Declutter Goodness

I was a stay-at-home mom for 17 years.  I loved everything about it, but when my boys were much younger, there were a few years [read few plus plus plus] I had a hard time finding the time or energy for a housecleaning routine.  There were many days where I was simply too tired, too pregnant, or too overwhelmed with mommy duties - school, soccer, scouts, volunteering, church, karate, blah blah, you know!  I am sure you are living your own version of crazy busy insanity right now.  There were so many days when picking up or even taking a shower were put on the back burner.  Well now my kids are much older and incredibly self sufficient.  [deep breath - sigh of relief]

A few of the things I found helpful in making my life manageable were teaching my boys how to play on their own for short lengths of time when they were super young, how to prepare a simple meal on their own around the age of 8, when they were 10ish I taught them how to do laundry and mend/sew, but one of the most helpful things I did was follow The FlyLady.  It's an amazing site that motivates you to get the job of organizing your home and life done one baby step at a time.  The Flylady was life changing for me.  It broke tasks down which seemed so overwhelming and ominous to do-able bite size pieces.  Everyday there is a task to do, a 15 minute little thing for you to take on.  And honestly, once you see the progress of your house getting organized, you feel empowered to take on even more.  You know it is no longer an impossible task - You have seen results - It's very encouraging!

Now that I am a new working-outside-the-home mom I have found myself getting a bit overwhelmed again. I nanny two little ones during the day, then I go home to make dinner for my family, get homework done, do the mom-taxi thing, spend some fun time with my boys, and then work my other jobs of personal assistant and blogger.  Laundry and dishes can pile up quickly in a house of 6 people - three of them teenagers (who bring lots of other teenagers home with them lol).  I am thankful to have a neat perspective right now on mommy life.  I am with a 2 yo and a 9 mo old during the day and get my fill of diaper changes, bubble blowing, nap time, bath time, coloring, book reading, tiny and not so tiny tantrums, kisses, hugs, and adorableness.  Then I go home to my boys who, honestly, when they walk into the kitchen I have to look up and ask myself, who is that man standing here! My little ones turning into grown-ups is a super hard thing to wrap my head around.  The relationships are still sweet and beautiful and strong and close but so so different. But I digress, my point is . . . I love this new adventure in my life as nanny and mom, but am having to take a few baby steps in getting the house organized again.

So FlyLady, I am back!  Thanks for being there to help me get a little bit of what's left of my sanity back.  Heart You!   And I was excited to see The FlyLady in coherts with Cozi - my fave family calendar EVER!  So if you are feeling overwhelmed, definitely check out The FlyLady.  Her site is AWESOMELY helpful, as are the books she has written:

Sink Reflections

 $10.20

Body Clutter

$10.80

oh sanity, how i've missed thee!  The quote at the beginning of this post is one of my favorite.  I have it on a sticker, but I think I am going to have to grab this kitchen towel too! and check out Blended - she wrote a fun post for multi-tasking moms!

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