Have I ever mentioned I am stressed by clutter? If not, then let me now state for the record I am totally oppressed and overwhelmed by clutter. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean I am never around it.
I did really well the last two weeks staying on top of the house and cooking dinner and grocery shopping and keeping track of the kids until today. I’m not sure what happened. Natalie was in school. Ainsley had a play date here at the house to keep her out of trouble. Ryan had a lab and physical therapy appointment. I made a ton of calls. Did a bit of paperwork. Then I turned around after dinner to find this:
Trash from dinner prep, Ryan’s meds and feeding supplies:
Oxygen and Alice arrived today:
Ryan’s machines and cords… annoying. Oh, and a stray glove!
Oh my! You name it and it’s on this table. A pulse oximeter, toys, phone, paper, crafts, dinner dishes…
Self-explanatory!
Seriously, I was already overwhelmed and this sent me over the top. The girls were going nuts, Ryan was crying, and it was time to gets his meds and feeds started. I heard myself being short with the girls and I didn’t like it. I was overwhelmed with it all. You’ll be happy to know I took a deep breath, put in a movie, and did one thing at a time.
It’s quiet now. All three kids are asleep. The house is clean. My Valentine’s Day dessert is chilling in the freezer. I am catching up on my online peeps. Relaxing. It’s all good. Have a great night.
(c) 2016 Leighann Marquiss
Comments (17)
I’m glad you made it through. hurray for movies! i get so stressed when everything isn’t in it’s place too and i know exactly how you’re feeling now that everything is clean and dessert is ready… ahhhh, such a wonderful feeling 🙂 love you,
katie
I panic in clutter…. and your pics… thats real life isn’t it. Glad Ryan is doing so well at home though…!!!
i’m with ya…clutter makes me CRAZY!!!
Clutter makes me crazy but more than that is when I feel everything is going wrong at the same time. Today was one of those days. UGH!! I did get short with my kids so i did the most sensible thing. I laid the toddlers down for a nap. What relief!! Things slowly were fixed and put back together.
Love ya.
I hear you on the clutter, it makes me NUTS here too, and the sad thing is it happens right under my nose. Thank goodness the weekend is here, daddy can play with the kids and I can get cought up on everything. That and I need to go thru the house and downsize for our move this summer, gotta love those military moves.
I made the Cabbage and taters tonight, let me just say I think I ate half the cabbage all on my own. It turned out perfect. Thank you for sharing this is a huge keeper! For me at least nobody liked the cabbage but me, they ate the taters tho.
You know, as a person who lives in constant clutter, how much it brings me joy when I see your house messy, right?
Honestly seeing your clutter made me like you even more! I also panic in clutter, but I thrive and survive in clutter as well. It will not drown me!
Take things one moment at a time. You won’t win any awards for having the cleanest house on the block, but your kids will remember you being happy and at peace admist the clutter and taking things into stride. 🙂
If I was even close to you I would lend a hand or two to you. You deserve it! I’m sorry its overwhelming you, that definatley is no fun, but thank God for movies 🙂
Boy do I understand!!!! My house looks very similar. I’ve been so busy writing lately that I haven’t managed my house or children well. The good thing is, I have older kids that I can depend on – and they help me out SO much, but the bad thing is, my idea of clean and their idea of clean are slightly different. 🙂
Glad you go it all cleaned up. You must feel so much better now.
Hi – I’m a friend of Willa’s and I have to tell you how much I enjoy your writing. I was always amazed at the pictures and all you handle that your house always looks great! It makes me fell good that you shared your clutter. We all have little pockets that accumulate – Flylady.com helped me cope with it and I feel good about how the house looks now, although that’s not to be interpreted that I found a way around the clutter, just manage it better now. And I would write more, but I’m off to de-clutter! 🙂 Keep up the good work! You’re always in our prayers –
Beverly
I agree with Maggie. I am such a clutter bug and you seem sooooo organized and together all the time. But now I know for sure, you are human, too, lol. That was the title of a sermon I heard when i was about 13 years old and it has never left me. Sometimes we put people up on this god-like pedestal and forget that they are human. Then we try to compare ourselves to our ideal of them and we get so depressed, when in reality, they are human just as much as we are and even though we may never see it, they fail sometimes. Thank you for being brave enough to share with us. You probably lift more people up with your honesty than anything else. Praying for Ryan and the family as well.
I don’t do well in clutter either and my house has been looking like your pictures at times lately. The clutter itself can make me short with the kids and I really hate that. I have to step back and gain perspective.
Tell me, what is for dessert? I am working on dinner. Haven’t thoguth about dessert since I can’t eat much at all right now but I probably should since it isn’t about me!
I have been following your story for some time now, but never commented! I love your honesty and commitment to your husband and children. When my children were little and I got in a “mess” I would stop and think “Do I want to be remembered as a Mum with a house out of “Better Homes & Garden’s” (I’m in Australia) or do I want my children to remember that I loved them amongst the clutter and didn’t lose my temper or get stressed by not being in control”. Sure, I still failed miserably at times but I kept reminding myself of my goals as a Mum and a wife and what was really important!
Ahhhhhhhh! I know when I turn around and see things like this. I remember a good friends words. “Just do the next thing..”
Have a happy week.
I just read this post and thought of you when a friend just posted on facebook how discouraged she was because her kids had been sick with the stomach flu all weekend and she hadn’t cleaned a thing (besides sheets) in the last week. Another friend of hers wrote this and I love it. I think it will give me something to think about for a while…and hopefully remember when I feel like I’m not getting things cleaned like they should. Keep up the good work, Momma!
Proverbs 14:4 – “Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.” From the esv study bible: “An empty stable may be clean (thus not requiring any unpleasant work), but it won’t produce any abundance.” If you didn’t have kiddos, your “stable” might be clean, but would you have it any other way? The harvest might be a long way off, but keep up the hard work and you’ll see it someday!
Oh how I can relate to the cluttered table, and floor, and counter and, you name it! I keep thinking it will get better when the kids are older and most of the toys are out 🙂
Heidi
OH, my goodness….I soooo totally relate!! I have 4 munchkins and if it isn’t one thing that was left out or not put away it is another. Constant crazy cluttery chaos, that seems to be going on in our house alllll the time. It doesn’t get overwhelming at times, but sure feels good once all is in its place. I really think I sleep better knowing my house is in some type of ‘order’. 🙂
Joann