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Post by morningglory on Mar 23, 2012 16:05:33 GMT -5
That 8 minutes went so fast that I went ahead and set it for another 8 minutes! Totally painless!
Put several things away in the garage (drawing board, utility cart that my husband uses to haul toolboxes, and a bicycle rack--why were these things being stored in the kitchen??), others in the laundry, others in the trash, others in the basement (more painting supplies!).
I found an old cell phone, but it isn't really worth keeping or donating, because it doesn't have a SIM card or a battery. So I gave it to our youngest to play with, with the understanding that if he should at any point decide he doesn't want it anymore, he has to give it to me, not leave it laying around or break it into pieces!
That's actually all I have time to do today, as I am booked for the rest of the night. But I am encouraged, seeing the pile dwindle and finding it's not really so difficult when I do it with the timer and gloves. I do plan to get more done tomorrow and report back.
Another great thing--today I went and ordered a couch for the living room. Now that I am cleaning it out, there should be room. My daughter usually spends the whole day in her room, even though she doesn't have air conditioning in there (it has been unseasonable hot here lately). I asked her why she doesn't come downstairs and she said there is nowhere comfortable to sit! She's right, too! (We only have two recliners that my husband and I sit in, and antique wooden rocking chair, and a double-seat thingy that I bought from a used office furniture store--so, like the kinds of chairs they have in a waiting room.) So I went out and found a couch that wasn't TOO far out of our financial reach and ordered it to pick up next week. I took my daughter with me to pick out the style and so forth. So now I also have an incentive to finish getting the stuff in the living room dealt with (the file boxes).
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Post by seashell on Mar 23, 2012 17:41:37 GMT -5
HOORAY for ordering a new couch! My friends said the exact same thing your daughter said: "There's no place comfortable to sit." I bought a sofa and a small recliner, so they can't say that anymore. Good for you. What a great way to reward yourself.
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Post by dayeanu on Mar 23, 2012 17:58:17 GMT -5
Yay on the new couch!
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Mar 24, 2012 8:11:02 GMT -5
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Deleted
Joined: January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2012 10:59:59 GMT -5
More YEAS on the couch!! I've been wanting a new couch for sometime myself, but due to Mr. Puke-y (aka Baby Hurricane), I've decided to put it off for now. You are doing so well Morning....I hope you get up every morning and smile at yourself in the mirror for all you've accomplished.
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Post by morningglory on Mar 25, 2012 19:20:21 GMT -5
seashell, dayeanu, and Hurricane, thanks for cheering our new couch. I am getting kind of excited about the idea, and am planning additional things--a rug, chairs, end tables, new curtain rods, etc. Of course, it will have to be added a little at a time, as we can afford to spend the money. But it is encouraging to imagine that the room will become pleasant, attractive, and comfortable, instead of a trash pit. Courageously, thank you very much for linking to that old thread! I 'd re-reading your story about the Joan of Arc picture. That was great. :-) Today I took a stack of plastic bin lids out of the kitchen pile and put them in the recycle bin. (It's so funny that we squalorees tend to have a superabundance of bins and other storage containers!) I had orange, purple, blue, and green. I reasoned with myself that even if I still have the bins that they belong to, somewhere in the house, I hope to dramatically reduce the number of bins, baskets, and boxes we actually need, as I toss more and more stuff. Plus, the bins can still be used without the lids (which must be what's happening right now). And if we do need bins with lids, I have plenty of those sitting around, with the lids on them. It was a totally gorgeous day, so first thing in the morning I began work on desqualoring the yard by removing dried up grass, trash, debris, and twigs from the front flower bed. Then I was out of the house for the rest of the day, volunteering for four hours, followed by shopping and driving the kids around town. So my point is that I didn't spend much time on the kitchen pile today. But I think I can commit to spending at least another 8 minutes on it tomorrow. It's really fun and exciting to see it dwindle. The kitchen looks different without that big, dark mass looming in the corner! Also today one of our sons brought down about 8 shirts that are too small for him, which I was able to put in the donation bag. Fun!
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Post by dayeanu on Mar 25, 2012 19:56:25 GMT -5
Excellent!!!
It IS exciting when an area is cleared and restored to it's intended state!
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Post by seashell on Mar 26, 2012 7:33:59 GMT -5
Yay for DS bringing shirts to donate!!!
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Post by morningglory on Mar 26, 2012 9:21:11 GMT -5
Thank you, seashell and dayeanu!
I decided to put in my committed 8 minutes first thing this morning, and actually ended up working about 15 minutes.
1) Found yet another bin lid that somehow I didn't even see when I took that stack of the out of the pile yesterday!
2) Also found a bunch of spices. My husband is the one who mainly uses them for cooking, so I need to find out if he still needs them. I wiped off the outsides of all of them with sanitizing wipes.
3) So far I've found two snow brushes for the car. One I threw out already. The other I found today and I think I'll just throw in the back of my car, as it seems to be in ok condition.
4) Put away another book from the pile.
5) Found several rolls of paper towels (more with the ironic squalor). I wouldn't want to use them for food areas, so I put them in the bathroom (after removing the outer few sheets).
6) More paint supplies!
7) Salvaged some plastic containers.
8) Best part of all, I have now completely emptied one of the giant cardboard boxes that half the pile was stacked in and on. It was great to crush that up and toss it!
So now I have another giant box still there with more random garbage in it, and also a plastic bin full of books.
There is also another plastic bin full of books in another part of the kitchen. I didn't realize that's what was in it until I lifted off the stuff that had been thrown on the top. So I can take both of those bins and put them with the other boxes of books for now.
Obviously there is going to have to be a book purge at some point. But right now I am focusing on the more obvious garbage and useless things that are cluttering up every corner of the house.
Although I probably won't work on the pile much more today, I do have a goal of getting the front entryway floor picked up and swept. I had allowed my kids to use the table in that area, and they totally did not respect it--just tossed garbage and dishes and clothes all over the place and refused to clean it up (it's always someone else's mess). So I banished them from that area and am now left with the remains. I really want that area to be kept nice and presentable, because it's the place where anyone who comes to the door will see and ostensibly could be asked to stand or sit inside (the way normal people ask a person to step inside).
Getting that entryway taken care of will be important for scheduling repairmen (like the one to fix the washing machine, so I can get all these baskets of dirty laundry dealt with).
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Post by dayeanu on Mar 26, 2012 10:50:56 GMT -5
Here's an idea I read somewhere: take all urndirty clothes to the laundromat, wash and dry them all at once. Fold them there. Then you're done with it in a shorter period of time.
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musey85
New Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 96
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Post by musey85 on Mar 26, 2012 11:25:48 GMT -5
Hey morningglory, just wanted to pop in and say that I'm lurking on this thread and cheering you along! I'm so sorry that your kids are not respecting some of the areas that you've cleaned up, but I was very heartened to hear that your husband is being supportive. The thread link that CL_SS mentioned earlier in this thread was to one that I had started. I had been having some problems with my hubby not being on the same page as I was regarding cleaning up obvious messes and establishing routines for maintenance. Luckily, he and I sat down and had a talk as to reasons why he was digging his heels in, and I gained a lot of insight into his state of mind. Long story short, we're going through some financial difficulty, along with the dirty house, and with DH being out of work - he's feeling a lot of guilt. I was able to communicate to him (without yelling!) that it's OK for me to be doing some housework, that I'm not trying to make him feel guilty, or signal that I think he's being L@ZEE. So far so good on my end, no major arguments. At any rate, keep up the FANTASTIC work, morningglory! we're rooting for you! Modified - Oops! forgot that we're not allowed to type the L-word!
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Post by morningglory on Mar 26, 2012 12:57:55 GMT -5
Thanks, dayeanu. I've actually been doing laundry at the laundromat since the washer has been broken. Not ALL of it at once, because it's just too expensive and time-consuming (especially when I suspect that a percentage of the stuff will end up being give-away). But I do agree that the upside is getting however many loads done all at once. Also, we tend to put it all away as soon as I bring it home (since it is already folded or on hangers), rather than letting it sit around in baskets with the clothes getting wrinkly. If I could afford the price, I think I *would* just take ALL of it at once and get it all done--maybe even sort it out at the laundromat, so as not to have to haul unwanted stuff back home again.
musey85, thank you for delurking to share your insights about relating to hubby. Right now, things seem to be on track between the two of us. And a couple of the kids have begun to get in on the act, which is great. (Our daughter is usually pretty good about cleaning up her room and keeping it nice, and also about getting rid of stuff she doesn't want or need. Sometimes I even get annoyed because she gives away stuff that still fits her, but honestly, if she is not going to wear it, we don't need it lying around.)
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Post by morningglory on Mar 27, 2012 20:33:15 GMT -5
Today I was away all day long on a trip to another town. When I came home and went into the kitchen, I was shocked by the open space where half that pile used to be!! I really noticed the difference I have made, after being away for the day. Yahoo! That motivates me to keep going!
Our couch should be arriving tomorrow. And the washing machine repairman is scheduled to come on Thursday. Woohoo!
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Deleted
Joined: January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2012 22:21:31 GMT -5
How's the couch? And the washing machine? And the rest of the pile in the kitchen? Hugs to you, Morning!
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Post by morningglory on Mar 29, 2012 11:37:17 GMT -5
Thanks for asking, Hurricane!
Woohoo, woohoo! The washing machine is done. I am running a load now, so we'll see if the basement is flooded later or whether I just have nice, clean clothes. . . The repairman visit was so uneventful I really wish I had had the nerve to do it weeks ago. It would have saved me money. I think as soon as I had gotten rid of that pile of useless filthy clothing on the floor down there I could have scheduled it. Because I had him come in the side door and go straight to the basement.
As for the pile--I have reduced it so much that looking in to the kitchen from the living room looks TOTALLY DIFFERENT! I still have a giant cardboard box of stuff to tackle in there, which I think I can wipe out within the next few days.
I have also gotten a ton done in the front entryway.
I have made a new rule that footwear must be stored in the room of the person to whom it belongs. We have 8 people in our family and each one (me, included!) seems to keep at least 3 pairs of footwear in the entryway--be it shoes, boots, sandals, slippers, sneakers, or whatever. So I am giving the shoes to their respective owners to put away. I know that it is going to require serious diligence to keep that going. Especially since in the winter we leave shoes there to dry. But there simply IS NOT enough room for 25 or 30 pairs of shoes there!
I am picking up all the winter coats that get tossed there, as well. I am going to wash what needs to be washed, give away what has been outgrown, and hang up the rest. Lighter jackets are going to have to be stored in people's closets, though, because we only have a small coat closet that cannot accommodate a heavy coat, dress coat, rain coat, spring jacket, hoodie, and sweater for each of 8 people. Not to mention snow pants, ponchos, windbreakers, and whatever else they have accumulated.
Couch didn't arrive yet, so I emailed the place this morning. They are checking on when it will be here (probably today, I'm guessing).
More updates to come. . .
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