Hi there, so I’ve been supery dupery busy lately helping my parents move out of their house in North Carolina (yay, Mom and Dad, it’s almost done) and I’ve been to Habitat for Humanity like 17 times and I’ve even been to the Charlotte Mecklenburg dump, above, which I actually found quite poetic, but whatever. Anyway, I’ll be heading back to real life in San Francisco in a few days, where our new/old house awaits… for me to finish organizing. Yay for me.
So, now that we’re back in our house (a post about that to come soon, maybe even with some pictures, not that I can even pretend this is a design blog because it is clearly NOT THAT at all because I wear the same pant-skirt every day), we want to feel really settled and like, home (obviously). Which means actually putting in the time to make sure all of our random odds and ends are stowed in proper places. And getting all of our living-with-a-small-child gear in working order (diapers go there – CHECK! Tiny little socks with mustaches go there – CHECK!). It also means THROWING SHIT AWAY (this is so, so important, like probably more important than whether my kid ever goes to school. Seriously) so that we don’t become hoarders.
The problem? I am really not all that good at organizing. I could generously give myself a B+ at it. Ethan, on the other hand, should get an A++++ for effort and for giving a shit.* But the thing is, life with a kid pretty much REQUIRES you to be organized, otherwise you will actually spend all of your free time (I know, I know, what’s that?) looking for diaper cream and that random part that makes the car seat work. If I’m going to have time for my writing, AND for momming, AND for anything else like exercising or I don’t know, eating, I have to be organized. Okay, so I know that. Now I just have to figure out how to do it. If you are out there and you are reading this, and you happen to be really, really good at organizing, will you come organize me, or at least send along some helpful tips? Thanks in advance.
*If you are wondering why Ethan doesn’t just organize our whole house, the answer is that his effort and his giving a shit do NOT necessarily lead to an organized house (sorry, babe). He WANTS it to be organized. He DREAMS about it being organized. That does not make the little piles of bills sit perfectly in a chic bill holder on his standing desk. In short, we need help. Help us, please.
xox
I would have to say that my #1 organizing tool is a big fatty roll of black trash bags. They save me the trouble of creeping around like a ninja to smuggle crap out like a Colombian drug lord. I also have a box reserved for absolute must keeps (like artwork with their foot/handprint). When they aren’t playing with certain toys (especially the annoyingly noisy ones…like the ones that keep talking when I switch them off and I’m standing in the playroom all “Bitch, I said OFF! Now shut the f up!” because I’m afraid the baby’s going to wake up) Wait, where was I… oh, yeah, I encourage other kids to “borrow” them and then threaten to eat all their fruit snacks if they bring that sh- ummm, beloved item back into my house. We’re still unpacking from our move last summer and my house is far from organized. The kids have a ton of useless stuff, but as long as I can corral things to a general area, I have fewer OCD-induced inner meltdowns (that’s where I envision setting fire to it all and starting over with giving them just a crayon and a cardboard box).
Ha ha ha. I love that trick about getting other kids to “borrow” your shit — I should start giving out free toys at the playground!! (Little will the parents know that that adorable toy I just pawned off on little Madison NEVER SHUTS UP).
My hubs is the same way — he wants our house neat and the toys in this corner and that drive him crazy but he doesn’t know what to do about it (neither do I). Me, I’ve come to accept and even embrace the toys and books in every corner. Feels lived in. Anyways, I’m pretty organized though despite the above. My advice is to put stuff away as soon as it enters the house or I’m done using/washing it. Like mail, bring it in and immediately sort and trash what needs to be trashed. Toys and books, at least put them in designated corners, and not on counters and tables, etc. good luck!
I like my house to feel lived in as well… No museums for me!
Also: YOU ARE SO RIGHT about sorting stuff RIGHT AWAY. I was never like that, pre-kid. Now I have the mail sorted before I’ve even left the mail box (after all, it’s in the garage near the recycle bin. Makes sense to take the envelopes and IMMEDIATELY RECYCLE them). Oh dear. I’m officially domestic.
My tips would be (1) throw away everything and (2) enjoy life, because if you throw everything away, then you have no need to organize.
heh heh heh. We don’t have a lot of space, so I’ve gotten over the need to have an organized house. I’ve also gotten over the need to invite friends over to socialize. There is a correlation.
You are so right about life being better when you are free of stuff!! I am going to write a post at some point about that. This culture of disposable everything seems so good in some ways, and so bad…
My trick? I keep almost nothing. I’m totally heartless about “stuff.” At the pre-school orientation the teacher mentioned all the projects that would be coming home. I almost, “Don’t bother,” but I didn’t need HER to know the true depths of stone in my heart. 😉
Ha.
Our trick is to take pictures of the stuff you have hard time getting rid of, virtually owning and organizing them, and get rid of them.
But I know, it’s hard.
We’re trying — I just took a bunch of pictures of some pictures. It’s all very meta 🙂
When we moved overseas, I took to pretending that lots of stuff was destroyed in a fire. It helped with the grieving process as well, even if it’s a bit psychotic to put yourself in that kind of head space quite deliberately.
I LOVE THIS. Borrowing. “Sorry, honey, don’t you remember that fire where your old shot glass collection burned up?”