anyway
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Joined: January 2010
Posts: 97
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Post by anyway on Sept 29, 2010 20:51:07 GMT -5
I've been offline (well off of SOS) for a while now, since just after I moved. We managed to keep the house in great shape for a little while, then I had some health issues creep up and had to stop working (hopefully temporarily!) and since then it has all begun to fall apart. When we moved it was so freeing to have so much less stuff, even though I had to give up so much. It was just stuff. Then we started to acquire. The kids got toys for their birthdays. LOTS of toys. And hubby and I stopped picking up after them. I've been maintaining the bedrooms, for the most part, and keeping clutter out of the bathrooms, but the rest of the house was getting really bad. Couldn't walk through the living room for all the toys and papers and whatnot, and the kids, despite our eat-only-in-the-kitchen rule, had strewn crumbs all about the floor. Tonight hubby and I spent a couple of hours, with a little help from the kidlets (but not too much as they're only 3 and 5) cleaning the living room and kids' playroom, which were completely overrun with toys (and the aforementioned crumbs.) Both rooms are now sparkling again. Any stranger, or MIL, could knock on the door right now and I would welcome them into my house, instead of being afraid they might ask to come in. (Oh horrors!  ) I'm sitting in my nice clean living room looking around and loving it. I WILL keep it this way. I HAVE TO. I WILL NOT let it get the way it used to be. (PS The kitchen is clean too, but the floor needs help at the moment. Need chocolate first.  ) |
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Post by blessedapt on Sept 29, 2010 20:57:07 GMT -5
YAY!!!  Great work! You are so inspirational!! |
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Post by messymimi on Sept 29, 2010 21:10:15 GMT -5
Dear AnyWay,
You will find that when you have once cleaned up, if you let it slide a bit, it is never as hard as it was to get it back up to speed again.
Good work, and you can do this!
messymimi
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Post by blossoming on Sept 29, 2010 21:16:22 GMT -5
if toys are one of the main issues, can you get rid of the old to make way for hte new. this helps with mommy and daddy stuff, . good luck |
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Post by redsalem333 on Sept 29, 2010 21:34:32 GMT -5
Hi Anyway! My mom made a suggestion to me a while back (which I still haven't done, but sounds like a good plan), she said to pack up half of the childrens toys that you plan to keep, and every month or so, "switch them out" so that every time you take the other toys out, you pack up the ones they have been playing with, that way, they are getting "new" toys every few weeks to a month. and it keeps the chaos down to a minimum!
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anyway
New Member
Joined: January 2010
Posts: 97
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Post by anyway on Sept 29, 2010 23:45:04 GMT -5
We have packed up so many toys . We still have bins of them in storage from the move. Obviously nobody is missing them. Their birthdays were only 2 weeks and 6 weeks ago so the new toys are still very new. I did make room for them in the playroom finally, and designated a bin for each type of toy - Lego, blocks, Lincoln Logs, Star Wars figures, dinosaurs, little junk, etc. They can't want the nice big toys, they have to have the itty bitty 1,000 piece toys. EEK! I really need to work on NOT bringing in more stuff. I like to shop clearance racks and I always need *just one more shirt/skirt/etc.* I need to go thru and donate some stuff, because laundry is starting to get out of hand (but it's not completely gone yet TTM!) Oh and kitchen floor is now clean (thanks to hubby) and dishes are done (thanks to me) and cupcakes that I promised the kids for helping me clean are in the oven. Nothing like a little bribery to get the job done.  |
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anyway
New Member
Joined: January 2010
Posts: 97
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Post by anyway on Sept 29, 2010 23:54:36 GMT -5
Still to do before I'm back to post-move status:
1. catch up on laundry (which will empty my laundry room) and actually fold something once in a while (the good news here is that I can pile clean laundry in my office, right next to the laundry room, which is away from the rest of the house, the bad news is that the office is a mess, see #2)
2. clean office. Put away laundry, empty boxes and organize.
3. clean back porch.
4. empty storage unit. I am so not looking forward to this one! But it's costing us a fortune to store stuff we are mostly not missing at all. Most of it can just be tossed/donated/sold.
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Post by blossoming on Sept 30, 2010 6:01:07 GMT -5
can you implement the old adage, one thing in means two things out? that has been a mainstay for a lot of people who are accumulators
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anyway
New Member
Joined: January 2010
Posts: 97
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Post by anyway on Sept 30, 2010 9:10:49 GMT -5
blossoming I really need to implement this. I've been working on it with the kids, trying to convince them that they do not *need* more toys even though they think that they should "get a new toy every day" (per my 5yo!) I've told them that they can only have a new toy if they sell an old one (consignment shop or craigslist.) For myself... I just have such a hard time letting go of stuff!
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Post by fluffernut - now Jannie on Sept 30, 2010 11:18:11 GMT -5
Just before birthdays and Christmas, I would have my kids pick up their toys and sort thru to give some "To the poor kids". They did a good job and willingly gave up old toys. Then I would drive them over to Goodwill.
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Post by blossoming on Sept 30, 2010 12:24:48 GMT -5
well, it's good you realize its a problem, the letting go thing, that's important. if you were your own mother, how would you get yourself to do it?
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anyway
New Member
Joined: January 2010
Posts: 97
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Post by anyway on Sept 30, 2010 22:59:55 GMT -5
Ha, if I were my own mother I'd be in the same situation. She does go through maybe once a year and just ruthlessly get rid of stuff, but she still has closets and extra rooms (when she has them) and her garage absolutely piled to the rafters with stuff.
I need to mull this over... I think the way I'm going to get myself to do it, is just to DO it. I don't have room to store all this stuff, it HAS to go. Period. Now I just need to make it happen.
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anyway
New Member
Joined: January 2010
Posts: 97
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Post by anyway on Oct 2, 2010 12:25:29 GMT -5
I've had a nearly spotless kitchen, living room and playroom for 3 days! YAY!!
After seeing the nastiness that was growing under the kids' plastic placemats, I decided I really want cloth placemats so I went shopping and found a great deal on deep red (machine washable!) placemats, which go perfectly with the rug in my kitchen and my pot holders. I added a red charger with some pinecones and candles as a centerpiece, and put a brown ribbon on a red basket for napkins on the counter. Plus I scored a RED coffee maker!* I really like the way the red pops and it's a nice change from the usual orange theme for fall.
I've been keeping my kitchen decor very clutter-free, which is a huge change from the old house where every countertop doubled as storage/clutter magnet with big decorative bowls of junk, appliances, knife block, coffee pot PLUS the french press, cookbooks, toaster + toaster oven, bread machine, etc. Now the only thing on my counters are: coffee maker with sugar cannister and cute little teapot-shaped spoon rest, matching pretty flowerpot with markers under the dry-erase board, a basket for dish towels next to the sink, a toaster oven and a small buddha statue. Also, a small candle holder that hides an ugly phone jack on the bar.
*Our coffee maker just broke the other day. I can't live without my coffee! The old one is going to the trash on Tuesday. We are NOT storing broken crap anymore in the hopes it can be fixed someday and given to someone.
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