All you need is love?
No, John…all you need is time.
This is my kitchen:
For every piece of paper I throw away, 17 more appear.
The amount of paper and crap my children bring into the house every single day is mind-boggling.
And, I don’t keep it!
I look at it and toss it. We hang up tests and quizzes for a week, and then they meet their maker, as well.
Heck, I’m even the heartless mother who only keeps kids art work if it has a hand print, foot print, or photo of the kid on it.
There’s just so much.
See the paper bag on the island chair?
Last week, I decided I would do an experiment and see how much stuff was coming home with the kids in a week.
That was my second bag for last week.
Two full grocery bags of papers and “stuff” in a week.
Nonsense.
I love organization and toyed with becoming a professional organizer at one point (I know…looking at that picture, no one would believe it) and so I have the tools down.
I have a small basket for mail, and I toss junk mail as soon as it comes in.
I have memory bins for all of the keepsake things that do come home.
We have a place on the invisible inside of the cabinets where I hang school schedules and lunch menus.
And still, this is what my kitchen looks like during a work week.
Now, I realize I am a full-time working mother of four.
I’m not looking for perfection.
But this drives me insane.
Something’s gotta give, and I fear, before long, it will be my sanity.
What I really need, though, is time.
That’s the struggle I have with the kitchen.
There isn’t enough time.
I love my kitchen. It is absolutely the hub of our home.
However, it is absolutely the hub of our home.
Things get dropped on a counter, left on the table, stuck in a bin, set on a chair.
And then, eventually, pushed into a pile until I have a good two hours to do something in the kitchen other than cook, monitor homework, stop a baby from slamming his fingers in the cabinets, make appointments and phone calls, update the calendar, etc.
Two hours.
And the kitchen looks like this:
Time.
Time is all you need.
I love that kitchen, clean or dirty!! I hear you though, even when I do find the time the piles seem overwhelming.
Comment by Kristina — April 7, 2012 @ 6:33 am |
Thanks, Kristina! I love it, too!
Comment by abozza — April 7, 2012 @ 7:33 am |
I feel ya sista, I really do. Our kitchen island never seems to stay clean and clear of “stuff”. The girls bring home lots of stuff, but unfortunately they’re not the only culprits. A lot of the time we employ the girls to clean up their stuff, and put it away, but that has it’s own inherit risks (like never finding it in their cabinet). They’re also aware that so much of their stuff (and ours) gets recycled and now they look in the recycling bin and pull stuff out after crying “This is my favorite” or “Why is this in recycling, I made it for you”.
It’s truly a never ending war against a stubbornly entrenched enemy that quickly reclaims any real estate temporarily lost to our advances.
Deep Peace
Comment by ouractsofkindness — April 7, 2012 @ 9:50 am |
“It’s truly a never ending war against a stubbornly entrenched enemy that quickly reclaims any real estate temporarily lost to our advances.” Well-said!
Comment by abozza — April 7, 2012 @ 12:05 pm |
I am so glad to hear that I’m not the only heartless mother. I felt horrible last week when I asked my oldest to help take out the garbage and he noticed a stack of “artwork” crumpled and crushed underneath the coffee grinds. He was heartbroken that I hadn’t kept his “Metal Monster” picture that he had drawn during free time. Sigh. At least my kitchen counters are clear — for now.
Comment by StaceyMaisch — April 7, 2012 @ 10:23 am |
LOL, Stacey…that’s the other issue. I can only clean when they are not home or asleep and then I have to take the garbage out IMMEDIATELY. 🙂
Comment by abozza — April 7, 2012 @ 12:02 pm |
That transformation is awesome!!
Comment by Helen — April 7, 2012 @ 12:56 pm |
Thanks, Helen! Imagine what my house would look like if I had 2 hours every day! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Comment by abozza — April 7, 2012 @ 1:13 pm |
I am struggling to part with the current stack of fingerpaintings, but I know it must be done!
I love your green chairs!!! And your kitchen looks great either way.
Comment by thismummaslife — April 7, 2012 @ 8:54 pm |
You can do it! 🙂 We got that table and chairs when we got married with a gift certificate to Pier One from the teachers I was teaching with at the time. We fell in love with it then, and couldn’t imagine ever filling up the table! Who knew?
Comment by abozza — April 7, 2012 @ 9:02 pm |
Your sister in law turned me onto fly lady.com several years ago. If only the accident didn’t thwart that. It was great.
And I keep a shelf in my office for all artwork, tests etc. At the end of the year, i go thru it on a day when no one is around and separate – keep for memories and toss. That way I can see the growth and maturity that took place thru the year and more importantly, I can take time to appreciate stuff I did not have time for during the school year.
Comment by Carla corcoran — April 11, 2012 @ 7:46 am |
Carla,
I used to get the FlyLady emails, but it got to be too much for me. I couldn’t keep up with the emails, which made me feel like more of a failure. I still think she is great, but just not for me. 🙂
Comment by abozza — April 11, 2012 @ 7:59 am |