The Current Battle

A view of my message center, built so I could have a place for everything, but these things are not in their place!

Whenever we move we find ourselves about 6 months in to a new house and up to our eyeballs in unorganized spaces. Because it takes at least 6 months (often closer to a year) for us to see how we are going to "live" in the spaces that make up our home. And one pile gets moved to another place, while another gets tucked in a drawer "for now". And then all of a sudden

ENOUGH!!

and closets must be cleaned out, storage rooms and garages overhauled, and desks and cupboards organized. That is our current battle. And it is the last 4 weeks of school to boot.

These are the busiest, YES busiest weeks of the year. Busier than Christmas BY FAR. At Christmas one has parties and presents and traditions. At the end of the school year one has parties, and traditions and soccer games and rugby games and dance recitals and piano recitals gardening and-for our family-2 birthdays before the last day of school and yada yada yada. ...

So I've decided on numerous days to boycott all outside activity and hole up in the house to work. Thing is, most of these activities are not boy-cottable. Can't miss "mom watch your daughter dance day" at Molly's dance studio. Can't miss Preschool performances. Can't stop driving the carpools you set up because other people's children are in them and deserve a ride to their practice/performance/class/activity.

There are too many "have to's" to get to do the "want to" of unburrying the message center and labeling every single cupboard shelf in the Spruces so there is no mistake as to what belongs where (notice the labeler just waiting for me in the photo above. Calling my name to "use me! use me"! )

To John's great credit, our garage looks absolutely fantastic. I haven't inspected the cupboards in there, but the emergency preparedness kit is re-stocked and in the right place. Bikes have been brought out of the shed and skiis have been put in (he organized the shed too! What a prince! What a guy!). But to my lack of ability or whatever, the shelves, surfaces and closets remain a frightening domain of disorganization. I've even paid Brynley, my master organizer, to get to the medicine cupboard and the linen closet. But her services aren't cheap and she wants to be in the fray of all those busy things I mentioned before so her help is often out of pocket...

Perhaps the day after school ends I can send our children outside and blast the tunes as I get in the "zone" of organizing and placing the things in the Spruces right where they belong. Then my resting heart rate will certainly lower a little, and I can feel all the way home and moved into this woderful place where we live.

Bring on the last day of school!