The huswife's guide to

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.

1. 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.




2. 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.
   




3. 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.
   




4. 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.
   




5. 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. 

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.

For now just start jotting down, in any order, places you know need a little visit from a trash bag. Don't be afraid if there's actual trash to throw out, that's clutter too!

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!

1. Kitchen - Plastic stuff
2. Kitchen - Appliances
3. Kitchen - Fridge/Freezer
4. Kitchen - Everything else
5. Kid closets
6. Kid rooms
7. Master bedroom closet
8. Master bedroom
9. Bathrooms
10. Blankets and linens
11. Living room
12. Office
13. Craft stuff
14. Purses/backpacks/bags
15. Junk drawers
16. Coats/outerwear
17. Shoes
18. Board games
19. Holiday/seasonal décor
20. Books/magazines
21. Kids books
22. Toys
23. Laundry room
24. Garage
25. Furniture
26. Paperwork
27. Garbage

We have twins due May 31st putting me over 13 weeks pregnant at the time of this post. For the past 8 weeks or so I have been dead to the world, barely able to get out of bed let alone function as a normal human. I'm suffering from a pregnancy condition called Hyperemesis Gravidarum - often describe as acute morning sickness. Yes the one that the princess has.

This is my fourth time being sick during pregnancy. Vomiting daily was to be expected but in the past I had always been able to pick up and keep going - no debilitating nausea weighing me down. I took medication in only one of my three previous pregnancies. It sucked but I continued to work, cook, clean, and care for my family. The sickness improved around 14 weeks and was gone by 20.

Now I throw up multiples times a day with no relief. If I miss a dose of medicine I can't even eat. In the past month I lost weight and am still just hovering around what I weighed at my last doctors appointment. I force myself to eat and do everything in my power to hold down what I do. This would be considered a mild case of Hyperemesis Gravidarum. Many woman spend weeks in the hospital and eat nothing for months.

I have managed to stay out of the hospital, although there have been a few times where I should have gone in and didn't.

The worst part isn't the unbearable nausea, the vomiting, the dehydration, the soreness, or the headaches - it's the guilt. I've been completely useless to my family, can't spend any time with my children, and my husband has to make up for everything I'm unable to do. I spend a lot of my day laying on the couch or in bed. Movement will most often lead to vomiting.

I'm just ready to eat, to feel normal again. I know it can't last forever which helps but I  don't know how to tell people that I've been sick. They think I'm dramatic or just have morning sickness. This is also why the blog updates abruptly stopped.

Now excuse me while I go lose my lunch.

We spent two hours on the weekend getting absolutely lost in a corn maze. The one we went to also featured a tower of hay to climb and a petting zoo. Souvenirs included farm fresh cucumbers and of course - SWEET CORN!

We ended up bailing half way through the maze - after an hour of wandering the kids were definitely done. Even still, it was a perfect activity for a chilly fall day. Maybe we'll come back when it's all decked out spooky for Halloween - maybe.