The Elephant.
I’ve been unsatisfied with my housekeeping skills (or lack thereof) for years.
What?! More on housekeeping? What IS it with her?
I’ll tell you what it is:
Living in a home with 4 little (emphasis on little) kids is hard to keep up with. It’s a laugh and a half, a ball and all, but it’s not easy. I don’t think it’s supposed to be.
Living in a cluttered, messy home with 4 little kids is reeeeeeeeeeeeally hard and not fun. Trust me. It’s just not.
I tried changing bad habits, learning good one, etc, and met with some success –go me!—but that was, um, quite a while ago.
(Aunt H with Doodle, 6mo.)
The last three years started with a hurried out-of-state move and one baby after another.
- The house was sure a lot cleaner before we moved in! -
Keeping an orderly house is going to require changes. Big changes, little changes, lots and lots of them. And so…
I’ve been afraid of it. What would life be like if our house was tidier? If I wasn’t ashamed to invite people into it because of all that clutter? If I wasn’t spending so much time tripping over and picking up junk? What would I do with that time?
Oh, I know! Maybe I should just give up, and live in a mess – but be okay with it! Yes!
Um, no. That hasn’t worked well for Smithtopia, in case you were wondering.
I did make progress in understanding that I am a person of worth even if the house is a mess – It sounds like such a “Duh” sort of concept, but in action that was a big deal and big shift in my thinking. I even made progress in welcoming people in, despite the lack of perfection. (Though I still find myself apologizing about messes. Why do I DO that?! Four little kids, hello, of course it’s not going to be perfect. And people who don’t live here don’t even care! Sheesh.)
I want to make it very clear that self-worth and happiness do NOT hinge on living in a place worthy of a Better Homes and Gardens article.
I’ve come to a point, however, where months and years of little changes have led me to be ready for BIG changes. (See www.headgates.org) Happy, wonderful, gut-it-and-start-over type changes. Aren’t you so excited for me?! I know my husband is. Oh, boy, is he happy.
If he’s thinking, “But will it stick this time?” he keeps it to himself, which is why our marriage is so happy. 
But where do I start? We have too, too, too much stuff. Where do I begin in this not-as-cluttered-as-it-used-to-be-but-still-pretty-bad house? I want to get it ALL DONE NOW, as usual, but realize that
You can’t eat an elephant in one bite.
(Thank you, Flylady, for teaching me that I don’t have to do it all at once, and to be alright with that.)
I was pondering where to begin while cleaning up breakfast one morning.
The thought came,
“Start where you are.”
And so I did.
More on that tomorrow… Because the pictures aren’t quite here yet and I want to SHOW you. It’s more fun that way.
So you started in the kitchen? I can’t wait to see the pictures. Isn’t it wonderful having such a supportive husband?
Hmmmm…funnny, I did a post on clutter today too. You and me girl…its a good thing we like each other or this parallel life thing might just be annoying
.
Can’t wait to see what you did! I SO wish I was there to help…but, in all reality, its probably something you really need to do alone to be what it needs to be, much like “mine”.
LOVE this post and love that statement! That is totally one of the things I share in my organization seminars. You are SO right…start where you are! I can’t wait to see what you’ve done!
You’re all lifting me up so much in this journey, it almost seems like cheating.
Almost.
>hugs!<
I’m excited to see what you got accomplished! I can always use new ideas. If I start in the kitchen I have a hard time getting anywhere else, but I share a a house with 2.5 households – and I’m the one at home cleaning the most.
Getting rid of what I don’t use/need and assigning a place to everything else is my best cleaning tip. Make it as easy as possible for your family to help you put things away.
[...] Mrs. Smith a work in progress « The Elephant. [...]
I am so with you on this one! For the first time in a long time, last night I was able to have the YW meet in the kitchen for the Family History class I taught. It wasn’t perfect, but nobody stuck to the chairs! Now on to the rest of the house!
Can’t wait to hear about your journey sine our kids are basicaliy the same ages
Ooooo, Flylady! Love that gal! Decluttering has made a huge difference in my home; having permission to get rid of a ton of kid’s stuff had made everyone happier (and a whole lot of my stuff as well) My home is evolving into one where everything I have, I love.
Okay, Flylady and Lazy Organizer both get credit, lol…