Getting there....

The journey to a more organized home (aka a happier wife and mother) continues. First, allow me to give a shout out to Marie Ricks, the woman who continues to simplify my seemingly complicated life now that I am a homeowner. When we first moved into the house I was instantly overwhelmed at everything I needed to keep up in addition to being a mother. I could no longer get my entire home clean during Cade's nap. I was overwhelmed with how to do what when. My sister Melody introduced me to this woman's system of managing a household (everything from a home cleaning schedule to how to be prepared for the next flu or cold). Melody attended her class and has shared with me the secrets. She even made me a stack of index cards that have my "tasks" and they are divided into Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Bi Monthly tasks. For example,

my daily chores are to:
straighten front room
fix/clean up breakfast
start daily laundry (i'll go more into detail on that)
straighten bathrooms
empty trash in all the rooms
tidy bedrooms
empty dishwasher
make beds

My Monday chores are:
Wash Sunday's clothes
Pay bills/paperwork
vaccuum sweep
Balance budget

And chores for the Month of April:
make food storage purchases
inventory food storage
clean out closets
wash front room/kitchen windows
clean light fixtures
clean the vaccuum (yes, it gets dusty and dirty and needs some TLC every once in a while)
clean window sills
Wash rugs

Pre-Savannah and somewhat Post-Savannah, I was doing a pretty decent job at following this great system.
With my laundry this was the system in tact:
MWF- darks and whites
Tues- sheets
Thurs - towels

This laundry schedule kept me from feeling overwhelmed by laundry and it took just a few minutes in the morning because I was just doing a load or two. Hooray! The days of doing all my laundry in one day after putting it off all week were OVER. No matter what, there was always that straggling load or two at the end of the day that either sat in the basket or dryer for days or the clothes that sat in the washer for days) Keeping up with this system actually makes me feel like all the laundry is always done because I don't have 3 baskets waiting for me.

Anyhow, I digress--- so before this long trip to Utah I was on the ball and keeping up with my schedule and keeping up with my daily and weekly tasks. I returned home to somehow find myself in a sea of laundry to be done and a home that was in disarray. Well I finally pinpointed it.

The culprit: My "skinny" bins, spring cleaning fever, and the emotional NEED to finish every room in my house

The "skinny" bins were in storage during my pregnancy and awaiting the return of my non-pregnant body. Just prior to my departure to Utah, I had kyle bring them in from the garage so I could pack some of my "skinny" clothing for the trip. The bins of course remained in the hallway for my return so I could go through the clothing and put them in my closet. So, as soon as I returned, I wanted to do the big switcharoo in my closet. this is not a simple task. First I had to go through the clothes IN my closet, take out what i didn't want in the closet, and put them in their appropriate storage bin. In between taking the maternity clothes down and washing the skinny bin clothes, children needed to be bathed, clothed, fed, changed, put to bed, played with, chastised for poking baby sister in the face, read to...etc etc. So even this seemingly cut and dry task was interrupted for more important tasks and took forever to finish. I am on the last leg of the task and oddly enough probably the easiest but it will take the longest: relabeling them with clear tape and getting them back in the garage. They are currently stacked neatly in the hallway awaiting to be atteneded to.

Spring cleaning fever also hit, slowing the whole unpacking process. I couldn't just put away my clean clothes. I had to go through every drawer in my closet and dresser and clean it out. Then I had to do Kyles and color coordinate his clothes and t-shirts....

Then was the whole---ohmygosh I've got to get these rooms completely decorated and finished before we have to move again --- meltdown.

Trying to accomplish these three HUGE tasks was a disaster and I paid dearly for it. From now on I will stick to Marie's schedule and try to remember to take on my bigger chores when I know I have time (i.e. between 10pm and 7am!). I also have to remember the days when I was in college thinking "Oh, it will be so nice when I all I really have to worry about is keeping up with the household chores and playing with the kids." It really is a good life. I don't stress about the next pay check and I have a terrific husband. These are all self-imposed stresses(still valid, but self-imposed nonetheless) that should take a back seat to enjoying my little ones because they'll grow up before I know it.

PS. The debate for bedroom furniture continues and your comments are still welcome as long as they are in my favor and not Kyle's. :-)