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Thursday, July 24, 2008

Desperate Housewife

Have you ever seen that show called "How clean is your house?" on Lifetime with the two British ladies? I think Kim and Addie would probably enter my house dressed like this to clean it.Actually, I'd never humiliate myself and go on that show. Kim and Addie point out everything and I want my neighbors to continue to believe I have it all together and that show would expose things like my what to do with clean clothes system:


Yes, I admit I am no Domestic Diva and I am just plain sick of me.
Now, don't get me wrong and think I'm being too hard on myself. I'm not, it's just time to make some positive changes and I'm ready to do whatever it takes to get as close as I can to being like the Proverbs 31 Woman.
In January I was so excited to get rid of our pool table because everyone, including yours truly, would do a load of laundry then dump the dried clothes on top of the table. No longer using it to play pool I knew it was time to get rid of it.
I had convinced myself that with the absence of the large billiard table my family would become normal and wash, dry, fold and put their clothes away. No more searching for clean underwear every morning. Was I ever
wrong.
It all started happening again when I moved the big chair the clothes are piled on downstairs and it quickly became the new dumping station for clean clothes. Or if your name is Gene Chealey you make piles of clean clothes on the floor and pray your family comes to claim their belongings. If it were up to Gene we'd pick out 2 Sunday best outfits, 7 changes of clothing per season and 7 pair of underwear and give the rest to the Goodwill. He claims one day he will do this when I'm out of the house. Since that will never happen unless he wants all of his prized Dallas Cowboy hats destroyed we need to come up with a new system.
Cuz this ain't working for anyone of us. Even Amiyah has had enough!


My husband longs for his wife to be organized and I want to be organized, but not just for myself and my Geno, but for the Lord. See, my lack of having my act together affects a lot of people and I'm just tired of it!!!


Hello. My name is Lelia.
I'm disorganized and always late.
If I have to be somewhere I only figure traveling time in and I never leave on time to get anywhere so I'm always last in the door.
I have no schedule for my housecleaning and I need help.
If you had to pee I would not let you in my house to use my dirty bathroom.
If your car was broke down, it was raining and your cell phone was dead I would not let you inside to use a phone.
I need help.
My family and I cannot live like this another day.
We are tired of turning off the lights and TV to pretend like we're not home when the doorbell rings.
HELP!



SOOOOOO, I need your help. Here are my top 3 of many problems:

1.) House is always a mess, in every single room.
Kane's house is cleaner than ours. Kane is Aaron's dog.


2.) I am ALWAYS late.

When I took my son Aaron to the airport Tuesday he literally had 10 MINUTES to check in, go through security, get his ticket and board the plane. It was a horrible way to send your teenage son on his first flight alone. Ugggh!


3.) My family never knows what time dinner will be served.
When your 7 year old wants to eat at the neighbor's because "they eat at 6pm" you know you have an issue when you don't even know what you're cooking at 6pm.

So please give me your best tips on whatever your specialty is in a comment and on Sunday I'll have Alivia draw the winner of this adorable coffee cup!
The winner will be announced Monday morning!
The cup says Just because I'm a family raising, meal cooking, homemaking wonder it doesn't mean I'm a desperate housewife

Unlike the cup, I am a desperate housewife so please share what you know and what works for you. I'm just tired of stressing my family and myself out. My family is a big help to me, but I just don't know how to keep our house clean for more than 2-3 days. Aaron even bought and made a "chore chart" that hangs in the kitchen. He assigned everyone a chore and it is really great, when we do it. It's really cool and I want to actually use it and I love that he took the leadership role of doing it. I do work outside the home for the family business, but I cannot use that as an excuse. This is just me. Always has been and I'm just tired of going in circles. I am a poor manager of my time.


See, I have this fear that if I don't make some changes down here on earth that when I get to Heaven I'll have to sit through private sessions with Miss P31 herself. I don't want to be inside cleaning while the rest of you are outside skipping around on the streets of gold with Jesus!
HELP!
~Choosing Christ~

30 comments:

Unknown said...

hahahahahaha

Your chair looks like my rocking chair used to look! My tip is this. No matter how much you don't want to do it...fold your clothes AS YOU TAKE THEM OUT of the dryer. That way, there are no wrinkles and you get the folded immediately! I've found out that a few minutes folding after every load is a lot easier than folding a mountain of clothes that can take hours. Plus, since I now have Nora Grace, I do a load of laundry every night or so. That way, it makes the task much less daunting.

Also, I think you could ask the whole family to help tackle the house. Everyone can have a chore. As I was growing up, my chore was to dust and vacuum every two or three days. Just a thought...

Happy cleaning and organizing!
Rebecca

Anonymous said...

Lelia,

Laundry is my life--I think I do 12-15 large capacity loads a week!!! With a house full of men there is nothing fit to be worn a second day if ya know what I mean--STINKEEEEEE!!! My tip on the laundry is I do at least 1-2 loads every day. And...I will not start the next 1-2loads without finishing the last ones. And I am with Rebecca--it's worth it to fold it as it comes out of the dryer--not as many wrinkles. This way we don't like too much like homeless people!!

As far as meals--Sunday afternoon I sit and pick out 7 meals for the week that I have what I need. I make myself remove something from the freezer in the morning. Anything thawed by 5:00 is better than nothing even if I am not sure what I will be doing with it.

Now as far as the cleaning goes.....yeah....some other blogger will have to help with that. I WILL NOT BE showing pictures of my dust bunnies!! They are TRULY life size.

The only thing that I have learned is that I will NEVER have the whole house cleaned in the same day. It just isn't possible.

Best of Luck!!
Kim

Amy Wyatt said...

Uhh...I thought everyone's house looked like this :-) I just picked up 4 suitcases from the floor of my bedroom because I hadn't unpacked from any of my trips (no time). It looks like the laundry room exploded at my house. There are clothes everywhere.
Don't be so hard on yourself.
I too though am trying to do better.

BTW... I left you an award on my site.
Come by to see.

Anonymous said...

I forgot to mention....I work 3 days a week.....guess what I do???

I clean OTHER people's houses!!!!

Isn't that a RIOT!!!????!!!

It is rewarding to see their clean house when I leave knowing that it isn't my responsibility to keep it that way!!

I figure that we can't all be good at everything ya know--you are a beautiful writer with a killer sense of humor so what if your house isn't ready for Kim & Addie!!

Tracy said...

Lelia,
Take heart dear sister...if we're honest, most of our houses look like yours...at least if we're "living" in them, they do!
Here are my tips...I do at least 1 load of laundry every night (no exceptions) and fold and put it away AS SOON as its out of the dryer. It's working so far. I sit down with the sale paper on Friday or Saturday to see what's on sale and loosely plan my meals for the week accordingly. At the same time, add those items to my grocery list (that way nothing is forgotten!) Try using your crock pot for dinners. You can usually put together the ingredients in about 15 minutes in the mornings and by dinner time, it's all done! We also try to have company every couple of weeks...it's a great motivator for cleaning your house! ; )

Love ya,
Tracy

P.S. I set all my clocks 10 minutes fast and I make myself work off that time!

Yolanda said...

I try ever so hard, and 99.9 percent of the time this is how laundry happens at my house....if I start a load, I see it to it's finish.

That means even in the drawers.

With having children, perhaps they should look at doing their own laundry....start to finish. And that would take a big load off of you and then they are ready when college hits.

House cleaning...my husband and I do it together. He vacuums, I dust; and before you know it...both are finished and ready and able to do something fun.

Love ya,
Yolanda

Anonymous said...

Lelia,
I have TRIED to get better at this myself. If you could see our house, you would never know it!!!
My original schedule (which woudl work if I stuck to it) was
Monday: Laundry, as much as I could run through and fold in the same day
Tuesday: clean the bathroom (including sink, toilet, tub, cat litter... yes that too, and scrub the floor) sometimes the tub or the floor got left behind if they were ok from the week before.. sigh.
Wednesday: finish up on laundry left behind from monday
Thursday: sweep and mop floors (though sometimes that was on wednesday too, if we were hosting our small group on thursday)
Now today, as I am writing this and supposed to be cleaning the house... sigh... we are hosting small group tomorrow mid day.
I don't want to tell you what this house looks like. I got the bathroom done, not the cat litter, still have to finish another load of dishes, clean off the kitchen table so we can SEE the top of it, sweep and mop the floors, (need to pick up all toys and clothes left laying around) and try to get the piles of laundry off the bed so we can sleep tonight.
hmmm.. i think i have my work cut out for me, and have a lot to do... besides the fact I have to make the main dish for group tomorrow... did i mention i am supposed to be doing this now?!?!?!
:)
Love you! And hope you can get some advice I can use too! Really, when I did stick to my schedule though, the house stayed liveable. The kitchen was our worst. As long as we put the dishes in the washer right away, clean it up every night, it was better.
God bless,
Heather

Leaon Mary said...

Hey Lelia,
I am UNworthy of actual cleaning advice here. In all admission and conviction, ... I know the Lord would have me try harder too. BUT.. I do think like everyone said, A HOME is one that is 'LIVED' in. People's who's houses look like a magazine ad... well in all honesty, WHO EVEN FEELS WELCOME in a house like that? I feel like I am walkin on egg shells when I visit someone if everything is completely spotless with nothing out of place. I say, DONT HIDE if your house is a mess and someone comes over. If they "need" the bathroom, or the phone, they will be THRILLED you are helping them. And if they came to visit you, they are there to see YOU not your house. Still, - I will try a little harder to be the Prov 31 gal God called me to be. My words to others though is, "Cmon in! Don't mind the mess, coz WE LIVE HERE!"
AMEN?
Hugs,
and 2 loads of laundry in waiting, HA!
Lea

Julie said...

Lelia,
Well I am definitely no expert and I have gotten away from alot of the scheduling that I used to do. After all I was the busy woman, the workaholic at home. I always had projects and plans going and then I ran out of steam...THANK GOD!

Now I just have a rough idea each week of what I am going to cook. When I was in plan mode, I would plan my menu for 2 weeks at a time. We have a spagghetti night, a mexican night, breakfast night (when I cook a big breakfast since I don't cook them daily), hamburger night...etc.

Cleaning has varied. I tried doing it every Friday and then I got weary of seeing the mess on Monday. So then I started doing it every Monday and burned out. Now I break it down. I mop/vacuum the floors and dust on one day and on the next day I clean bathrooms. Usually it's Mon/Tues or Tues/Weds. That way the cleaning doesn't feel so overwhelming. Also, my kids have chores. Everyone eats here, so everyone helps here.

My kids all do their own laundry. They have a laundry day and they have to have it out by the end of the day. I can't stand to do laundry every day so I do it once a week. I have the same rule as the kids. I have to have mine out and put away at the end of my day/days (sometimes Fri/Sat).

We were always late growing up. I hated it and was embarrassed to walk in late all the time. Even with that I still can run late. Usually it's not near as late as when I grew up, but 5 min. here and there. I don't know that I can help you on that. But I try to add 15 min. onto the time that it takes me to get somewhere. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

As for meal times...well ours varies as I try to have dinner as a family. Since we never know what time my husband will be home I usually wait until he is home to either fix or finish dinner. He only works 5 min. from home so when I get the call that he's on his way, there's not much time to have dinner completed.

The best advice I can give you is to go to God with all this and ask Him what He thinks would work for you. Ask Him for fresh ideas and what He wants your schedule to look like cause I find that I can't usually follow something unless I hear Him putting in on my heart.

The reality is that many of us are so swamped with things that we can't keep up the pace. I guess that's another question for God. How much manna do we gather each day, Papa, God?

I think you're AWESOME!

Hugs,
Julie

Sita said...

"See, I have this fear that if I don't make some changes down here on earth that when I get to Heaven I'll have to sit through private sessions with Miss P31 herself. I don't want to be inside cleaning while the rest of you are outside skipping around on the streets of gold with Jesus!"...
That is so funny...I could mentally picture it...and you looking through the crystal glass window at the rest of the 'organized' moms flying past with angel wings...

In one of my recent posts I was bemoaning the fact that I am such a lousy housekeeper when I compare myself to others who have pristine homes. I also am terrified of anyone just dropping by even though this is customary in my culture...however, in th islands, kids just do not play inside...

No advice here...and I'm not signing up for the award either...just commenting here...lots of bloggers out there who can give advice though...
but hey, doesn't God give wisdom for all of life...

LynnSC said...

Hi Lelia,
I had to laugh when I read this post!! That pile of laundry looked a lot like the mound at our old house. Since we moved about 2 years ago... I make sure that I do laundry everyday. My favorite thing to do is get everyone to bring their dirty laundry downstairs about 1 hour before we go to bed... wash one load then, and when it goes into the dryer I start the next load washing. Then we go to bed. (now... my mom would have never left the washer or dryer going at night, but I do) When I get up in the morning... I turn the dryer back on for about 15 minutes while I do my "quick round" loading the dishwasher, cleaning out the liter box, dusting the living room, etc. When the dryer buzzer goes off... I fold that load and start the next load drying... (because it has been in the washer all night) and start another load washing if I have another one. The folded clothes go into the right person's basket that is waiting right outside the laundry room door. THEN... I sit down to start my quiet time with the Lord. When the buzzer goes off... (about 50 minutes) I get up and fold that load and go back to my Bible reading, prayer,or Bible study. By the time my whole family gets up... most everyone's laundry is ready to go upstairs to their room. This usually keeps our laundry caught up. There are days that I miss... but this is how it works for the most part.

Bathrooms... I always clean the downstairs bathroom good on Tuesdays because I have a Bible study group over that night. That bathroom is REALLY small. The upstairs... I catch when I just happen to be in there. My shower... while I'm in the shower and I see that it needs it. My toilet... just every couple days. I do wipe the sink area... because my sweet hubby doesn't like hair on the sink, and mine seems to be falling out by the handfuls.

My problem is the vacumn... I hate to vacumn the stairs. If I can get my teenager to do it.. I will. I don't mind the rest of the house... but the stairs kill me. Any thoughts anyone??

Thanks for offering the giveaway.
Lynn

HisPrincess said...

All normal people have that pile! I try to avoid it but it sneaks in every now and again!

The only way to combat it is to fold directly out of the drier. I have a bench where everyone's clothes are folded. I try to get them all put away but it doesn't always happen, and at least it is folded and sorted.

As for the rest of the house....I keep my kitchen and living areas tidy (not hospital grade clean, but tidy). The rest of the rooms have doors for a reason!

2nd Cup of Coffee said...

1st of all, resign yourself to the fact that no day will ever be a perfect day in the housework area, unless it's the day the realtors come with prospective buyers.

I swim in Lake Laundry daily. Oh, so fun.

I have priorities that I get done daily and then try to add one small thing, like cleaning out a drawer, to complement the day.

Cooking is always an issue. I have to be scheduled here or I bomb big time, and we eat cereal. And btw, an occasional cereal meal is good for everyone, if it's a healthy cereal. When you're stuck for dinner ideas, do some kind of breakfast meal like omelets.

I would take advantage of Aaron's initiative with the list and stick to that. That is one admirable quality in a young man, trust me.

I have no doubt you're a warm, welcoming hostess when someone visits, and that's most important.

Tracy said...

Happy Friday Lelia!

Stop by my blog when you have a moment. I've left you a little something there... = )

Blessings,
Tracy

Pamela (His maidservant) said...

You are not alone friend. In our house, each week the kids have adifferent che to complete (dusting, vacuming, emptying dishwasher, cleaning bathrooms)...of course I have more kids in my house but it helps Joe and I. The teenagers do their own laundry.
I would suggest an activity for each night-schedule your task. I have a friend that her family spends every saturday morning cleaning the house and doing laundry...that doesn't work for us.
Again, I say...you are not alone in this!!
Good luck!!

In His Graces~Pamela

Mindy said...

I was laughing out loud at your laundry pile because I have bene there done that too just like everyone else. For me, the ONLY WAY to get on top and stay on top of the laundry was this: Do it every single day, at least one load and fold and put it away immediately, no exceptions. For me it was just a bite the bukllet and do it thing the first few days, then it got easier and now I have a pretty good system. As for tardiness, you could try a few things. Getting ready the night before helps, and so does setting a time by which you must leave and planning accordingly. One place that is a super good resource is http://orgjunkie.com/. Most of all, confess to the Lord and ask Him to change you, He will!

Luanne said...

I was hoping I would read these answers and find some magical solution but the never ending theme seems to be discipline.

I once heard a motivational speaker say Make a list and do what you least want to do first then the list gets easier instead of harder.
Of course if you are into self gratification like me you'll make plenty of lists and in the end you do what you wish no matter whats on the list.

Hope you find your solution. I feel your pain friend.

Luanne

Kimberly said...

You are hilarious. Okay...I know you are still truly crying out for help....but you're just so funny, too! :)

Okay...I cannot give you much help because #1-my treadmill looks like your chair and #2-I am perpetually running behind. Okay... ALWAYS running behind.

But, though I have no advice, I will lift up a prayer for you and me that God will give us wisdom. That He will show us a system we can stick to, AND that we won't let the enemy beat us down too much. :)

And just to make you feel better...I was just telling my mom how thankful I was this morning that I was able to locate one last clean pair of panties for my oldest. Sigh. I'll go pray for us now. :)

Thank you for your sweet comment and prayers! And even if you only make it to my blog once a year, I'm still blessed you would even stop in! I never make it around as much as I want to, either! You are a blessing, Lelia!

Laura said...

You speak my heart, you gentle prophetess! Ha! I think that anytime there are small children in a house, there will be some kind of pile like the one you shared with us. One thing I have had to come to terms with is lowering my standards. That's right. I compromise. When I get overwhelmed with the laundry/housecleaning, I remind myself that the day will come when there will be no little hands making messes withing these walls. Sounds corny, but it works for me. There will always be a season to have a place for everything and everything in its place.
That said, laundry is my most despised chore. I have found that doing at least one load every day is an absolute necessity or I get woefully behind. One thing that really helps me: simplifying our wardrobes. If they boys have less clothes over all, then there are less clothes to launder. I also tried to make my laundry room a happier place to be by painting a picket fence with sunflowers along the walls. I let my boys help by making their handprints the petals for the flowers and leaves on a colorful tree. Now it makes going in there slightly less aversive. Slightly.
As for cooking...I have been blessed with a husband who likes to cook. It is one of the joys of my marriage! But we have a very simple selection of menus that will satisfy our boys' limited palettes. One thing that is fairly affordable and a wonderful blessing that my guys love is the rotisserie chickens our local Krogers makes. They love those things, so when I'm in a pinch, I just pick one up on my way home. It's not hard to add a few sides and, wala! a "home-cooked" meal.
Your openness is so sweet, Lelia. We all struggle with these things. but it will not be how timely the laundry is done that your children will remember. I get the feeling your family shares a lot of good love time. Now that is what our lives should be organized around!

StitchinByTheLake said...

First of all, where do you live because I'm coming over! I believe you need help and I can do it. I am organized without being obsessive about it and I love doing it. Crazy, huh? Seriously, you cannot solve a large problem by looking at the whole thing. Don't, don't, don't focus on the whole house. Pick one room. Get 2 boxes or trash bags and label them 1) Give Away and 2) Throw Away. Clean out the closet and the drawers. Put stuff in both bags! Then clean, vacuum & dust that room. Threaten to kill anyone who puts anything in that room that doesn't belong. Move on the next day to the second room. As for the leaving late - reset your clocks. I know that in your head you will know but there's something about the clock that moves you out the door. Try these, take 2 aspirin and call me tomorrow. :) Blessings, marlene

Unknown said...

Lelia:

I am struggling as well. One thing I did this week while on vacation was to clean. The rules I made...no outside and no shopping for school stuff until the rooms are picked back up. I just refused to leave if the house wasn;t clean. I advised that if they put the stuff back when they're done with it, there's less to do later.

As far as laundry goes, in my house I wash, they fold. Everyone else needs to fold their own stuff (except maybe Alivia becasue she's so young. More on her later). For towels and sheets take turns or everyone pitch in. Alivia might be able to fold face towels :)

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

What stitchin' Marlene said. Have you seen the pic's on her blog? I'd hire her in a minute. She's my domestic hero!

peace~elaine

Joyful said...

The answer to clutter? MOVE! That's what made me purge a few years back. That and the fact we were moving to house with 1,000 sq.feet less.

Also, invite company over - people who have never seen your house before - that usually makes me give it a good cleaning. If you invite guests over weekly, your house will stay clean! :o)

A place for everything and everything in it's place,
Joy

Amy said...

Fly Lady has been the biggest source of help to me.
The link to her site is on my blog.
She helps you by starting with baby steps. And breaks down the housework into such manageable steps that you can actually do them and keep doing them.
Check out her website and give her a try.
After using her tips, I felt so much better about myself as a keeper of my home. I am not June Cleaver by any means, but it feels so nice to control my house as opposed to my house controlling me.:)

God Bless,
Amy:)

Anonymous said...

Amy had a good idea, I have gone to the Fly Lady Website also and she has great ideas! The only problem is you have to be disciplined enough to follow them. I am a terrible housekeeper, I am a garage sale fanatic and love auctions. I do know that if your kitchen sink is clean and all dishes washed every night you do feel much better about things. I vowed to at least make my bed daily and that makes me feel better also. Sometimes it is just the little things, and they add up.

I know the feeling about not wanting company but I would sure hate to miss Jesus if he came visiting!

Thanks for your realness. Love Josie

Jenny said...

I second (third?) the Flylady recommendation. She's seriously motivating. A little annoying, but motivating nonetheless.

And, I've been doing a couple of loads of laundry a day, and it's been working really well, except that I've fallen off the wagon and tomorrow's my catch-up day.

But here's my secret. I used to dump all the clean clothes in piles like yours. It was usually in my bedroom. On the bed, on the floor. On the bed, on the floor.

NOW, I put the baskets on the dining room table (we don't usually eat here). But it's in the center of my house, so I see it all the time, and not forget about it until it's bedtime. I am reminded of it everytime I walk through, and it GETS DONE!

Except, did I mention I've fallen off the wagon? HA! But this is the first time in months I've been behind on laundry.

Edie said...

I'm coming over with stitchn Marlene. Ha! I'm an organizer too. My house is not pristine but generally clean enough to make people comfortable. I'm sure God has put this on your heart or you wouldn't be so diligent. He always enables.

What motivates you Lelia? What motivates your hubby and your son. Oh, you mentioned the list maker. Likely he is motivated by progress. My daughter once said "You haven't lived until you've experience the joy of crossing something off your list." and I thought "She gets it!!" Someone who is motivated by progress will feel good by even small amounts of progress... a countertop, the floor, coffee table, a room, etc. Someone else mentioned breaking it down. That is an absolute or you will feel overwhelmed. Focus on one small section at a time, then move to the next.

Find what motivates each of you and get the whole family involved. Make a game of it. Do you have a competitive family? Compete to see who can cross the most things off the list. The prize can be winner gets to pick ... movie, activity, meal, not to do a specific chore next time, etc. Keep a chart on the fridge of who wins each time and set goals or competition and prizes for meeting goals or winning.

Set ground rules/guidelines for everyone and keep each other accountable. Like, First things first, If you get something out you must put it away before you can get something else out. Keep the games fun and friendly too. You don't want everyone getting mad at each other but motivating each other into changing the habits.

Oh ... I hang up almost all of my clothes. When you pull them out of the dryer hang them on hangers right then. I know there will still be some drawer stuff but most of the work will be done. Then have a contest to see which family member can put their clothes away fastest. :D

Keep at it sister. The Lord will show you the way.

Joyfull said...

Before I share, please be aware that I am a neat freak! But stay close, I have learned some tricks and tips that are do-able. For laundry, I keep it all in the hampers. The kids know not to leave it in their room, on the floor or chair but take it to the hamper. If I am home all day, I separate the laundry on the bathroom floor in piles and do the wash. On days we are in and out, I keep a load in the washer, when there is time use the rinse cycle and then throw it in the dryer. Most clothes are hung on the clothesline. A big advantage is I can get them off and folded at my convenience. There is usually always a load in my washer. Bathrooms are cleaned good once a week and wiped down about every other day with a baby wipe soaked in alcohol. Our house rules are it doesn't have to be spotless, but presentable. To help keep clutter down, we train ourselves to pick up - several times a day, the rule is clean real good and then keep it picked up. We wash dishes a few times a day (no dishwasher!), but the sink is never full of dirty dishes. For meals, I have always wanted to do a menu plan, but just can't. So each morning I have a plan in my head on what is for dinner. The meat is laid out to thaw in the morning. If I don't have a plan in my mind it creates confusion etc.
Hope this wasn't overwhelming! Writing lists and keeping a plan in my mind are my biggest helps!

sharon brobst said...

Hi! I'm not sure you need or even want any more advice, but thought I'd share a few thoughts.

1)I spend almost every morning going through the house and "picking up". If i make sure daily that everything is straightened and in it's place, then my once a week cleaning doesn't seem so overwhelming.
2)Every 10 days I sit down and plan 10 meals. I then go shopping for all the indgred. needed. Sometimes I'll actually plan what day I'm making what, but it doesn't usually work out that way. And on those days I forget to get anything out, the microwave does a great job on thawing the meat! :-)
3) laundry - When my two boys were about 15 I taught them to do their own, so that helped alot. Otherwise it's just one of those things you have to make yourself do and follow through to the end. For a while I did try setting up a schedule for laundry. You know, sheets one day, my laudry another, day, towels etc...but that took even more discipline than my body has! :-)

Finally, just start somewhere! Take one thing at a time and conquer it! Enlist the kids and give them daily chores to help out.

AND ~ Don't be so hard on yourself!! My house is A LOT cleaner now that my sons are 22 and 25!!! :-)

Jamie said...

I by no means have arrived in this area. It is something I am always working on. A couple things that have worked well for me are: having my kids responsible for their own laundry(once they reach about age 12)and making lists and sticking too them. Without a list I am easily overwhelmed and seem to get nothing accomplished. Planning is huge for me when it comes to meal time. If I have a menu planned out for the week it takes, then I can shop according to the list and then I don't have to make those decisions daily.

I'll be thinking of you and praying for you. Thanks for keeping it real and being so honest and open. Continue to share your progress and ask questions on your blog...I'm sure just "talking" about it will be helpful.