Herm.
Not to whine, but I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by my home as of late.
With summer holidays and being busy and not home most weekends and a lot of evenings, all the chorey things have piled up and the house, although not a disaster, needs serious organization before I can go hide out and finish organizing and using my room in the basement. And there’s still the camping stuff to wash and store for the winter so it isn’t all skunky when we pull it out next year…*sigh*
Trouble is, all I want to do is futz about in my new room and make things. My Mum and Dad want me to build them a window and I’ve drawn out the plans and want to get at it…but can’t let myself until the house is under control. I’m one of those people who gets grumpy from extreme clutter, and everywhere I look (now that I have time to look) there seems to be something in the house to look after. I know if I try and tackle the whole house it will take me all weekend and by the end I’ll be so tired and cranky I won’t want to do anymore. And honestly, it won’t really be organized – just where I can’t see it…then when I need something I’ll have to tear the place apart to find it and I’ll be back at the start. I keep having the grand idea of going thru one room at a time, thoroughly…maybe I should get on that.
It’s odd - I see pictures of people’s homes where things all have places and there’s minimal clutter and I want to ask you all – how the heck do you DO it? Did you spend a fortune on shelves and cupboards? Do you actually LIVE there or are you hiding in the basement? ...OR do I just have to much crap? I’m just not sure…
Since we got home, for my sanity, I’ve been trying and do a bit a day, organizing here and there in 15 minute spurts and I really am slowly making a dent in it. It’s hard to not just go nuts and burn out…and then there’s things like making your bed…it’ll just get messed up again eventually and noone sees it but us and we really don’t care, so why bother?
I think I need to make some lists or something. And then not lose them and follow them!
GAH!
Any tips for not spending ALL of my spare time organizing my home?
I’d like to have a life…and not turn into my mother. I just don't care enough to go all anal about it. I just want to try and keep it together, albiet loosely, for a while and see what it's like to be in a calm, uncluttered home.
It's my *home*…and I want to *live* here…not tidy it all the time.
2 comments:
I would be interested to know, too. Maybe the secret is 'courage' - the courage to throw out that odd little thing that you don't know what it is, just in case it turns out to be an important part of the dishwasher.
Mind you, we were clearing out boxes in the loft when I was a teenager, and I found something I didn't recognize (well, I hadn't been around that much). I said to Mum "what's this?" and she said "er... I really don't know. Throw it out."
I had doubts, as it felt heavy and expensive, so I went to my father and said "do you know what this is? Mum wants to throw it out..."
He looked exasperated, and said "no, don't throw that out. It's the lens to my camera."
I'm sure that's why I've never thrown ANYthing out ever, even when I don't know what it is...
Those pictures of "perfect" houses you see in magazines? They're crap. Some architect drew a design that people ooh'ed and aah'ed over, then some fancy-shmancy interior designer brought in furniture for the pictures then took it all back. No one actually lives in the spaces you are shown.
I'm not sure of _This Old House_ is shown in Canada. If it is, keep in mind that the people whose houses are renovated have, probably, two whole months to shlep all their junk off to a storage unit someplace and clean up before the cameras arrive. Even the houses with kids and/or pets are too clean.
When I moved into my place, there was cat hair from the previous tenants' pets on top of the ceiling fans. There's no way someone actually lives in a house as pictured. (Personally, I shove as much as I can into my bedroom closet before I throw a party.)
Post a Comment