The last few days I have found myself looking about my home and my life and feeling the need to regroup, to reorganize, to regain control over what has been out of control for quite some time.
I am finally feeling clear-minded and able to juggle more than one thing (while carefully avoiding overdoing it! ;o) ). And while it is terribly overwhelming to jump into a task such as this, I am up for the challenge!
I am starting small. Decluttering being #1 on the list. I am decluttering by bits and pieces, stops and starts. Tonight the pantry was the victim of my merciless tossing and tidying.
It wasn’t all that long ago that my mom came to visit and we decluttered like mad women for several days. However, shortly thereafter, my belly became much too burgeoning to haul around from room to room, getting up and down from the floor, pulling all sorts of articles from underneath beds and inside closets. So, I took up residence on the couch and sat there fat and sassy in my pregnant glory. Once I gave up the notion of trying to be super-mom I was perfectly content to sit there and allow school and housework to fall by the wayside. Christmas came and went, adding to our lovely home it’s fair measure of more clutter. And since I was just sure my precious babe would be born any minute, I allowed presents to overtake our house without my customary banishment of the old clutter. Then baby did make his arrival and I found that recovering and caring for an infant are full time jobs. (Somehow I forget this nearly every time!)
But, lo and behold, Micah is easing into something resembling a routine. Or maybe it is I who have found something resembling a new normal, however shaky it may be. And of course, those who know me best, know that decluttering is what I do when I feel the need to control something. Obviously, I am walking through a period in my life when I am all too aware of my lack of control over many things. It feels good to me to be able to take the fragments of my home and command them into control, even if I cannot take the fragments of my heart and command much of anything over them. For me, this is coping.
I’m also taking a hard look at my homeschooling schedule, style, and curriculum. I’ve been pleased with many of the new things we’ve taken on this year, but I also see areas that just are not what they should be. Homeschooling is a work of art that is never truly finished. I see it as a sculpture that I am forever molding and remaking, pinching and smoothing. I know what I want it to look like, but in the end, it takes the capable hands of the Master Potter to make it as it should be. For that, I am thankful!
So, just as writing here is cathartic to me, so is this process of regrouping. Some feel disheartened when they realize all the things they want to do differently. They feel overwhelmed by the endless work ahead of them. I; however, am not one of these people. I am excited by the challenge. I like to see the curiosity in my children’s faces when they realize mommy is doing something different. I like checking things off my list, setting goals, accomplishing something that makes me smile, even if it is something as menial as organizing the pantry.
I’d encourage you to join me in this regrouping! I’ll probably continue to post here and there about my regrouping efforts, how I am going about it and what my results are. I’d love to hear what others are doing!
CB says
I love how you described home schooling, that is so true & very poetic! I feel like I could have written your post!
Anonymous says
Hi Amy!I, too, like to re-organize and de-clutter as a means of control. Here are a few of the things that I have “controlled” recently:-went through my kids’ toy room…there were so may unused things, so we tossed! I wonder if my kids need a toy room? Do yours have one or are their toys in their rooms? The reason that I ask is b/c it seems like the toy room is just anexcuse to trash the downstairs!-went through kids’ clothes and got rid of/donated many items. -went through dd’s room and MAJORLY got rid of things…she has so many things that sh has never played with! I am finding that kids play with certain things…my dd has never been a “doll-type” girl…so, why do I keep all the dolls?-cleaned out the storage area and purgedI know this seems like alot, but I like to keep busy and have projects going!Good luck on your endeavors…but remember to stop and relax, too!Sincerely,Nicki BourgeoisZimmerman, MN
Fruitful Harvest says
Hi there Amy~I too have been regrouping…..I have written a few post about my efforts. Sometimes I get overwhelmed…then pray and keep on going! We are trying to get our house ready for the Market. So with 8 people in a house I’m trying to paint,clean windows and blinds, pack and declutter. We need to redo the flooring in the whole house etc…the list keeps going. Then there is the day to day stuff that it take to run a house. I’m blessed to have 2 girls eager to help! LOL (ages 3 and 15mo.) The boys have chores but make a mess in there path!I do a bit each day…as long as I’m moving forward! Thats my moto!I have not been a good stewart of my house in the past and now I’m paying the price.Peace in Christ,GeorgiannI’m on the computer instead of working on the house because the baby is asleep on the boob! I’m going to go see if I can lay her down!Then I’ll get back to tidying up! Things here are getting Ghetto!
Amy @ Raising Arrows says
My #1 priority b/f Micah came was to declutter every inch of my house and get the baby things ready. I did get his diapers sewn up and all the baby things in order (except for buying a swing which we did when he was about 1 week old). My mom and I tackled every room except the downstairs family room (which I half-heartedly did after she left).So, really other than preparing baby things and doing a major declutter, I didn’t have any other “list”. (I just remembered…I also made up freezer meals. I think the main reason I didn’t have a more extensive list was b/c it was the holidays and I was more concerned with getting things accomplished for that purpose.)I’m going to try to post again tonight about how I am going about decluttering. It’s a bit disheartening that I JUST did this, but when you don’t keep up with things, it doesn’t take much for things to take over!
The Adventures of a Simple Life says
Hi Amy, I can so relate to you. My house is a clutter zone. I try to declutter to only find more stuff. It is so overwhelming! I am due to have a c-section in 6-7 weeks ( will find out Mon) and I look around to see all I have to do. I just got back from Florida to a truckload of things in my living room that were in the attic of my in-laws who decided they wanted my husbands toys and things out of their house from a kid. Which is fine…but now they are in MY house! Not to mention my christmas stuff is still not taken down. Sure my husband can help, but he has been working on some other projects I have been waiting for so I don’t want to complain. He already helps with a lot of the day to day things also.I have been sick my whole pregnancy so getting up to do things is a real chore…but my house…oh how bad it looks! I need to get things done. So I would love to get organized “with” you. Maybe hold each other accountable. Give advice and so forth. BTW, did you have a list of things to get done before Micah came? If so, would you mind sharing it with me to help me get started?I think in the next couple of the days I will try to make a post on my blog on some things I TRY to do.For now, I will tell you, I have tried to make it a rule that if I bring something in the house, something has to leave. I have made this a rule for my kids also. They are now used to it.I shall pray for you!