It’s Saturday morning. I’m sipping coffee in the living room. Pouting. Glaring at two red chairs heaped with files and books and mail. I’m trying to will the mess away. So far, not so good. . .
Nearby is an 8-pack of paper towels, a 12-pack of toilet paper, along with my sandals, my kid’s flip flops, his portfolio filled with sketches, and piles of papers, cables, and clothes. Some are mine, and some are my sons’ – leftovers from packing pandemonium a few week’s back. Not only do I have to clean my closets; apparently, I actually inhabit one.
In-habit, indeed. We grow accustomed to almost anything, don’t we? I’ve become inured to mess in a lifestyle of coloring outside the lines. And I’m fine with it, generally. Until something tips the scales and I can’t think clearly. I can’t work effectively. I leave the house to get things done.
I won’t say I was ever fastidious when it comes to my surroundings. But nor did I live in chaos. Part clutter, part organization. That was my style. And when I had kids, it all changed.
Bookshelves, pantry, and everything else
My bookshelves? They’re reasonable. Overfilled, but I can see what I have, and access it. I admit to two bookshelves in my bedroom which are currently obstructed by stacks of larger texts, files, and clean clothing. Okay. I’m amending my statement. Most of the shelves containing my beloved tomes are in a reasonable state.
Pantry? Check. Neat as a pin, thanks to an incident when both my sons were taken over by pod people, and cleaned it out. The kitchen? A conundrum. Little storage, crowded counters, I can’t reach the cabinetry that exists, but it could be worse.
But everything else?
Hopeless. My home office. The dining table. The infamous living room chairs. The floors. And each time I dig in and begin to make progress, two days later, you’d never know it. I’m back to feeling like I live in a closet, also known as a very small house.
Blame mess on kids?
Suffice it to say, years of a full time job, full time parenting, and not much assistance in the pick-up-and-scrub department – things get out of hand. The longer it goes on, the faster it all snowballs until organizing attempts become overwhelming.
We know that parenthood is a jumble of too much to do and too little time; we’re experts at spontaneous reshuffling of the tasks to take precedence. Full-time single parenthood, on a budget? Even more so. But many single parents manage organized lives, clean houses, table tops they can find. Why can’t I be one of those people?
Reasons, excuses, priorities, laundry
I have a (potentially) charming home. The walls are lined with provocative art, and I have comfy chairs to seat interesting people. It’s a welcoming environment, in theory, though right now, it’s hazardous to my (mental) health.
I’ll admit things spun out of control following a car accident several years back, and long months during which my arms didn’t work too well. At a certain point, I was so far behind, I gave up. I saw no solution, short of hiring a crane, a dumpster, and laborers for the heavy lifting.
Or am I making excuses? If I wanted it badly enough, wouldn’t I find a way? Is it a matter of priorities after all? That for me, with limited time and energy, “living” trumps an organized environment?
Small home, no storage
It’s really not as simple as throwing things out. There are boxes from my mother’s passing. Important papers and files. It all requires time and emotional energy to sift through. But I find myself precariously poised at that tenuous tipping point – again. My creative juices are drying up, and my patience is disappearing faster than my bone density. I dream of calling in cleaning consultants and de-cluttering dynamos. Whatever it takes to come up with solutions for small space storage dramas.
Any volunteers? I do have a guestroom. It’s the one and only storage closet, remember?
- Are you a neat freak, or a bit of a mess?
- Is it ever possible to have a clean home with kids around?
- Any creative small home storage ideas to share?
Here’s what I’ve done with my mess: I’ve made the rooms that can actually be viewed by visitors perfect, and I ended up stuffing all the junk in my bedroom, bathroom and closet. I can always close off that part of the house and people don’t normally think they have to come in there. But it’s kind of depressing going to bed each night with picture frames stacked next to my bed and rugs piled in my bathtub…
(Laughing. . . ) I am familiar with this method. Not conducive to a good night’s sleep. (And I have actually been cleaning, again, a chunk of today. Would anyone besides me actually notice? Not likely.
For me, cleaning means neglecting something else. I can only clean once the kids are sleeping because otherwise they undo everything I have done. This means that those precious hours at nighttime, after the kids are asleep, can either be devoted to writing, blogging, or cleaning. It is a hard decision to make but I do know that if I do the dishes immediately, they will not stack up and I will be happier. That said, I don’t do it often! Heck, when night comes I usually want to relax! Oh well.
I hear you on the storage thing. We have lived in tiny apartments our entire married life. It seems they have shrunk more each time we add another child.
And as the kids get older, there’s more stuff, and space shrinks faster. . .
My house is “lived in”… I don’t have much excuse anymore without the kids home other than procrastination. Like you said… mostly piles of papers and stuff that all needs to be gone through and it all takes time I don’t want to take. I just need to discipline myself more! I bought a book on organization . . . and then promptly lost it! LOL
Ah Peg. Woman after my own heart. Maybe we just need a support group. And support. I’ll spend 4 hours at your house giving encouragement while you go through a few things, and then we’ll swap. (I swear. I really think that would help! If only I knew some people who would come over, sit and chat, and provide moral support for a short time. You know, a few weeks… ) 😉
When you mention the kitchen – not enough storage, counters full, cabinets out of reach – I found myself nodding. It seems like all kitchens are this way (unless you live in a mansion). I’m always battling the kitchen disorganization. The need to have things out – the toaster, the coffee maker, the coffee grinder – and the urge to clear off the counter. And what am I supposed to do with those top cabinets that I can’t reach?? I did make some progress last year when I got rid of a bunch of kitchen gadgets we don’t need, but the problem seems to have come back.
I don’t know if there is a solution. Perhaps just small steps. Set small goals – I’ll deal with this closet, set aside some things I can get rid of, re-organize so everything fits (for now) and I know what is in there. And then move on to the next thing. But you’re right, for most all of us there is too much stuff and not enough space. Such is life.
i spent half my weekend going through my daughters books and toys, and one part of her closet/baby stuff i hadn’t gone through yet!
i bought her a new (bunk)bed and dresser and it is coming soon and i have to reorganize her room, talk about clutter, i cannot manage to keep her clothes folded and in the dresser she has now, and i don’t know how to organize all of these princess/dress up costumes, they don’t quite fit in the closet and they seem to explode in the room taking tights, ballet outfits, dresses and slippers with them
how are organized people so organized?
NO idea how organized people do it. Surely they have more time than I do. Or more patience. Or different priorities. (I nonetheless admire them tremendously.)
Here’s something I’m working on myself (small, manageable, portable) for dealing with stuff that’s piled up in places around the house — collecting clear plastic clamshell containers from the grocery store, the ones you get prewashed salad greens in. They’re stackable and sturdy enough to hold the odds and ends (old undershirts ready to be turned into dust rags, fabric remnants from various sewing projects, small plastic toys my husband is saving for his future children, winter mittens and scarves, random travel-size toiletries from hotels for last-minute guests, etc.) for which I’m unwilling to spend money to procure the more expensive organizers sold at Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc. Got a mountain or two of junk in plain sight that needs to be movable? Sort it into these bins, snap on the lids, stack neatly in a corner of a closet or under sinks or on the floor of the garage until you’ve decided what you want to do with the stuff. Particularly handy for closet shelving that’s just made of wire grille rather than solid fiberboard (prevents things from falling through those pesky spaces). Also just right for shoving under the bed.
Can you come live with me for awhile? (I think you’re a born organizer.) 🙂
Would love to, BLW :).
Ce serait une véritable aventure – et ensuite, toutes les deux, écrire les histoires qui prenne l’origine dans un tel acte de générosité ! Deux individus qui ne se connaissent pas, qui se mettent ensemble pendant une semaine (par exemple) pour améliorer l’environnement d’une entre eux (je n’ai pas la capacité physique, CT, cela fait partie du problème) – hmmm… shall I get the guest closet ready for you? I make a mean steak au poivre, and I’ll bake you cookies. 🙂