Mamas that are "Messies" Support Thread

[Peridot]

Originally Posted by duckwithoneleg

hehe, me too...

also, though, just to clarify: by "little" i mean "smaller than a couch"

Ha! It's not just me, then. I have realised that MY definitions of clean and others are far and away different!

argh, blergh, blech.

[mamajane]

Originally Posted by peridot

Ha! It's not just me, then. I have realised that MY definitions of clean and others are far and away different!

argh, blergh, blech.

How about when people say "my house isn't dirty, it's just messy" like of course it's not dirty! I never could relate to that statement. I mean, how do you ever get around to cleaning anything that's covered with mess? Like, how do you actually wipe the floor down when it takes all your time and energy to rake through the mountain of stuff that was on it, yk?

[Peridot]

Originally Posted by mamajane

How about when people say "my house isn't dirty, it's just messy" like of course it's not dirty! I never could relate to that statement. I mean, how do you ever get around to cleaning anything that's covered with mess? Like, how do you actually wipe the floor down when it takes all your time and energy to rake through the mountain of stuff that was on it, yk?

[tofufoofoo]

I'd say most of the time my house isn't *filthy* but it is messy/cluttered. Like the clothes are clean, they're just piled on the futon in the spare room/still hanging up/in the dryer. The dishes are rinsed out but piled up in my sink/or there is just a pile of clean dishes in my dish drain. My dining room table is clean but my books or crafts are piled on top of it. The rug is vacuumed but DD's toys are everywhere on top of it. The sheets are clean but the bed isn't made... KWIM? I could go on and on BTW

Oh my goodness, Duckwithoneleg. I can so relate to everything you said (and you others too).

I stay so mad at myself because I can't keep anything straight.

How can I expect my children to clean up their messes when I can't even clean up my own? I hate it. I'm actually an extremely organized person if given enough time, enough silence and absolutely no interruptions. People used to put me in charge of cleaning stuff out and organizing it. But that's before I had kids. I don't have time now, I certainly don't have silence and while typing this I've had approximately 28 interruptions.

So I had made it a goal this morning to get the toys off the living room floor so I could vacuum. Three nursings, two meals, a nap (not by me, of course), and many hours later, most of them are up and I still haven't vacuumed. Lots of fussing occurred. Some yelling happened.

Nobody cares except me, and I've come to the conclusion that I shouldn't care quite so much.

[duckwithoneleg]

Originally Posted by Lin

Oh my goodness, Duckwithoneleg. I can so relate to everything you said (and you others too).

I stay so mad at myself because I can't keep anything straight.

How can I expect my children to clean up their messes when I can't even clean up my own? I hate it. I'm actually an extremely organized person if given enough time, enough silence and absolutely no interruptions. People used to put me in charge of cleaning stuff out and organizing it. But that's before I had kids. I don't have time now, I certainly don't have silence and while typing this I've had approximately 28 interruptions.

So I had made it a goal this morning to get the toys off the living room floor so I could vacuum. Three nursings, two meals, a nap (not by me, of course), and many hours later, most of them are up and I still haven't vacuumed. Lots of fussing occurred. Some yelling happened.

Nobody cares except me, and I've come to the conclusion that I shouldn't care quite so much.

hehe

i dig this thread.

i got so much of my list done, and then what? of course, the refrigerator broke.

the intense friend is coming this weekend (i think?) and the dishes have once again multiplied and procreated and are taking over the world.

buh i want to be done doing chores.gonna have to suck it up again tomorrow and get back to the grind.

grind... grinds... coffee grinds.... mmmmm, coffee.

[Peridot]

Here, Sarah

Dishes multiply around here too. Add to that- Maximus changing his clothes 8700 times dialy, adn ;laundry multiplies too. And Mail- DH is supposed to be in charge of. and toys...books....etc...


off to coffee myself.

[duckwithoneleg]

Originally Posted by peridot

Here, Sarah

Dishes multiply around here too. Add to that- Maximus changing his clothes 8700 times dialy, adn ;laundry multiplies too. And Mail- DH is supposed to be in charge of. and toys...books....etc...


off to coffee myself.

aaaugh, mail! i hate mail! i mean the bills and junk kind. of course everyone loves a good handwritten letter from a friend

[Peridot]

Originally Posted by duckwithoneleg

aaaugh, mail! i hate mail! i mean the bills and junk kind. of course everyone loves a good handwritten letter from a friend

Yeah, but how often does that happen?

Maybe he'd be more interested in sorting the mail if it contained an inappropriate pic of his wife now and again.

[NewCovenantMama]

Just found this thread . I've struggled with chronic disorganization for as long as I can remember. I was healed of ADD nearly 2 years ago, but still struggling with a mixture of over 40 years' worth of thinking/habit patterns (I was 42 when I was healed!) and possible PTSD symptoms. Our house...well, I wouldn't want my son's special needs social worker to call round right now....

Gotta go do the shopping, but I'll be back .

Emma

[eoconnel]

I wish I had an extra couple hundred dollars because I would pay someone to show me how to organize all my stuff and I don't have a bunch of extra stuff we have moved too much for that. And then pay someone to come clean my house every 2 weeks.

[RealLifeMama]

I used to wait for DH to look through the mail, too, and it would just pile and pile up.
Now, what I do is just go through it as soon as I have it. Most of it is junk mail. I keep a paper grocery bag in a certain spot and I toss the stuff that we don't need in it. It will all be burned, so it does not matter if it is a credit application or something that would need shredding. I throw away the envelopes with the plastic windows, and catalogs, too. I keep an accordian file with 13 compartments. Anything we need to keep (a bill that is auto draft or that I pay online, a statement, whatever) just goes in the slot for that month. Anything medical or insurance related goes in the back 13th slot. It is not perfect, but it is better than a pile. Then, anything that needs to be taken care of later or I need as a reminder goes in this holder thing on my kitchen wall. (I don't have a desk- probably a good thing!) Coupons go in the coupon drawer. Then, any trade magazines for DH or whatever is just for him goes in a small pile for DH. Since I do it every day,
It takes only a couple minutes to go through it all, we normally get maybe 5-6 pieces of mail a day and that is it, and I have really come to the conclusion that we don't need most of it.

[duckwithoneleg]

Originally Posted by peridot

Yeah, but how often does that happen?

Maybe he'd be more interested in sorting the mail if it contained an inappropriate pic of his wife now and again.

! yes, maybe! that might actually be an excellent idea...


and yeah the handwritten letter from a friend? almost never, of course ... though i find that if i send them to people, sometimes i get one in return, and that's always fun!

[Peridot]

Originally Posted by eoconnel

I wish I had an extra couple hundred dollars because I would pay someone to show me how to organize all my stuff and I don't have a bunch of extra stuff we have moved too much for that. And then pay someone to come clean my house every 2 weeks.

yup, and me. :maid.... oh wait that was another thread... There ARE those paid professional organizer people- whom I will never be able to afford.

Originally Posted by RealLifeMama

I used to wait for DH to look through the mail, too, and it would just pile and pile up.
Now, what I do is just go through it as soon as I have it. Most of it is junk mail. I keep a paper grocery bag in a certain spot and I toss the stuff that we don't need in it. It will all be burned, so it does not matter if it is a credit application or something that would need shredding. I throw away the envelopes with the plastic windows, and catalogs, too. I keep an accordian file with 13 compartments. Anything we need to keep (a bill that is auto draft or that I pay online, a statement, whatever) just goes in the slot for that month. Anything medical or insurance related goes in the back 13th slot. It is not perfect, but it is better than a pile. Then, anything that needs to be taken care of later or I need as a reminder goes in this holder thing on my kitchen wall. (I don't have a desk- probably a good thing!) Coupons go in the coupon drawer. Then, any trade magazines for DH or whatever is just for him goes in a small pile for DH. Since I do it every day,
It takes only a couple minutes to go through it all, we normally get maybe 5-6 pieces of mail a day and that is it, and I have really come to the conclusion that we don't need most of it.

One of these days, DH is going to come home and find that I have spent 1,000$ at Staples on notebooks/binders/whathaveyou, and am opening ALL the mail. Then he will find I have also sold every single peice of Coca-Cola memorabilia that is cluttering my attic and preventing me from storing anything up there.

Originally Posted by duckwithoneleg

! yes, maybe! that might actually be an excellent idea...


and yeah the handwritten letter from a friend? almost never, of course ... though i find that if i send them to people, sometimes i get one in return, and that's always fun!

Well, I could start a penpal thingy going, but I might just hyperfocus on the mail then... Which would of course be self defeating....

[duckwithoneleg]

Originally Posted by peridot

Well, I could start a penpal thingy going, but I might just hyperfocus on the mail then... Which would of course be self defeating....

hehehe, yes, and penpal's become so much work too!