Getting Organized

This is a pic of Roxy, perplexed at my transformation into a slooooow yet resolute character because I can’t take all the hustling! I’m relishing the quiet comfort of being in my own bed. Antithetically, also completely bothered by the messy chaotic aftermath of all the recent good times here and here and here.

This month I’ve been bitten by the “get organized” bug. Watch out because I am obsessed. Can’t stop, won’t stop, gotta gotta get my shi—er, nonsense—together!

I’ve started out small with rearranging the pantry a little bit and formulating a plan. With all our trips, holidays, and being sick for a couple of weeks, I went down hard and things at home have just gotten out of hand. I’ve been in survival mode, and now that all the things I’ve procrastinated are piling up I’m feeling enormous pressure to go-go-go-get-it-done.

The Christmas tree and ornaments are still up (pic below), and the stove and microwave haven’t been cleaned since… probably before Mexico now almost a month ago! I haven’t cleaned the oven since we moved here… over 2 years ago. To say I’m overwhelmed is an understatement.

I’m trying one day at a time. Today I folded and put away laundry that’s been hanging out for weeks, changed out our printed portraits for the new year, determined we need a “homework station”, and decided where to create an area for the “dog stuff”. I also worked with Lily on making room on her bookshelf for her actual books, and helped her put up the twinkle lights from her Grandma that she’s been looking forward to having up.

Let’s say the inspiration came from staying at my sister-in-law Ashlyne’s, whose house was both beautiful and functional (and wonderfully clean). It proved that it was possible to have an optimal arrangement with a place for everything. Even the junk drawer was immaculate and had a pullout tray for crayons. I got so many good ideas from living it in their house! The bathroom drawer had perfectly sized trays for toothbrushes, and spots for hair bows and hair brushes. The pantry had air-tight clear matching containers in various sizes that you pressed a button to unlock. The refrigerator had zones and not a crumb or drop of sauce anywhere to be found. She kept a separate fridge in the garage for leftovers ands foods she didn’t want having strange smells leaking into the rest of the food. All the soaps and trash cans were hidden in cabinets so that things always looked neat. Even the walk-in closets had legos organized by COLOR in bins, and clothing on all-matching hangers by color. A girl can dream, but all that would be overkill for me and not maintainable for my household so… scratch most of that!

What I am thinking about in my reality is having a “Lego library” in my walk-in closet because there doesn’t seem to be a place in either of the kids rooms or a separate closet for their legos, and over Christmas they multiply.

I’m on a quest to clean, declutter, and make our beautiful home a functional place that works for us as we’re growing and changing. All that biking stuff Jer throws down in my kitchen? Gotta find a place for that. All the caked on accumulated mess? Gotta face my fears and crack at it. All the habits that frustrate and discourage me? Gotta figure how to make it work for me and turn it around. Wish me luck and courage because I’m going to need it!

Love, Kat