I'm thankful that I have extra time at home in the summer. It's great but my expectations put a pressure on me that can be uncomfortable. I try so hard to be realistic and not plan too many things.
Keeping up with household chores and maintenance projects are hard to do during the school year. I feel like I'm never home. So, in the summer, I try to "catch up". Ugh. As the days slip by, accomplishing all the things on my "list" seems impossible. A couple of more weeks, and it will become officially impossible. It's discouraging.
I printed out June, July, and August calendars and roughed out a plan of attack. It did help. I don't want to over-schedule my summer, but it does help to have a plan.
These are some of the things on my list:
Must Do:
1- develop a better mail and 'hold-over' paper center -- NOT ON THE KITCHEN COUNTER
2- rethink kitchen storage -- powdered sugar (used 1 or 2 times each year) does not need to be in the cabinet next to the stove. That is prime space and things that are needed more often will go there. Pantry should be reorganized. I'm rethinking the way I organize. I ALWAYS organize by category. All cereal goes here...all bowls go here...all baking things go here. I'm thinking that things should be stored by USE. One of those "ah ha" moments. Why didn't I think of that sooner? So, a frying pan, mixing bowl, tabasco, and pasta could go on the same shelf.
3- go through boxes in basement -- may skip this one.
4- find place to store or showcase all of our books -- but where?! Right now, they are stacked in piles on our fireplace mantel. good grief.
5- organize piles of kids' artwork, school papers, etc., etc.
6- clean out boys' bedrooms
7- clean out old garage for additional storage -- think I'm going to cry
8- go through things in loft of barn -- think I'm going to throw up
9- have a huge rummage sale
10- put under cabinet lighting in kitchen
Must Do from my Heart but may move to Want To Do:
1- paint all end tables, shelves, and storage cabinets white (was googling "how to paint a piano" but decided that I really like the rustic look of the old thing -- phew -- that's a relief!)
2- paint laundry room cabinets white
3- recover 2 chairs in family room that I found at a rummage sale -- maybe dove gray. I'm not a blue girl
4- paint our bedroom and closet doors
5- buy new mattress, move our old set upstairs, let Ben take his to college, and buy Sam a full size mattress
6- paint stairway and upstairs
7- paint upstairs bathroom blue (per Isaaac's request)
8- paint dressers
9- paint upstairs bathroom vanity white and add hardware
10- paint long bench in mudroom -- paint short bench to keep on porch outside
11- buy totes for under bench
Want to Do:
1- paint frames white and buy white matting
2- paint laundry room white or light yellow or baby gray
3- find storage system to put under shelf in bathroom
4- clean out closets in mudroom
5- shelving system in garage
6- expand garden near river
7- develop sitting area near river
Goodness. No wonder I feel discouraged from the onset. My "Must Do" lists are so long and I feel I "must do" these things this summer. I need to look these lists over and move some things to my "want" list.
And the reason I don't get to even half of the things on my list is because I'm (more importantly) trying to play more badmitton with the boys, read more, enjoy my patio more, watch more movies, visit more people, rest, cook good food, exercise, maintain my existing gardens, and on and on.
And so an organized home takes a backseat. I am only human and I also have a summer cold. Major set back!
New plan. Look over these lists and choose the most important things. I won't be happy unless I can accomplish some of these things. Thinking this over, I think I may start with the "Must Do from My Heart" list. I think these are the things that will satisfy my creative side and accomplish a practical purpose. Yes. I like that.
Organizing my home is really, truly important to me. The sense of being organized is only part of it. There is a beauty and peacefulness that I find immensely satisfying when my home feels organized.
So how do I deal with this compulsion to constantly improve my home? I was feeling bad one day and complained to my mom, "why am I never satisfied? why am I always wanting to change things... rearrange things... make things better?". And my mom said, "It's because you are creative, honey.". oh. Is that it? I like that better than what I was thinking... compulsive, neurotic, obsessive:) Thanks, mom.
Happy Friday. Happy home. Happy summer.
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