Do you ever have one of those days/weeks/months where it seems like everything in your house/life is a total disaster? Not relationship-wise, but clutter and crap-wise?
Like you go to look for something, and for the fifth time in one day, you can’t find it because your closet/car/desk is a total and complete and utter DISASTER?
And do you feel like a horrible wife and mom at those moments?
I do. I have them about once a week (on a good week) and those are the moments when I declare to the heavens (sometimes with a fist to the air) that I am going to get my life completely decluttered and organized once and for all DANGIT.
And then I get back in my messy car and go to Michael’s and leave the bags of Michael’s stuff in there for three days and totally forget my cry to the heavens.
Well, not completely. I had one of those moments this week, and today I started on a couple of my problem areas – the dirty clothes in the master closet and the numerous stacks of magazines around the house.
I did four loads of laundry this morning before we left for the day (and put them away – that’s double points or something) and then this evening I started on one of the big issues in our house.
The itty bitty problem I have:
Yep, the magazines. And catalogs. I can’t let go of them, but I don’t have time to read them. So I keep them, thinking that I’ll miss out on something:
I may just shrivel up and DIE if I don’t see that one thing, dontcha know. So I keep them. You know, for that day I dream up in my head where I will have time to leisurely sit around under an umbrella outside with a fruity drink in hand and will go through all of them. Birds will sing. And pigs will fly.
You know. That day.
I do this about once a year, if not more. The piles in the bedroom, family room and bathroom (oh come on, you know you have them there too) get to be too much, and I just have to bring them all to one spot to start the decrapification.
A BIG part of the problem is catalogs. I’m in lurrrve with catalogs. The are free and chock full of inspiration. Like blogs. ;)
This time I found one full of summer inspiration, but it was LAST summer:
That’s a toss. As much as it hurts me. Physically hurts people.
As much as I love Christmas, I tossed that catalog too. But I kept the Halloween one. Because I paid for that one:
It only makes sense. ;) And it’s only five months away you know.
I also found not one but TWO “house” lists I’ve made:
That one is from two years ago I think? The second list I found was one I made after I couldn’t find this one. So that’s awesome.
Tonight I had kind of had it. I needed to get control of at least one out of control thing around here. I did a super fast purge, which included putting every single catalog or beauty mag in the recycle pile:
I didn’t even look at them, I just put them in the pile. My heart can’t take actually looking at them. (Mind you, I’ve already looked at them. I keep them for just in case I missed something I want to tear out. It’s a GREAT process.) ;)
When I get to this point with the mags/catalogs, I always give myself a rule and don’t buy anymore new ones till I get through them. I’m pretty good at sticking to that, but Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, West Elm and IKEA are not. They just keep sending me more.
And that’s as far as I got…for today. I went from 140 to about 70:
I’ll separate them and go through a few at time, when I have time. Some, like House Beautiful or Traditional Home I may keep and place on the bookshelves in our transformed dining room. (Someday.)
But I need to get through them soon, so I can buy some more. It’s almost time for the July issues you know. ;)
So tell me I’m not alone. Do you have those mini freak out moments when you feel like ever.y.thing. is a total mess? Do you swear you’re going to organize your life perfectly every time? Do you hoard magazines and catalogs like me?
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