Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Learning to be Organized.....Again

First let me give you some background. When I was growing up, even into my late teens, I was a 'neat freak'. My sister & I shared a room and I can remember drawing an imaginary line down the center of the room so her 'stuff' was on her side & mine could be nice and clean. At some point after that things changed for me and it became more of a struggle. Maybe because I always wanted to keep things for that 'just in case' time/moment when I might need them. But, as you know, the older you get...the more you accumulate. But it wasn't always about the stuff. It just wasn't coming natural to me anymore.

So.....I'll jump forward to married life. Now you add 30 years of 'stuff' for both of us and what do you get? Double stuff :). We weaned out tons and gave away what we could. We actually did really well. We also had a homegroup that met every Friday at our home, so I had a reason to have the house spotless by Friday afternoon, every single week.

Then our 4th child was born. It all fell apart from that point on. Whatever glue that was left holding my organization together disintigrated. For those that don't know our story....let's just say she was a difficult baby (that's an understatement). She would cry 12-18 hours a day. Every night she would scream from 10:30pm-3:30am. The doctors couldn't find anything wrong with her. Just about every night when my husband would come home I would be in tears (I could still cry, the memories are that strong). I would wake up every morning and tell God...."I know you won't give me more than I can handle, but I don't think you're paying attention. I can't handle this!!!" I couldn't just take a nap during the day because I also had a 1 year old daughter & a 2 year old daughter. Friends and family became reluctant to call my house because they would have to compete with her screaming. Because this went on for 15 months, I had nothing left to give my house. I don't mean my family, I mean my physical dwelling. I was lucky to be able to keep up with the laundry and have a meal on the table at dinnertime. I resorted to casseroles because I could throw all the ingredients into one dish and bake it. I had no energy for anything else. Nothing left to give.

Around the time she turned 2 1/2 or so I remember thinking..."Ok, things are semi back to normal around here. I need to get my house back in order now." It was a long process. After all, I now had almost 3 years of habits that had formed (if you want to call them that). So, I began the process. Slowly. It seemed like I just couldn't get caught up. But, to cut myself a little bit of slack, I did have 4 children (3 of them under the age of 4), plus 3 years worth of catching up to do.

And then...I found out I was pregnant again. I was determined that things weren't going to happen the same way with this one. But, as it turns out, she was another difficult baby. At 15 months old we found out she had food allergies, which were causing her issues. Once we pulled her off of the foods she was allergic to & things settled with her I started getting things back in order...again.

Now here I am again. 8 months pregnant and wondering how I'm ever going to get back to where I was 5 years ago. I want my house back! I know it will never be perfect, but I want to be able to have someone knock on the door and not have to look around to see if I can let them it :). I'm determined to make it work. That was one of my new year's resolutions (that I wasn't going to make - for fear of breaking it).

Today will be Day 1. I'm going to pick myself up and try again. I have the knowledge, now I just need to apply it. I have to realize this isn't going to be an overnight miracle, but a slow process. Hopefully, by blogging about the tips I've learned over the years, it will be that constant reminder to hold myself accountable to what I have learned and what I want to accomplish.

3 comments:

Kimmie said...

The baby ticker is ticking away my friend...soon that new bundle will be in your arms. Praying God gives you new creative ways that will work for your *house*...so that you can enter this new addition with peace and joy.

Simplicity is the best way to organization. Pretend like you are moving, do you want to pack it and find a place for it? If the answer is no (and really think about your *new home*...how do you want it to look??) then chuck it or donate it. Saving it is what makes the dreaded *piles* and eats up our living space.

KImmie

Rebecca said...

It's so not an over night thing, rather ongoing. I think every home strikes out every now and again. Than there are the home run moments. Take it easy - the baby could change things but the sheer thought that you are wanting to dive into organization is hope enough. I like what Kimmy said, keep it simple :-)

Anonymous said...

It must seem so overwhelming at times, remember as you said, God doesn't give you more than you can handle, He is with you every step of the way and will carry you throught the tough times. I am the mother of six and If I've learned nothing else it is to be kind to YOU and take time for YOU, the children will love it and so will your hubby.The home can wait til the babies are grown, I look back now and can only sit with the memories of those precious times and babies, this too shall pass,live just for the moment,dry those tears and trust that God in His infinite wisdom has entrusted you with His most precious gifts and as they grow they will ALWAYS look to you, and Him, with love and Joy. I am Donna Liljegrens Mum,she has Brynwood studios.Much love and prayers for you and yours, Always and in His name Yvonne.

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