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Post by momma2mike on Nov 17, 2017 7:23:25 GMT -5
I was a member of this forum for a while 2 years or so ago but I can't remember any of my info to log in so I made a new account.
I was doing well for a while but the birth of my 4th child this past summer (and the lack of sleep and postpartum depression) caused me to relapse back to a messy. My husband is out of work at the moment but his depression got bad for a bit too. He's feeling better but we're so far behind.
Anyway, we have four girls. M is 5. She's in kindergarten and is homeschooled for multiple reasons. I is 3 and K is 2. K is mostly potty trained but still has accidents. E is only 4 months and is breastfed and cloth diapered both of which take up time and require more work. We also have a cat that we rescued as a kitten back in April but we're most likely giving her to the neighbors soon.
Anyway, we've been slowly making progress from everything being a good 3 (some areas a 4) and we we're fine with the slow progress but we have multiple reasons to speed it up.
We just got notified that next Wednesday, we have an inspection. Plus a family member that we haven't seen in 11 months dropped by out of the blue. We didn't let her in but she and her SO have called CPS for us in the past for every little thing they disagree with like not dragging the girls out of bed a 10pm so they could "check on them." So I'm expecting a knock on the door from a social worker now too.
Oh and we are heading down south to visit family for Christmas. We'll be gone 3+ weeks and my husband wants to try to find a job down there so we can move closer to my mom so I have to prepare for a possible move (which is a big reason for rehoming kitty.)
Anyway to the important part. Current stages for each room...
Mud room 1-2
Living room 1-2
Dining room 1
Kitchen 1-2
Extra room 3-4 (but no bodily fluids)
Stairs/landing 1-2 (stairs are clear. Landing not so much)
Hall 2-3
Bathroom 2-4 (I cleared it out but it's still kind of gross)
Master bedroom 4
M&I's room 2-3
K's room 3.
So our work is cut out for us.
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Post by mynicehome on Nov 17, 2017 9:28:17 GMT -5
Welcome back momma2mike! You certainly have your hands full with small children! Congratulations on your new little daughter. 
You sound like you know what needs to be done both for you, DH and the children and to ward off trouble with CPS. Wishing you much success with that! I hope your Christmas holiday away will bring all of you new hope for a fresh start. I can understand wanting to move closer to your mother and where DH is likely to find permanent employment. Now's a good time to start a potential move-purge as you straighten and clean things up for the next little while.
Best of luck with your to-do's! Keep us posted.
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Post by def6 on Nov 17, 2017 10:34:36 GMT -5
Hello and welcome back momma2mike You've got so much going on (Children can be exhausting, I know!) Best of luck sorting out. When life is a world wind the best change is through habits.You can do this. |
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Post by purpleangel on Nov 17, 2017 10:56:51 GMT -5
@welcome back momma2mike! Four daughters sound like a wonderful, exhausting blessing! Of course, you would be overwhelmed with all those little ones' needs plus Dh and the house. You made a great decision to come back here. I've been on this site about a year +/- and it's made such a difference - not only with my home but also with my sanity. For me, when I want to "get serious," I try to make a Baby Steps plan on my blog every single day. And write about what's on my mind at the moment. Somehow, putting everything in black and white helps me stop the noise swirling in my head. Plus - you can shout your feelings and not upset your husband or children! With such a busy home, you may not FEEL like doing the house. That's my problem (for different reasons). I feel resentful that it's "my job." But, I've learned to ignore that Voice and go ahead and just do the work. No one else is going to do it and it must be done. Sometimes I swear and stomp and give full reign to my frustrations - all the while completing the day's Baby Steps. Chores are not always a labor of love but simply work. Wishing you all the best. Sending vibes of energy, peace, quiet children, and TIME for you to complete your goals. You can do it! |
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Post by Nael_C on Nov 17, 2017 14:56:01 GMT -5
Welcome back! Congrats on your new babygirl and for deciding to get it all sorted out again! |
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Post by Nael_C on Nov 17, 2017 14:58:01 GMT -5
@welcome back momma2mike ! Four daughters sound like a wonderful, exhausting blessing! Of course, you would be overwhelmed with all those little ones' needs plus Dh and the house. You made a great decision to come back here. I've been on this site about a year +/- and it's made such a difference - not only with my home but also with my sanity. For me, when I want to "get serious," I try to make a Baby Steps plan on my blog every single day. And write about what's on my mind at the moment. Somehow, putting everything in black and white helps me stop the noise swirling in my head. Plus - you can shout your feelings and not upset your husband or children! With such a busy home, you may not FEEL like doing the house. That's my problem (for different reasons). I feel resentful that it's "my job." But, I've learned to ignore that Voice and go ahead and just do the work. No one else is going to do it and it must be done. Sometimes I swear and stomp and give full reign to my frustrations - all the while completing the day's Baby Steps. Chores are not always a labor of love but simply work. Wishing you all the best. Sending vibes of energy, peace, quiet children, and TIME for you to complete your goals. You can do it! What a beautiful post! I want to thank you also! |
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Post by Arid on Nov 17, 2017 15:09:51 GMT -5
purpleangel: I love this! "Chores are not always a labor of love but simply work."
That is **SO** true!!
Welcome back to the board, momma2mike!
Arid
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Post by lostchild on Nov 19, 2017 13:29:49 GMT -5
momma2mike. Welcome back. If you have CPS coming focus on walkable paths, beds for everyone kitchen and bath and a minimum of three days of food. You can put stuff in closets. They want the kids hygiene to be good. Make sure you have working smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector.
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Post by oust on Nov 19, 2017 13:48:15 GMT -5
Welcome back.
I hope you get started.
What are you working on today?
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Post by momma2mike on Oct 17, 2018 23:58:54 GMT -5
I'm back... Again. Hopefully for good this time.
Our trip down south ended up being a move because my husband got his best job offer ever. Unfortunately, housing is harder to find here than jobs so we were legally homeless and living in an RV for several months. We managed to keep the RV cleanish but it always looked a mess because it was 6 of us in an old 30'. During that whole time I had very little internet access so I couldn't get on here.
Anyway, a week and a half ago we finally got to move into a large 3bd 2ba mobile home and a couple of churches gave us everything we could need and then some. They told us to pass on what we didn't need. We had to donate a truck and a half full.
I'm starting to fall behind again. I'm sick, E (now 15mos) is teething, and I just found out we're expecting #5 in June.
Our home isn't bad yet but I'm not going to sit around and wait for it to get that way again. I found my self using the WITs strategy so I figured I'd see if I could remember my logins here.
My husband has a permanent job with decent income so we should be able to keep internet and I should be able to stick around this time.
1 more update. M was requiring my 100% undivided attention during her school time and I was begging to start Kindergarten this year (she was more than ready) plus K is becoming interested in learning her letters and numbers. So we enrolled M in public school where she is thriving. I and K will still be homeschooled for as long as that works for them. In I's case, we don't have much choice because she doesn't really like large groups of kids and she's already working a full year above where she should be.
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Post by def6 on Oct 18, 2018 6:55:19 GMT -5
Hello momma2mikeJust being able to make it living in a RV with 4 young children speaks volumes about you. I'm really glad you moved away from the family that called for inspections on their timeline (or whenever they felt benevolent  Congrats on husband getting a good job and may you accomplish everything you want to in your new life. |
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Post by Irisheyes on Oct 18, 2018 7:06:46 GMT -5
Welcome back, momma2mike! I like that your user name was created with your girls' first initials. Congratulations on dh's new job, moving closer to your mom (and away from those other unhelpful relatives), getting a real home, churches helping get you set up, and the news about the new baby you're expecting! So much good news in all this! Huge kudos for deciding to be proactive to keep your home from descending into squalor. This is wonderful news! Your future self will love you for every effort you make in getting and keeping your home clean. I'm sorry you're feeling sick. That often happens to parents after school starts and our little darlings catch and bring home colds, flus and other viruses to share with us. Perhaps, though, you're feeling pg symptoms? Just a reminder - good stress still is stress, as is change. You've had a lot of good changes in the past several months/year. Stress can manifest in illnesses and unexplained pain/injuries (sore neck, muscle aches, headaches, stomach upset, etc), so remember to take good care of yourself. It might help to read about good stressors, and how to relieve stress in general, then incorporate some stress relieving techniques in your daily routine. Eating healthy, staying hydrated, stretching, mild/moderate exercise, directed relaxation and/or meditation, good daily hygiene/beauty regimens and getting enough sleep are good places to start. These things aren't easy to get started, but they are very important for you to make priorities. It's so much easier to do all we must do when we feel well, and your family will appreciate having a healthy, happy mom and wife. Sending hugs! |
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Post by larataylor on Oct 18, 2018 9:00:06 GMT -5
Welcome back! Sorry you're feeling sick. I hope it passes soon.
Congrats on all the good changes
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Post by brokendragon2017 on Dec 9, 2018 14:39:22 GMT -5
Hi!! I'm brand new here but we have several things in common! I just had my 4th in March. My kids are 14, 7, 4, & 8 months. I am a single mom as of this past year. I home schooled my older two for a couple years but they are in public school now. I was in an abusive marriage for 10 years which caused severe depression and anxiety. The house reflected this greatly. I moved home last year when i left my ex and my house is still a disaster. I will be moving in the next month to a bigger home and trying to clean this place beforehand.
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Post by joyinvirginia on Dec 10, 2018 16:08:37 GMT -5
welcome dragon! you can make your own intro post, and share anything you want to. do you need specific ideas, do you need encouragement, let us know what will help you the most!
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