Re: Mamas that are "Messies" Support Thread
 

My goal for now is just to get everything put away everyday. If the place is tidy, I'm much more motivated to actually *clean* Unfortunately, keeping things tidy and, especially, laundry caught up are two of the things I am worst at :blush I will just ignore it and step over it or push the mess to one side if I need something :blush :blush I know that I just need to put things away as I go, right after I use them, but I have yet to make that a habit. :no2 Anyone else have this problem? :nails

Re: Mamas that are "Messies" Support Thread
 

:yes :yes :yes
:hissyfit
It seems like this habit is the hardest one to make.

Re: Mamas that are "Messies" Support Thread
 

My house is a disaster right now. I'm a total perfectionist (but only when it comes to my house) and I overthink EVERYTHING. Who takes three days to organize a bookcase? Me, because I have to have it perfect and I worry if I make a mistake. Every little thing in my house is like that so I put it off and then things get out of control and then it's too overwhelming.

I did start on the "linen closet" last night. That sounds good, but it's really bad because I'm TRYING to dig out the playroom lol. I'm kind of impulsive that way and skip around too much.

I'm working on the upstairs today. I really am. I promise. At least I think so. Maybe. After lunch. lol.

Re: Mamas that are "Messies" Support Thread
 

You sound so much like me! And it drives DH absolutely crazy!

Re: Mamas that are "Messies" Support Thread
 

I haven't posted here in a while....
Things got a little better towards the end of the week last week but we were gone most of the day Sunday and yesterday. After 8pm, I am discovering, I am just too exhausted mentally and physically to do anything.

DH is having friends over tonight (his turn to host his weekly game night) so I have to have the downstairs "company ready" and make brownies for them, and he is bringing two of the guys over for dinner.
I was not really planning on dinner company, and just found this out, um, half an hour ago?
I am not sure what to make.....what I was making for the family I am not so sure if it is OK to serve to others.
I was going to cook up some ground turkey, eggplant, peppers and tomatoes and serve over rice. :shrug I think I will do that anyway, and I can ask DH to pick up some garlic bread or something on his way home....
Anyway, I am just sort of typing out what I need to do here so I can get some perspective...

I already cleared off the desk in the entry. I need to
Sweep entry
vacuum downstairs
clear off dining room table (ie: stash in box)
empty dish drainer
clean toilet and floor in bathroom (no sink in there at the moment! )
sweep and mop kitchen floor
wipe kitchen table
bake brownies
clean counters
wipe down dirty cabinet that DS spilled coke on this AM (just noticed this- DH said DS stole and spilled him coke last night but I had no idea he made such a mess...)I *think* that is it.
Oh, for me, a shower for myself would be nice!
I also need to dry my clothes so I have something to wear. Dryer is full- I might have DD sort that for me so I can at have room to put my wet clothes in there.
Need to have all this done by 5:30, in time to cook dinner.
That gives me 3 hours.....
That is doable, right? :scratch :shrug :hunh

Re: Mamas that are "Messies" Support Thread
 

:eyebrow Hmmm . . . not for me, it's not. :O

Good luck, mama. :phew

Re: Mamas that are "Messies" Support Thread
 

**Sorry this is long, I have a lot to say and get off my chest**
Goodness gracious, Mama, don't wear yourself out. Dh always tells me they're just men, they won't notice. Hehe. :shifty Sorry, that wasn't helpful was it? Hope you get everything done that you want!

As for me, it's my second day back from my trip to Texas. Yesterday was pretty tiring, getting things unpacked and put away (luckily I had the forthought to do my laundry at my parent's before we left....yay), and going grocery shopping. Rather embarassing, but while I was gone, DH left also for a business trip and our in-laws were to take care of the cats. My FIL came over and decided that he "Just couldn't take it" and cleaned my house. I was a little upset, as I had left specific instructions for NO ONE to clean my house while I am gone (my ILs have a habit of doing this...I try to clean before I leave, but it's not always attainable). It's so embarassing to know someone else thinks my house is dirty and then say something about it. So now we're trying to keep the house the way it was when we got home. So far, so good. I actually made the bed this morning. There are toys out in the living room, but I was wedding out old toys from Hope's bins to bring to our store for customer's kids to play with. Now I need to clean up the remaining mess. Today is the day I'm supposed to do the weekly duties in the bedrooms. This is what I've done so far today and what I have left to do:
Dailies

Living Room

Pick up toys

Carpet sweeper

Put away shoes

Dishes in sink

Throw away trash

Kitchen

Empty dishwasher

Water in cat's dish

Feed cats (2x) (Fed them once already)

Clean dishes

Throw away trash

Clear surfaces

Wipe counters

D/S Bathroom

Hang up towels

Stairs/Hall

Clean clothes put away

Put away misc. items

Dirty clothes put away

Master Bedroom

Open blinds

Bring down glass

Bed made

Clothes put away

U/S Bathroom

Clean tub/Tilex

Hang towels

Pick up clothes

Hope's Room

Open blinds

Bag dirty diapers

Pick up toys

My Daily 5

Morning (Completed before 10 am)

-Shower

-Eat Breakfast (PRENATALS!)

-Empty Dishwasher

-Check E-Mail (Only 30 minutes)

-Make Bed

Evening (Completed before bedtime)

-Clean up after dinner

-Start dishwasher

-Give Hope a bath

- Read

- Check E-mail (Only 30 minutes)

Weekly

Master Bedroom

Dust

Vacuum

Wash sheets

Clean mirror

Hope's Room

Dust

Vacuum

Change sheets

Guess I better start on the bedrooms before Hope wakes up from her nap. Don't wanna. LOL. Part of me is so paranoid that I'm just going to go back to my old ways. I'm scared to sit down and rest, although I know as should as growing a baby isn't exactly a walk in the park energy wise. I know that if I sit for too long, it will look as though a hurricane came through. I'm trying very hard not to try and go through too much of the clutter at once as I know it will just create MORE clutter. I dunno. I'm rambling now. I just HATE BEING A MESSIE!

Re: Mamas that are "Messies" Support Thread
 

First off AandN's Mommy good for you. That sounds like a lot of work and I'm glad no one is coming over to my house this evening...although that might be just the kick in the pants I need to get my butt off this computer chair and go clean!

HopesMommy-
ITU!! I know. I have left instructions for my dh to NOT clean something because I will get to it, and then he goes and cleans it anyways because he can't "take it anymore" and I am so mad and embarrassed...and then grateful. Inside anyways. But I never tell him though.

If I ever see someone doing something that I feel is *my job* then it sort of feels like a slap in the face. Like a reminder that I can't handle it. Anyways, just take the help you got. Sometimes I really do need someone (usually its my dh) to come in and clean up for me to get me back on track. I am ok at maintaining stuff, but when I slip and it gets too out of hand, then it is REALLY hard to clean. Sometimes I just need that extra help to get back on my feet.

Re: Mamas that are "Messies" Support Thread
 

Finally someone who is like me! That is EXACTLY what it feels like to me. I HATE it when people come over and want to help. I appreciate that they want to but it stresses me out and makes me feel terrible. A couple of ladies volunteered to come help me this week and it is just stressing me out. One came yesterday and I just couldn't let her clean anything. I think that kind of upset her :( and I feel bad about that but even just having a visitor sometimes just stresses me out because I just know they are going to find the thing I didn't get to.

Re: Mamas that are "Messies" Support Thread
 

I feel the same way!

I need the help, but always feel bad that I need it. But if it gets to a certain point, I just can't do it.

Hopesmommy, I hope you are able to maintain for a while. Your list makes me tired! Does it help you to have a list? A list that long would positively overwhelm me!
I am sorry you were embarassed- I would be, too, but grateful for the help.

Oh, and I have seriously tried the "they are just men" line with my DH for when he hosts, but he is totally not on the same page! I will work really hard to get things ready and have everything clean and he comes home and says "the house is a disaster" because there are some toys out or some "stuff" out- again, the tidiness thing. Anyway, he is always really particular about the snacks and dessert, too. This time, I totally blew it because he had bought some ice cream at the store and said that he had bought it for game night, and I said "Oh, OK, I can probably whip up some brownies if you want" and he was like "Oh, OK, great!!!!" But just Brownies is not enough for him. It has to be brownie sundaes, complete with homemade brownies and whipped cream, ice cream and chocolate sauce and cherries. And he wants me to make little chocolate decorations, too. (which thankfully is really easy. Just melt the chips and drizzle them in designs on wax paper and refrigerate) At least he is OK with bought chocolate sauce....this is actually an easy dessert night, LOL.. He is really picky. He has said "You just have set the bar too high in the past" - like the pre-two children and baby on the way-past. He used to be happy with just some chips and drinks and maybe some chocolate chip cookies, but then I started wanting to try new dessert recipes on them since it stinks to make an elaborate dessert, which I used to love doing, and not have anyone to eat it. So it has kind of evolved I guess into a big "what is your wife making for dessert for us tonight" deal according to DH.
Anyway, this is off topic but it feels good to vent.

Re: Mamas that are "Messies" Support Thread
 

It's helpful for me to be able to mark the stuff off the list. It's like an accomplishment thing, y'know? I know for a while I won't get everything marked off the list every day (or even one day a week), BUT I know that I can do most of the stuff if I just get off my butt and DO it, y'know? The list is slightly overwhelming, but really it's just a *want to* list, kwim?

Re: Mamas that are "Messies" Support Thread
 

LAte to this, but I just want to say I understand that. I am not a perfectionist except in this one area - it's like I think that if I can't do it all right now, thoroughly, just right, then why bother trying? I can't do things a little at a time when it comes to cleaning. I see a huge pile of mess - which is most of my house - and it's too big, it's an all day job, and I don't have all day, so I don't do it. :doh

Re: Mamas that are "Messies" Support Thread
 

How are y'all doing?
I am having one of those :cry days. I just feel so overwhelmed!
I am trying to get in outside time, and schooling stuff today, while my house is also pulling at me.
We were gone this morning at MOPS and I did not get my usual amount of sleep, nor did I get in my morning pick-up and put away and unload dishwasher time.
It is all so overwhelming.
There is stuff everywhere, we are so behind on the laundry, it is 3:30 and we still haven't done school- I have no where to do it since both tables are cluttered.
:hissyfit
I wish it were pizza night or something, but in a little over an hour I have to start dinner in my messy kitchen, and I am so tired and have a headache. I feel like the walls of my house are closing in on me. We just came in from outside, and when I outside I feel OK but as soon as I walk in, I just feel all panicky!
My Rescue Remedy is no where to be found.......it is probably buried somewhere. :banghead

Re: Mamas that are "Messies" Support Thread
 

What is required for me to do is a lot less now than it was as we're living with MIL now. Basically I just have to keep our one room clean and not cuz i "have" to b ut cuz i want to. stillit is a lot required.

everyday i have to:
- make the bed
- feed the cat
- empty the litter box (usually do this every other day though)
- wash dishes
- cook meals
- clean up any messes DD has made in the rest of the apartment (usually minimal)
- sometimes i vacuum up the floor in the bedroom (about every 2-3 days)

it has helped a lot just having the one room to take care of. i'm slowly expanding out too. andone of the best things i've found to get rid of theclutter is topack up lol. we had to go through stuff and say "do we REALLY want this? if we do why is it in a drawer and hasn't seen the light of day since we moved into the house?" lol. got rid of a lot of clutter that way, an entire box of garbage bags worth! :eek

Re: Mamas that are "Messies" Support Thread
 

(((((Amy)))))
ITU that kind of day - I had one this week, too, where you want to just sit down and cry. It often follows a night of little sleep. :hugheart I hope things are better now mama.