I have lived in Oregon for just shy of 14 years. My mom came to visit when I gave birth to Turtle ... who is now Eleven and a half. She then came a few months later for my wedding ... I did things backwards. ;) Both of those visits were before we had moved into our home. We have been in our house for 10 years this April and she has never seen it. With this being her first visit to my home I am sure as heck not going to let her see it in its current chaotic mess.
For the most part I keep my house clean. Minus Little Mans room ... his room constantly looks like a bomb went off in it. My goal is to get organized and keep it that way. At one point in my marriage my ex left the kids and I for 4 months. During that time my house was spotless ... of course I was a stay at home mom and I had more time. I managed to keep the house "magazine pretty" as I call it until we separated and I had to go get a job. I got lost in the divorce, losing my dad, working and trying to be a single mom all at once. My house went to pieces and I am constantly trying to play catch up.
No more excuses for me!! I know that there are plenty of single working moms that keep their places organized and clean. I have already started with my plan.
Friday since I did not go to work I cleaned out Turtles closet area and one of her drawers. Then I tackled the front hall closet and tossed out sweatshirts and jackets no one wears. Four bags later I was making a trip to Goodwill. I also made a trip to the dump yesterday and got rid of the garbage in the trailer.
Besides doing the normal laundry and after dinner kitchen clean up each day I am hoping to spend 15-30 minutes a night cleaning out an area of the house. Bags will be marked and ready to go to Goodwill and the trailer to go to the dump. Saturday mornings a quick run to Goodwill to get rid of stuff instead of shoving it out in the garage.
I am also trying to make some changes in my spending. I don't have a lot of money as it is and I feel as though I have really cut out anything we don't need but I am thinking that I could do just a little better. :)
Today I actually made a Menu for the entire week. I then made a grocery list of just the items we needed and I went to the store. I spent $88 on food for the week for a family of 5. I am thinking that is pretty good.
I am thinking that tomorrow evening once I have done my "chores" I will sit down and make a pretty spread sheet to show my accomplishments. I will probably blog about it also as there is something about putting it down in writing (typing in this case) that will make me want to be more motivated.
I am thinking Sundays will be my update day as that is when I do my grocery shopping and such. So off I go into my first week of my 16 week challenge. :)
I am thankful for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.... I am thankful for the piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby. ~Nancie J. Carmody
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4 comments:
Thanks for linking to your quote source! Today's is another perfect one too.
I hear you on keeping up with the house. Four kids and all that laundry! I have given up on the kids rooms and that helps.
And YES $88 for 5 is impressive! I pretty much do all my shopping at Costco since we go through a lot quickly. What I spend there last two weeks or more, but if I went to the grocery store it would cost the same for just one week.
I'll be intersted to see what you come up with. Maybe we can share tips and tricks for single parenting four kids on a budget.
Wow, great spending! I haven't achieved meal planning yet, but it's on my list. I'm not confident in the kitchen, so I keep putting it off.
My mom hasn't seen my place either. Mind you, I've been here only two months, but she's not in a hurry. She's a two-hour drive away and has a bad back for sitting that long.
Sounds great! I've tried the meal planning but I never stick to it. The boys are such picky eaters now and I rarely eat dinner myself so we wind up doing a lot of "snacks" for dinner (fruit, veggies, cheese, and crackers). I just can't make myself shop and cook when I know they're not going to eat it. As for the cleaning, good luck! I'm working on getting the place organized too. It's a huge task but baby steps are the way to go. If you do a little each day, it shouldn't be so overwhelming and you can get through it all. Keep us posted!
Look at you getting all organized! It does make us feel a wee bit more sane, doesn't it?
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