, pee, check an e-mail (whatever) *ding* Round 2, 2nd hour...repeat & repeat as needed. LOTS gets done, especially if I imagine my m.i.l. is on her way over :^P Great exercise too, hehe.
I don't do this very often anymore, but when I felt like I was drowning it was very effective. =^D
~Sheri
I do what I call hitting the high spots (don't know why I say that, but I do.) I send everyon around to do a very quick straighten up in their chore rooms and I make sure that a load of laundry is started. For instance we'll run into the kitchen and make sure all dirty dishes are in the sink, all trash is thrown away and everything on the counters or table are put away. In my bedroom I'll make the bed first then make sure all of the dirty clothes are in the laundry room, put all the shoes away and make sure all of the trash is thrown away. In the bathroom we'll quickly put everything on the counters away, empty the trash and remove the dirty clothes (I also close the shower curtain.) Within a matter of half an hour or so things look manageable and we can begin to tackle things more thoroughly. If we have a busy day out and don't have time to get to the regular chores before we leave I'll have the kids do this same kind of straightening, so at least their Daddy won't walk in to a disaster zone. I am by no stretch a neat freak and I definitely have clutter, but this is what I do if we've gotten behind and it looks overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteH-Mama, HOW could I forget chocolate as a coping method??? :)
ReplyDeleteGlad to know you all get in this state too. Sounds like I just pretty much need to freak out on this house tomorrow!
Oh my goodness...yes!! Our home is a wreck most of the time! I have 3 boys (and a baby girl)...need I say more? ;-) What do I usually do about it? Well, I'm doing it right now...escape via blogs, facebook, etc...ha ha! Just kidding (well, mostly)! I try to do a 10 minute tidy in whichever rooms are the worst before daddy gets home. I set the timer and the kids and I run around like mad picking up everything in sight before the timer dings. Then when we're done we celebrate with a piece of licorice or something. I wish I was more organized, but this is the season of life we're in.
ReplyDeleteMy house is always neat and tidy. I dont know what this problem you speak of is? I never have trouble getting up off my backside to clean, polish, dust, fold, put away, wash and cook. I am always on top of everything.
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