Wednesday 14 January 2015
Why Staying Home With Kids is Easy
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| I swear she does not watch TV all day... But she does love Frozen! |
Being home with kids, that is it being your full time job, isn't a walk in the park. Sometimes you do walk in the park and sometimes that's magical, yes, but that's not your every day.
No, every day you are responsible for vulnerable little people who can't even wipe their own asses. You cook them food. You pour them drinks. You clean up the mess that you told them not to get out in the first place.
You might go out, do crafts, learn something, bake, spend that quality time together.
You might scream as they destroy the folded pile of laundry, the 5th one you did today.
It's definitely not the stressful days that remind me it's easy. Those days, all on their own, are sometimes mind numbingly difficult. They're the days you sit and cry and wonder if you will ever be a good parent and know what the hell you're doing.
It's not even the good days that remind me it's easy. Sure we laugh and smile together and I might even actually enjoy my time with my kids, but I compare these days to the difficult ones and I wonder why can't I be a good parent all the time.
No, it's the days where I am the worst parent in the world. The ones where nothing gets done, my kids watch cartoons for eight hours, where I fall sleep and stay in bed all afternoon. The ones where my HG is acting up or I've contracted an illness or they have kept me up all night or all three. The ones where I feel my life has no value - when my job is homemaker and parent and I do neither.
On those days I notice my 7 year old who has caught me with my eyes closed shuts my door. On those days my 5 year old sits next to me and strokes my arm. On those days my 2 year old wakes up at my side in bed, hungry from missing lunch because we fell asleep, and smiles sweetly at me.
Being at home with your kids is not relaxing, it's not a way to be a better parent, and it certainly isn't glorious from day to day but it is something that no other job can ever do so well.
It's forgiving.
And that forgiveness, when I don't even know how I can forgive myself for not doing enough or yelling too much or laying in bed, is what makes this job easy.
Thursday 8 January 2015
5 common organizing mistakes
Are you not getting anywhere with your organizing? Does it seem like no matter what you do the house always winds up right back where you've started? Make sure you're not making any of these common mistakes.
You're not cutting the clutter first.
When a hoarder stores everything neatly in bins it's called organized hoarding. Don't just have well organized junk - get rid of what you don't need.You don't have the correct systems in place.
Having a can dispenser in the fridge that you never use isn't going to help you at all, neither is using the wrong sized boxes or baskets for your belongings. Plan the system to the space and what needs storing, not the other way around.
You're too focused on form over function.
Sure, those baskets may fit gorgeously with your décor but if they are too cumbersome to use you wont bother. Nix the pretty lidded jars and other traps if they don't work for you.
Everyone isn't on board.
There's nothing more discouraging than everything having a home and the rest of the family not putting things back in their place. Make sure they know where things go and when in doubt use labels to help the transition go more smoothly.
You're not prepared for the upkeep.
Organizing is not a one and done situation. You have to continuously utilize your systems and either stop bringing in new items or purge what you have with each new addition.
Remember, any house can be big enough if you have the right amount of possessions!
Tuesday 6 January 2015
40 Bags in 40 Days
This is part one on my upcoming series unofficially titled "we have way too much crap in our house" where I will be feverishly attempting to eliminate said crap in the house.
This is one I've seen all over the internet and presented in a variety of ways. That means it must be good right?
When I first set out on this quest I had a lot of questions. For example, should I use one of those giant Costco trash bags or a kitchen bag or a grocery store bag? Boxes? What is the cubic volume of the bag? Truthfully it doesn't matter what your clutter receptacle is as long as you're happy with it. For me it's medium size black trash bags that I had laying around and a few boxes for breakables. There will also be times where there will be large pieces that can't count as bags. Don't be a slacker and choose tiny bags but also recognize there will be times you simply cannot fill a bag. Just try. If you get hung up on the details you'll get stuck and never accomplish anything.
Anyway. What do you put in the bags? Well that will depend on you!
You can download this handy chart I've created to keep track.
Here are some ideas. Keep in mind you may need more or less bags for each task. I'll bet we could easily fill 3 bags of toys!
- Kitchen - Plastic stuff
- Kitchen - Appliances
- Kitchen - Fridge/Freezer
- Kitchen - Everything else
- Kid closets
- Kid rooms
- Master bedroom closet
- Master bedroom
- Bathrooms
- Blankets and linens
- Living room
- Office
- Craft stuff
- Purses/backpacks/bags
- Junk drawers
- Coats/outerwear
- Shoes
- Board games
- Holiday/seasonal décor
- Books/magazines
- Kids books
- Toys
- Laundry room
- Garage
- Furniture
- Paperwork
- Garbage
Don't worry about completing your list before starting, just get a few ideas down. You may come up with ideas as you go! Leave a comment if you have any locations to add or to share your results.
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