Hi, I'm home decluttering too. In fits and starts. If I try to do a big push these days I quickly get burnt out and then my attitude starts to go south. So baby steps.

Trying not to think about the day I lost Friday with vehicle emergency and where I would have been on the cleaning had my original plan materialized. Also trying not to be annoyed with roommate because she waited to text me until she was already on the road - if she would text before she leaves her family's city it would give me maximum heads up. I've tried and tried to hammer that home, and sometimes I succeed and sometimes not. Trying to believe she had a good reason. I don't want to be harsh or unforgiving; she is maxed out on all fronts.

Anyhow. I don't even have the sofa cleared, much less the vacuuming and washing the sheet we keep on the sofa because of the kitty. If she wants to nap this afternoon I won't be able to vacuum. And with the huge dog home it can be more complicated too. Le sigh... 🙁

Lila, I know you will be glad to be done with the flea issue.

I am feeling tired and unmotivated today. I have managed to clean off the couch, but mostly by moving stuff to a nearby bench that also needed to be cleaned off. At least I have all the things that needed sorting out in one place?

Happy 4th! I hope many of you are out having fun but I also hope a few are home, like me, trying to clean and declutter. I like it when we are serial posting and having conversations.

I did two more loads of wash last night (stayed up late) from the flea room. The only thing left is a small quilt a relative made for teen. I need to reserach how to wash or maybe just the dryer will get rid of any fleas on it. I don't want to ruin it. I need to take out what's in the dryer and dry the sheets that are in the washer.

I sprayed the room last night and closed it off. It says it is safe for pets after 2 hours. I am waiting a bit more and will vacuum it and air it out.

Already this morning I made homemade chai from my spices (sipping now) and am making "carrot dogs" which are vegan hot dogs where you marinate carrots and eat them like a hot dog. I am vegetarian, mostly, now, and can't eat hot dogs die to the cancer. Son will be grilling and I am bringing these dogs and some frozen bean burgers. Son will have real burgers and dogs there for others as well.

Hoping to get lots done today before the bbq. I will be back to share.

Awww, thank you CM! That is so cute. And I will take it. LOL.

I spent all afternoon researching washers and dryers, then pricing them and finally buying them. They will be here in 3 weeks. Ours are dying, making spots on clothes sometimes, keep breaking down and just not worth putting money in to fix anymore. They are also rusty. I will be very happy when they are gone and we have nice shiny new ones in there! I have a very small laundry room with not much in there, so it won't be too hard to declutter. Harder to clean... lots of dust and lint, plus the litter box. I will clean it really good before the new ones arrive.

I also put in two loads of flea sheets and blankets from teen's room. I am almost ready to spray in there. Teen is gone and cat won't be allowed in there while it dries overnight. Then I will vacuum tomorrow. I was told to sweep the outside edge of the house and get any dead leaves and debris away from there as well. I will do that tomorrow too.

I am home all day tomorrow until dinner so will try to only eat/drink things that will give me good energy, and get a lot done in the decluttering department.

My dog is angry and bored so I better go play with him a bit before bedtime.

Let me try again with a different url

This one is for Lila - I totally relate

Hey

It's been quite a last few days. I had to get some repairs done on my van. This is not like the old van that was a money pit. These repairs were straightforward and the van runs great. But they aren't free, of course. There will be a couple of other things but I can take a few months to spread out the expenses.

Roommate is gone till midday tomorrow. Because of some of the things with the van, I was late and disjointed getting the weekend rolling, also ADHD was pretty bad and I was having the devil of a time remembering all the pet care and other things I needed to do. Some things got forgotten. But we are all still alive. I don't know how my roommate keeps track of it all. I do know she feels incredibly pressured most of the time; even if she does have an adequate memory, she still has to physically do the things.

She found out last week that an uncle had died of Covid earlier this year, and the memorial service is next week. Her siblings will be coming to town. Which means, I must clear the "nest" of my junk off the sofa. Which I had been thinking of doing anyway while she was away. No escaping or procrastinating now.

I've got to figure out things about papers that I could purge. For example, in my involvement with the bunny rescue. So many ideas jotted down over the years, yet I think much of it is obsolete because we are just flying by the seat of our pants after Covid and organizational shakeup and them having extra bunnies - my lovely bullet point lists of ideas may never matter. And I accept that.

There are undoubtedly more areas of my life where similar reassessments are in order. I need clarity.

And a computer, for real. The current one did a thing the other day, just shut off with no warning. Rebooted fine but I'm not waiting for another motherboard failure like the last time. So I will be backing up data to external hard drives and starting to shop. Best be proactive.

For now, wish me luck getting the nest dismantled.

Lila, All of us here have an imaginary friend called "Justin Case" but Justin is not a good friend. He takes advantage. He clutters up our lives with things we don't need and often never turns up to claim them, so we try not to store things for "just in case"

I think that if you have not used it in the last year, and you do not have a clear plan for when you will use it (example "I will use this when tot is seven, so even though that is a long way off, I have a clear plan for it.") you should get rid of it. I believe you will be able to have the things you need. Especially if you stop buying things you don't need.

That is so cool about the FaceTime, SubC! Very fun!

I think you are onto something with stacking the tubs where a cabinet would go, maybe covering it with a pretty blanket. Which also makes me consider consolidating or getting rid of some of the glassware etc. A few items perhaps.

I have struggled for so long to find energy. I know when I eat healthy and exercise I have more, but that doesn't help me today. It's too late in the day for caffeine. Maybe if I just start working on things, the energy will come.

I need to continue washing laundry, blankets, sheets from teen's flea bedroom. I bought some natural flea spray, so once all the laundry is out of there, I will vacuum the room and then spray in there and leave it for 24 hours.

I wrote some time ago about how if someone offered me $10k I could get rid of most of my belongings. Maybe I need to just get rid of it all and TRUST that $10k will come into my life at some point to get the things I need. What do you guys think about that? Is it foolishness to get rid of things I MIGHT need someday?

Yes, the vhs tapes are going to be a big thing. Maybe don't start there.

Think about this - right now is not the time for you to have pictures framed in glass on your walls. Probably the next three years are not that time. We don't know exactly when that time might be, and that is ok. But you need to make your home fit your life now. So the empty picture frames should go. Trust that when it is time to hang a framed picture on the wall, you will be able to find a picture frame that works.

If you had a metal cabinet, you could cover the front in pictures in magnetic frames. Or cover the front in pictures and protect them with plexiglass. Or just paint it to look beautiful. Meanwhile you could stack the locking tubs in a place where the cabinet will go and cover them with a blanket - you have extra blankets, right? Are any of them pretty?

Good job on the otoscope!

I cleaned off the dining table! And I FaceTimed my best friend. I haven't seen him live in 22 years. We just write and send photos. His voice is deeper. And he was self conscious about his hair being gray. - which is funny because he sends pictures! And he carried me around the room and introduced me to his kids. It was amazing.

Back to work.

oops, wanted to also respond - Road, as for acquiring, I tend to stress shop online. I find it takes my mind off whatever terrible thing is bothering me. So I start browsing and looking and pricing. Categories I do this with tend to be: clothing, food, dog items, cleaning items (lol).

Last time I stress shopped about $300 in clothes, but I returned almost all of it.

Awww little Bean wanting his special Sunday treat! That is so sweet, the tradition is meaningful to the little guy! I love that!

Thank you so much for the bar/horse analogy. That helps ad so do suggestions. Let's see. actually have four jewelry boxes, forgot to name one. One has my mother's jewelry and a few dad/grandparent pieces in it. Then I ha another one with some of mine in it... it s full. The rest of mine is in the top dresser drawer which is very shallow and lined for jewelry. The other small one my son gave me is empty, but could be used for other small items. The idea was, when my other son gave me the big jewelry wall hanging cabinet, that all my jewelry would go in there from the dresser drawer and the box that is not meaningful. Then I would get rid of that one or give it to teen or Tot. Actually this makes me think about getting rid of some jewelry. I wear maybe 5 - 10 pieces and all the rest sits.

The frames are for photos which are in tubs. Yes, I think teen would destroy them. Almost all my wall space is completely bare for this reason.

Yes! the otoscope can go n the medicine cabnet, thank you, and I don't know why it wasn't there in the first place.

VHS tapes are personal... of my kids as babies, and of my father before he died. Some of them I mailed out to have put on dvds but they did something wrong and I am paralyzed trying to figure out what tape was not copied or what they missed. I also have tapes that have not been copied yet. Anxous about it.

I like the cabinet idea in a way. But also all those items make me so angry and sad. I love teen so much and it makes me very upset that I won't be able to have anything fixed and nice unless teen is not here... but them not being here is a dreadful thought. Why can't things just be better? How can you love someone with your whole being, so much, and still be so angry and hurt by them? It's like my soul is outside my body being tortured.

I had a good morning with Tot and now am home resting. I plan to do some work on these things in my room now. Or at least some processing in there.

Omg you guys - every Sunday my Dd takes bean to the bakery for a muffin or donut. And they sit on the bench outside and eat it.

Bean knew it was Sunday because the church down the road rings it's bells. And he wouldn't stop crying "donut, mama, muffin. Get donut."

The bakery doesn't have curbside or delivery, but sil called and they took his cc and left the bag on the bench for him to grab without exposing anybody.❤️

I have been told by horse people that when you teach a horse to jump, you begin by laying the bar on the ground and leading the horse to step over it. I have seen this done with alpacas, who can learn to leap bars that are quite high.

Lay your bar down, we will coax you over.

Lila, a few things stand out to me - you have three jewelry boxes - are they empty? Where is your jewelry?

What is supposed to be in those empty frames? Is there wall space for the unhung pictures? Is the problem that teen might pull them off the wall?

Just a thought that might or might not appeal - There are a variety of locking metal cabinets available which might help you better store all of those tote items if you have the furniture room. I realize that they can be quite expensive. Maybe you can find a dollar every day to put in a jar? - start with your change. You would have enough for a nice one in a year. Trust me, a year is not a long time.

Can the otoscope go in the medicine cabinet?

Are the vhs tapes personal or commercial?

Give the dog a treat.

My bar for today is to maintain or improve the kitchen while processing more beans and possibly making cheese. Also to clean up the dining table and great room space - especially the couch I have buried.

Whoa Lila, there is a lot of emotional weight in all those piles of "you weren't so sure what was there..."

The content sounds a lot like mine. I think I may be further along in analyzing what my stuff is about but I may be more immobilized than you. You do a really good job of taking action and that is so important.

My only suggestion for prioritizing is to see if you can categorize thinGs by how Much space they are taking up, how much emotional baggage they hold, and how long they would take to deal with... like is there something that's not taking Much space but might be heavy lifting emotionally or a 10-hour project? Or maybe there's something that's taking up a few bins worth of space but it might only take a hour or two to get rid of it... one way to prioritize.

Over here I was able to clear a path to the door. Bare floor from here to there and nothing obstructing the door or floor. Threw away some more little pieces of garbage (mostly puppy shredding), and picked up some laundry off the floor. My son had been starting to come in and "redistribute" things again so I started locking my door.

Motivated again to get a handle on things. Thanks everyone! I think last year I printed out some of my analysis and plan of attack. I will try to find that and Review. No sense reinventing ye olde wheel.

Re: acquisitions, where is everyone on this topic? I feel like generally I am out of this stage but there are some sneaky ways thins start to accumulate again. Like sinCe my Dx in April, I've bought 4 books and about 10 related supplies like some supplements, a water filter, etc. I can totally justify all of it but the issue is that due to my existing hoard of books and supplements I still can't find what I'm looking for half the time. Random thoughts.

Subc, good reminder about finding (free/cheap) things to do around town. I think my limitation (aside from generally getting more anxious/introverted) is that going out with my son can be challenging because I have to always have a hand on him. I Feel like I have to go to the bathroom constantly and I can't leave him alone - even in a restaurant at a table because he could wander off. A lot of places don't have the family bathrooms and he's too old to take into the ladies with me. But since I stopped drinking Diet Coke, the bladder situation has Been better... maybe with some planning I could figure out a few places to go and expand from there. Same situation with vacations. I could take him down to universal and stay with a friend or something but I couldn't manage him in the park alone. Most of the time he's super sweet and polite but in a crowd or unfamiliar situation he could just up and whap someone walking by,,, maybe I just need to do outings in a buddy situation with another special needs mom... hmmm wheels are spinning...

Road, sounds like we have similar bars, lol. You can do it, a little at a time!

I think SubC's question to me is waking something like a new awareness. What is cluttering up my room aside from clothes? And I couldn't even think of more than a few small items. So I decided to take this as an "awakening" to reexamine what IS cluttering up my space, and what can go.

I went in there tonight and took photos with my phone. Now I am going to look through them and list, what really IS in my room taking up all this space (furniture is not excessive so not lisitng that).

- coins strewn and in boxes/bags
- envelopes, cards, address labels
- otoscope
- files, papers, gift bags
- plastic box of random items
- plastic tote of tools that I have to keep locked up from teen
- 2 or 3 plastic boxes of medicines I have to keep locked up from teen
- box of dress up jewelry for Tot when she's 5ish
- 2 plastic drawer sets full of teen's childhood things, including some toys, barbies, etc to pass on to Tot, mementos teen doesn't care about now but probably will later
- empty big wall jerelry box that needs to have photos put in it and be hung on the wall
- 6 pairs of new or nearly new sneakers
- tote of cords, plugs, software, computer mice, memory sticks etc
- paper shredder, Christmas book someone gave me, box of pens, tote of blankets
- old laptops (2) that I need to get files off, but they won't boot up
- new photo scanner
- a wooden chess board my son made for me
- candles
- tote full of our kitchen dishes that are breakable, kept there because teen breaks them
- tote full of coffee mugs and glassware, same reason as above
- box of kitchen knives locked up, same reason as above
- trash can, empty boxes for donations
- box of childhood photos and my mother's journals
- totes of photos of my children's childhood
- photo albums of my kids
- jewelry boxes, one that was my mothers, one my son gave me
- empty frames, folded blankets, dog bed, little rocking chair that was mine as a child, in there so teen doesn't destroy it
- tote of nail polish and supplies
- dollhouse my dad made for me when I was a child, but it's on the fragile side, want to let tot play with it when she is 6 or 7
- bags of dog treats, food samples, chews, meds, supplies
- tote of dog chews and treats, full
- books I borrowed but havent read yet
- boxes for things I bought and might re-sell
- electronics
- coffee mugs and hot/cold thermoses and cups, mugs that have special photos on them, a mug my dad gave me before he died. All kept in my room so teen doesn't break them
- box of DVDs I had created from vhs tapes but some things are missing so I can't even get rid of the vhs tapes til I am sure what was copied
- a plastic bin of expensive spices I bought but have no room for in the kitchen
- wrapping paper
- pictures from my childhood that I have not hung
- random cords, prescriptions, play doh, a disposable camera I need to develop for teen, more pens, pieces of candy, 2 tablets, a hot and a cold lunch container, lavendar eye cover, rice bag that can heat in the microwave for sore areas, flashlights, books, lotions, index cards, notebooks, markers, colored pencils
- tape measures, dog toys, sandals, slippers, stick vacuum, dust rags, dog food samples, china tea set, bags for travel, cords for internet, lamp, my dog's ashes (this makes me sad, I need to do something nice with them but am not ready)

This is not counting anything in closet or drawers.

Hi all,

Back from making dinner, cleaning up, medicating the nervous Nellie dog, and putting my son to bed... now I am not at all motivated to do anything in my room so I guess I will just Try to do something. Maybe I will make it so I am not tripping over things trying to get out of the door. Such a high bar! 🤔🤓

I hear you Road and am reading your posts. That sounds like stressful situations with dh and dad and trying to get stuff done and makeson's life as great as you can. I relate to a lot of it. I hope you can get the family vacay sorted out.

SubC, what's in my room besides clothes. Hmmm.
the most random stuff. I think I will go in there and take a mental inventory after dinner. I know it is so piled I can hardly walk, but now that you ask me, I can barely name anything that's in there. I will report back.

I am making dinner, Tot is here, we played, now she is playing with my son. Her parents will be here in 30 min with the new baby, whom I shall call Acorn. I have not cooked yet... I had to clear the dining room table, which was piled high because of having the carpets cleaned a week ago. Nothing ever got put back. Too many chaotic things went on. But the table is cleared and wiped. Although, I mainly put all the stuff onto other surfaces. I have a lot of work to do, and am even more motivated to get rid of things because this is ridiculous, and tiring.

I'm with Lila. I am a bit frozen in my tracks with my room right now. All I ended up doing was picking up some trash and laundry. No noticeable difference visually. Instead I got distracted by printing up a hoard of summer school activities for the kid. I found some good stuff but the reality is I already have way more than I could ever use and he is routinely (Literally) narcoleptic when faced with structured table work. This neurologist is completely useless.

Tatoulia, I hope this was a stay at home day because I am seeing in Twitter that the young nazis (pat front) are marching there and mucking up the works.

Re vacay. The H is going to NOLA for a few days (where his bro is working during the week) and they have this whole array of amazing stuff scheduled to do. I was earnestly excited for him to spend this time with his bro and nephew since they have been through a lot with their challenging mother and losing their brother two years ago. It then when he started giving me flack about the vacay we were planning, my grace went out the window. Honestly, he's ok if I go somewhere for a few days because he wants to be able to also but what we really haven't done for 5 years is take a family vacay. My son doesn't understand a lot and can communicate even less but he does ask about the beach and talks about that vacay quite a bit. I had a goal to get him back into activities and he has a fairly packed slate. I advocated for him to have a better school situation next year to the best of my ability, and even though I feel I failed, I did negotiate some stuff for him. That's all I can do. So I'm still behind catching up on his medical stuff although we just did that ridiculous extended EEG. Now I just have the goal of giving him some fun family experiences. We were actually just going to go to St. Louis with my folks but my dad had a meltdown the other day and I decided I didn't want to get in a car with him for that long or be beholden to him for paying for the hotel, etc. so I bailed out and we haven't talked for a week. He really and truly needs some medication or something but I don't think there's anything I can do about that. They've done better (he's done better) living at the retirement place for the past year but now my mom is indicating that he's starting to get into it with people there so she's worried.

I'm really going to try to reset my room tonight. First have to make dinner...

So, what categories of stuff are in your bedroom besides clothes?

As for the coins - unless you want to make a hobby of inspecting coins for a treasure hunt, start spending them so you don't get more!

Hard, slow method: Basically every penny, nickel or dime minted since 2000 is face value so start by carrying a dollar or two of those in your pocket to spend. Then pick a category - say, quarters, and check by year to see if there is anything valuable - you can make note of things to look for and start rolling or spending them down.

Or, fast method: just realize that the odds of you having a coin that will be worth the time spent to sell it are extremely low (lower than your odds of getting hit by a car) and just spend/bank the change.

I am trying to clean my bedroom and it is such a struggle. Can anyone talk me through this a bit?

I already picked up all trash, sorted receipts and papers and threw away any I don't need as well as stray packaging.

I look around and everything in there is something I think I need, or am hesitant to get rid of. Clothing aside (which I worked on and it is mainly under control), how can I figure out what to keep and what to get rid of?

Just because I have not used something in a couple years, I can't just get rid of it.

UGH it is so frustrating!!

I have piles of coins and I think there has to be a valuable coin in there somewhere! Maybe there is that rare coin that will be like winning the lottery and get me out of debt. There are so many though. And how do I know if it is valuable? I tried looking up rare coins and started a list and spent a whole day looking at some of them.

I still have 6 pairs of sneakers even though I donated several pairs. There is so much junk I can't walk in there!! But not one item I look at feels like I could donate it! I think something is wrong with me. How will I ever get out of this maze of trash??

Thank you SubC for the reminder. Guilt tries to slide in, but you're right. This is my chance to recharge and relax a bit, to be better able to deal with things when teen comes home.

I went and ran a few errands: used a coupon to get a free bag of dog food, got some cute clearance clothes for Tot and the new miniTot, got some iced tea, and dropped off those donation boxes. Yay, my house is lighter!! :)

Then I went for my pedicure and I don't feel like I have hawk talons for feet anymore. Came home and took laundry out, put laundry in. Resting a bit now.

I will be going to pick up Tot and bring her over to play for a couple hours with the "new" toys from the garage, and then her parents are coming for dinner. What's for dinner, you ask? I am asking the same thing, lol.

Lol- maybe I will paint the fan. He would hate that.

Road, my youngest uncle has been sober for three weeks this time. All you can do is support positive decisions. Hiwwould we be able to support you through the stresses in you life if you didn't tell us about them?

I think you deserve a vacation. Even if all you can do is get ahead on that clean up and then take mini vacations locally - leave your boys at home together and go do something that relaxes you and brings you joy for the day - do that. It doesn't have to cost a lot. For example - I live an hour from a free art museum with a very nice, reasonably priced cafe where I could get lunch..

Lila, you have done a lot! I think YOU deserve a vacation too! Clear away the rubble so you can start over as well, and then enjoy the rest of the two weeks eating off your pretty china and relaxing and do not feel even a little bit guilty when you feel happy or relieved. The inpatient time is for you too, to recharge so you can continue to move forward.

I got the beans picked, and some of the onions, and I dug up one potato plant because they are dying back - not a great harvest, but not bad for sheer total neglect. Enough to make a nice dish of new potatoes and green beans for dinner.

It is much too hot to be outside. I've had to take many water breaks to cool off and keep soaking my shirt. I am done for today (at least until evening)

My next goal is to clean up the kitchen and get some of these beans into the dehydrator.

oh SubC, I know how irritating it is when we have to look at something we don't like day after day! My husband went to buy a washer and dryer 16 years ago when I was in the hospital for a week. I TOLD him "just anything BUT the ones with the rainbow colored dial settings, I don't like those." But of course those were on sale and he got them. And as shallow as it is, I have thought about it almost every time I do laundry all these years. I should have just painted over it or something. But now this set is dying and I am going to be the one choosing!!

Teen has made progress over the years and sometimes DOES clean up the rage mess themselves. But this time teen is inpatient for a week or two, and I figured it would be emotionally better if it is cleaned up now, and not a reminder hen they get home.

Today is my day off and so far I:
- put in a load of wash
- took two boxes of donations to the car
- added the air fryer and a couple of wreaths to the donations
- threw out some trash and two boxes from the garage
- found the Tot sized small box of clothing in there, got out the summer things and put them in my car to give to Tot to wear
- found the Tot age appropriate toys (2 tubs) and brought them inside. I will switch out the ones more suited for a 1-2 yr old and put out the 3-4 year old ones, and put the tubs back. Some may be donated, but I already pared it down significantly.
- trimmed the branches on a front tree and roses again, and put them in the green bin
- watered the plants in front
- made an appointment for a pedicure this afternoon

Wow! See, this is why I love this forum. I thought I did not get much done but it looks great when I list it out!

I hope you can get a vacation, Road. Let him stay home and watch the dog, and YOU go!

I will focus on surrounding myself with things that are soft, sturdy and beautiful!

Hi all,

Sorry I have missed so much again!

Subc, your wish for Lila to have things "beautiful, sturdy and soft" Made me smile and feel so much affection for all you wonderful people.

The ups and downs continue to roll along here as well - suffice it to say, my sister had my brother take her to the hospital with a herniated disc and desire to go to rehab. One epic week of disasters later (at a very poorly run for profit rehab) is home, sober I think, in slightly less pain, and plugged in to a Buddhist based program that she feels very good about. Her codependent daughter, in her absence, slid into an epic episode of something I'm not sure what. But I got calls from her, from her friend, from one of her cousins... She needs to decide to go to rehab, to stop lying to herself and others, and do the work of it. what can I say? Feeling pretty "not my circus not my monkeys" right now about the whole thing. I am totally sympathetic about the struggle of addiction, but when you're 30, and you have had addiction issues for half your life and haven't even finished one 30 day stretch of rehab, I don't know. I guess I'm just venting, but if you have suggestions, let me know. My other niece finally got out of the hospital with eating disorder issues. That was like a month. OY!

Meanwhile here I sit in my hoardy room and complain about others' dysfunction. I am horrible people.

Just kidding I'm not that bad, really.

SO! We finally started talking about a vacation. Maybe even a two weeker and I started getting excited but then the H came to his senses and started throwing cold water on everything. Ugh. Anyway, who knows what will happen with that but momentarily I was very motivated to clean stuff up and get my ducks in a row - I guess anticipating a dog sitter would be visiting and the fridge would need to be emptied, etc. so I'm going to try to work off of that even though I don't know if we are going to go anywhere or not. I had some clarity a few months ago that I needed to start a vacation savings fund, and even downloaded an app for it, but lost track of it. That's exactly what I need to do though because otherwise I feel like I'm at the mercy of his whims. Naturally, anything he wants to spend on is justified because it's for the house or car, even though it might be money we don't have. He's not motivated by taking vacations so it doesn't seem to matter to him if we go anywhere or not. I am not talking about 5-star. I'm talking about a week or two at a Vrbo or airbnb in Wisconsin. I guess I don't understand how we can't afford it when people who seem to make A lot less than he does can. I feel like I am so thrifty. But I must admit I don't have a clear handle on the finances, and the power dynamic of me not working and him working and being like he is is not conducive to taking vacations I guess. I think if you could sum our issues up in two words it would be "power struggle." Blurrrrgh

Ok, so all this complaining and my room is still a mess so I'm gonna get Off my butt and get out my little daily to do page and fill it out and get my head straight. I will be back with a productivity report I hope.

Tatoulia, tell me a little more about how you decided to gather stuff up. Do you just periodically scan your place and decide you want to do a sweep? What motivates you?

Subc, hope bean feels better. Lila, sorry about the fleas. Been there. It's such a hassle with having to go through everything but with the teen gone hopefully it is easier to really access everything. Sorry too about the destruction in the garage.

Sending hugs out to everyone::::

Well, bean is positive. I'm sure his parents are next. I was last there Tuesday night.

Lila, lean in to the desire to clean the garage! It sounds like you need to fill your life with things that are beautiful, sturdy, and soft.

Is teen able to help clean up when they have calmed down?

It finally rained here last night. Today begins the long drive to clean up all the everything's and get control of the garden. Especially since I won't see Bean. :( I hope we can dig potatoes when he does come back. The deer ate all of our sunflowers. :(

The ceiling fan in our bedroom died and Dh bought another one yesterday while I was at the "staff meeting." He called to see if I wanted to meet him and help pick, but I had already had a beer and couldn't drive, so he went without me and chose one I hate. I got home and he had it nearly installed. Since it is nothing at all like any of the fans we have chosen together, I feel like he had to know I wouldn't like it. It's high quality and will probably last the rest of my life. I feel like I am being punished for making the extremely rare choice to be social.

SubC, aww Bean, I hope he feels better quickly. Sounds like he is not too bad right now.

Did the format or font or something change just now on this forum?? Or did I click something?

I have another laundry load going.

I also went into the very hot garage and swept up 90% of the glass and ceramics that teen with autism smashed in a rage the other day. My poor, pretty ceramic pots that I was going to put plants in, and mason jars. One had legos in it, so those were mixed into the shards but I picked them out. The whole thing makes me sad. Shards over about half of the whole 2 car garage. It was too hot to move items that had shards under them, so that will have to wait. This is why I gave up.

It made me kind of depressed. But also made me want to go in that garage and get rid of most of the items in there. There is even an air fryer sitting in there that I have no idea where it came from. We have an air fryer in the kitchen. DH bringing in more hoard? It's going to be donated.

Lila,

I'm sorry. Fleas are awful. Hopefully the pet stuff will kill them all.

Enjoying grandkids is good though.

Mr. kitty was chasing a mouse in the living room this morning. It got away. I set a trap, but need to set more.

Camp was fun and is over now. I am wiped out.

I was supposed to have Bean two days next week, but as of right now he has a temp of 103 and is waiting for covid results. They called his doc, and he is happily playing in his sandbox eating popsicles. (Doc said Tylenol and popsicles.) they sent video so I won't worry.

hello friends,

I had a long week, very busy. Today I had off. I had to take my car n for an oil change, tire rotation and minor repair. They are telling me it needs another $1k in work soon, but that is making me wonder how much I could get for it if I sold it to the dealership and bought something smaller, newer, and cheaper. It is an suv so it takes a lot of gas and would be more expensive than a car. I dunno.

Enjoying my grandkids.

What I got done today:
- washed and dried 2 loads of clothing. Folded one.
- took out all the trash (it's trash day)
- picked up all the junk and trash in the family room, which dh has hoarded up. Took out one bag of trash from there.
-washed out my dog's ears. I still need to add ointment.
- let dog play while I did some poop scooping

I am working on other areas. Major problem, teen's cat has fleas. We have never in 25+ years had fleas on an animal here. It is an inside cat and there seem to be no fleas on the dogs. so don't know how he got them. Teen saw jumping bugs all over there room, caught one and the vet and pest control said fleas. Teen is gone for a week or two so it falls to me. I put flea control on the dogs and cat. A guy came and sprayed the wall edges around teens room. Now I have to wash ALL teen's laundry, bedding, towels everything and vacuum and clean their room. Also other rooms just in case, but they seem to be isolated to teen's room for the most part. But man, it s exhausting. So I am working on that as I am able.

What are you all up to?

Went to the recycling hub in the city.

Took 4 feed bags plus two plastic grocery bags of things that are hard to recycle plus a few random loose items. Most came out of my basement where they have been accumulating.

Last day of camp for me tomorrow.

Congratulations on becoming a mom and having it be your best day!

Btw my cat has a limp not a limo.

All is going well with mom. I'm grateful for that.

I hope you had a good visit with mom Tatoulia.

Today is my dd1's bday. 30 years ago I became a mom. One of the best choices I ever made!

Three more days of camp. House is a wreck. I've lost counters and half a couch. Things are spread out in the basement.

I picked up some racks by the side of the road yesterday that I *think* I am going to use at school, but I might keep them..

Much to do! Carry on!

Great use of the styrofoam, SubC.

I'm exhausted too. I have to see mom tonight. Haven't seen her since Saturday. My intern will be remote through the summer and part time instead of full time. I'm glad we will still have her.

I'm in my third load of laundry. Cat blankets. My poor old cat has some fur matting but she won't let me fix it. She is short-haired but with age, she's looking more unkempt. I know one of her back legs bother her. She fell a number of years ago and has had a limo. Now when I brush her that area hurts. And there's no getting at the tummy.

I'm working from home today, then back in office on Wednesday and Friday. We will probably get out early on Friday. If so, the announcement will be made on Thursday. And if they don't, we all will be devastated. My admin and I will likely be the only people in the office on Friday.

Tatoulia, will your intern be working remotely?

I'm sorry the subway scared you.

Lila, I'm glad you are getting lots of time with tot and mini tot.

How is the planning going?

The swelling is almost all gone from the hand and the break in the skin has closed, so the head is definitely worse now. It's healing though - because it itches.

I have reached the tired part of the week already. 4 more days. I like the job, but the logistics are hard.

Today we are building armatures for our paper mache sculptures and starting our fantasy costumes. I am taking in two grocery bags of styrofoam food containers that have been sitting in my basement because I can't recycle them. My boss said they would be good for the armatures.

Lila, when I drop off things to donate, I picture my house being lighter. I imagine it weighing less. It's a visual that works for me because it's not visibly noticeable that I got rid of things. But I imagine it weighing less. Now it's automatic. I get the automatic thought of lightness.

SubC glad you are keeping a good eye on the hand and head. Just as I'd expect from you!

Hello CM, road, Becky, and all others.

I ended up doing quite a bit of walking today. Some of it unexpected. A friend who is sick with covid (very sick, fever, etc but thankfully no lung involvement) ran out of tests, so I brought her four and some groceries she needed. I did take the subway to her house and then walked home. The subway was filled with animals. Not real animals, just people misbehaving and a tad scary. Actually the people alone were some of the scarier ones. Oh well.

I'm home and showered.

I did work today meaning my job. My worst employee quit (thankfully) so I'm doing some of her work til the replacement is hired. The job hasn't posted yet. Hopefully I'll find someone. I did a little shopping and visited with BF. I did not see mom. I was going to go over and then at 8 PM I found out my friend needed tests and juice and oatmeal. So here it is 10:50 PM and I'm just out of the shower.

Off to bed. I have to go into office tmr. Not happy about going in on a Monday but my intern leaves this week and a friend in another dept (who worked with her on a project) suggested we have dinner. My intern will stay on for the summer but she's moving home so we will be on opposite coasts.

Ouch SubC, I hope that all heals up quickly. The hand definitely sounds worse. I hope you get full function back soon - no infection!!

Tatoulia, nice work getting things out of your space. And spending time with mom is good... hopefully not frustrating.

I did church and got nothing else done but I count holding the miniTot good times! And I brought Tot over for awhile to play last night. I will go see them shortly as well.

I will remember what you guys said and embrace the great day I had yesterday. I have considered if it is something I could re-create. I had a lot of fresh fruit and half a grilled cheese for dinner the night before. Hmmm, will try that again perhaps?? Although I am avoiding dairy for the most part. Maybe fruit tonight.

I am going to prepare 3 more clothing items to return. I have those plus 2 other things and will take it all and return it tomorrow. I will drop off a box to donate as well. Good to clear some space. Maybe I can find a thing or two to throw in the donate box tonight before I have my son put it in my car.

I will also work on my planner today and sort out my week. I NEED to stop working so much and focus on home and my health and family, but the only way I manage to do that is with planning. I need to pick my 'days off' for this week and respect them by not letting more obligations in. I got 2 'days off' last week for the first time in ages, so am going to try and do that each week of the summer. If I can get 3 days off, or a couple half days, that would also help.

Will go over and check on the weight loss thread as well and update there.

Good almost afternoon.

Tatoulia, I love linen, but it wrinkles so!

Slept in and started the day with my hardest/most important chores - the naughty goat got double breakfast to keep her still on the stand longer and I still didn't get her milked completely out. She has twins on her during the day though, so it should be alright.

Watered the trees dsil moved for me yesterday and disbudded the last baby goat. I'm glad she was a single because she got my last dose of tetanus vaccine and the animal pharmacy isn't open evenings or weekends.

My hand is swollen and sore and discolored and hurts when I move it, but definitely not infected. Head is much better - a little sore and a little itchy. It was a pretty deep slice, but clean. The hand was more of a direct hit.

Lila, I agree about just appreciating the good say. In my experience I have really good days and then I am down for a while. One of my goals is to make the good days a little more frequent.

Hi road and Becky and cm!

I'm going to pick some beans and then have lunch.

SubC I how are you today? That sounds really painful and very scary. I'm glad you are up to date on tetanus. I get mine on the 0s starting in 1990: so I know when I'm due. I really hope your finger isn't getting infected. Sounds like you have the forehead under control and I hope that holds true today.

SubC good job at the garage sale and for getting your jams. I love your time with Bean. So fulfilling for all of us (me included).

Lila, embrace the productivity! Don't lament that you aren't like that every day! Just embrace the truly productive day!

Yesterday I did mom's groceries (I took my car), dropped two bags off at goodwill (I swear I feel lighter), made lunch at 4 PM and fell asleep. I went back to mom's around 7 just to hang out. Then back here. So not a super productive day but I was good with it. I also washed my linen clothes yesterday and hung them in the bathroom to dry. I feel like I rediscovered linen this year. So much cooler. So easy to wear.

I'm doing a load of delicates now and having my first cup of coffee. Going to be another hot day but not super terrible.

What are you doing today?

Nice work Lila!

I ran over something- Rock? Metal? No idea. With the lawnmower and threw it and sliced my hand and my forehead.

Hand is just below the lowest knuckle of the index finger, which is swelling and becoming useless, and forehead needed two butterfly bandages and will most likely scar. Milking should be fun tomorrow and cheese making is cancelled. (I'm utd on tetanus shots.)

I insisted on Dh taking me to an event in a nearby town anyway, and he insisted I wear a hat. We ran into a couple we knew from long ago - our 14 y.o. had a huge crush on their 13 y.o. And theirs seemed at least interested back - and then they promptly moved to another continent for a job. We caught up a bit and exchanged numbers (they are in the country until November.) I told the child in question we ran into them and the response was "it's not too late for me to get a divorce." Sadly, the crush is living in yet another foreign country and engaged, so my child agreed it would be wise to hang on to their spouse.

Very tired now. Also achey. Going to try to sleep.

hi SubC! Sounds like a nice day, with the tunnel and the bread etc, yum! I went to see the Tots and had a nice visit but forgot to take over a couple of things, so only stayed an hour. I will go back in a bit and take my big girl Tot out for ice cream.

Also, I got the curtains out of the dryer damp and hung them back up myself! I have never done it alone before. There are 4 floor length, heavy panels and they have like a dozen tiny alligator clips per panel on the rod to attach. But I got up there and did it! It looks nice and smells very fresh in my living room.

I dusted a bit but have not gotten it all done yet. I did clean the windows and the windowsills and rods before I hung the curtains. There is still much to do and I will try and dust a bit before I go back over.

I wish I had energy like I had this morning every day! I would have a clean house in no time!

Happy Saturday!

Lila, I am impressed with all you are doing!

Good job on the grill!

You have given yourself all that space! Plus, you will bless someone who really wants that grill but doesn't have it in their budget to buy it new, or you will bless someone who could have bought it new, but won't now, so you will save all the materials of creating and shipping another one.

This morning I did a little work in the garden. Then I went out to the feed store. I stopped at two yard sales and a Saturday market that I passed. At the first garage sale I bought a $10 lodge cast iron skillet that retails for at least $50. It is rusty but shouldn't be hard to clean up. It came with an extra lid. At the second one I spent $1 on a nylon tunnel for Bean. He has already gotten $1 worth of fun out of it. At the market I bought 4 half pints of jam. I am feeling very rich right now with my fancy jams!

Bean arrived when I got back. We have played and made hot bread. I made biscuits without him while he napped. And cleaned up some dishes. He should be up any minute.

hi all! Happy Saturday!

I did not get much done yesterday because I went over to my son's house to prep for them coming home from the hospital. I picked up their house and washed dishes and brought in some groceries. Then spent time with the 2tots which was a joy. Time well spent.

I did clean out the cabinet under the kitchen sink because dh put an onion in there who knows when and it went bad. omg the smell! So I pulled everything out, tossed a few jars (we save empty jars but I needed space) and put things back neatly.

You will be proud of me: there was a george forman grill in that cabinet for, I kid you not, 15-20 years!! Someone gave it to me and I never used it, not once. I always thought I would. I finally put it in the donate box. I am proud of myself, it's a big thing! Now stuff is not crammed in there, and there was even space to store a couple items that have been living on the counter.

Today I woke up with great energy. It is only 11am and so far I have:

-washed, dried, and folded one load of clothes
-loaded and run the dishwasher
-found the branch trimmers and went outside and trimmed hanging branches and trimmed the roses, and pulled a few weeds. All went into the recycle yard waste bin.
-Took down the curtains from the front living room window, washed them, and they are in the dryer
-Took down the curtains from the side living room window, and they are in the washer
-went outside with my dog, let him run around, and I picked up 75% of the doog poo in the dog area yard

I just made a vegan pizza and ate a few small pieces, and am sipping an iced coffee. Goals for today include putting my clothes away, cleaning the two big living room windows and sills and curtain rods, vacuuming the dust webs above there and then re-hanging the curtains. That is the hardest part for me (re-hanging, they are on clips) so I hope my son will get out of bed and help with this.

This is the most I have gotten done in ages. I do want to get things moved back into the room tomorrow, so need to finish dusting and cleaning the living room.

What are you cleaning and decluttering today?

Hello everyone, Happy Saturday!

Congratulations on the new grand tot, Lila! I do like the idea of deciding what goes back into the room. Now is a good time. See what you can do, if it becomes overwhelming then stop. But why not reassess? You could gain some space!

I am making a goodwill run today. I have a bag of stuff to go.

I have the kettle on and so will enjoy some freshly brewed coffee in a few minutes.

I'm going to make a list. It's been helping me lately.

Hooray for the grand tot!

I strongly support deep cleaning the rest of the room and only putting back things you really want!

Becky, you have been through a lot lately!

In my regular teaching job I have ages 5-18. For camp, 5-12.

First week of camp is over. We had a great day today with an ice cream party and an art show. After camp we had a staff meeting to discuss the week and rough out plans for next week. It started with "beer's in the fridge" and included "so what do you guys want me to get you (supplies) for next week?" I came home happy and less tired than any Friday in the last year of my regular job.

Ran a load of wash. Working on the dishes.

Dd has to work tomorrow, so dsil is bringing the Bean out here. He is missing his respite care days.

hi all! Well I definately skipped the party, and have been busy, as my new little tot was born! Healthy and happy and a great experience! They are coming home today so I will be busy holding my new little grandtot many days!

The carpet cleaners came and so I had to move all the furniture except big stuff to the dining room and it is mostly still there. I would like to clean it all before putting things back. Everything is exceptionally dusty.

Road, you did great! I feel the same way about doing things just so I can come and tell you all about it. This group is a motivator and I am happy you're all here.

Before the totarrival I did get one corner of the kitchen counter cleaned. I even moved all the appliances and scrubbed the edges of the counter with a toothbrush. I cleaned the crock pot, blender and other things on the counter in that corner. Yes the rest of the kitchen is a disaster, but there is one very clean corner. lol.

Today I plan to dust the living room before putting furniture back in. I think I will wash the drapes... they are covered in dust and dog hair. It's a big job taking them down and putting them back up. I will do one window at a time.

As I put items back I will decide if I REALLY want to put them back, or donate them.

Thank you for all the support you guys!

Good morning subclinical,

Thank you for the sweet comment

About lemonade. I try to be positive,

Yet I'm accually guite overwhelmed.

Taking a break after selling my beloved mountain
Property.
Adjusting to single hood after leaving a abusive
Man.
Need to get a job. Thinking about going back
To a pet care business.

Good job at the camp.I love children. What
Ages do you work with?

My baby's are 10 weeks.Main Coons are amazing.
Like raising baby tigers! They are simply
Magical,so charming,and smart.

I'm not a breeder. But ended up with
Kittens.

I used to have big gardens years ago.

Now I have a bunch of house plants.

This house is my big downfall. Just want to
Get a dumpster,and throw it all out.

So happy to have found this website
At last.

Becky

Good morning!

Becky, will you put some of your ricks out as decorations on the counters when they are clean?

When you say you have three kittens and you get calls - are you a breeder for the Maine coon cats? I had a friend years ago who really wanted one, but they were so expensive.

Tatoulia, I am glad you are finding peace. You are one of the most "make lemonade" people I know!

Last day of the first week of camp today - so halfway through.
The beans are starting to come in in the garden, so there is a lot of blanching and dehydrating in my future. The beets are overdue to pick. I may cube and freeze some for stews this year.

I have such a list for my weekend - including that if I work on the basement I can take a trip to the big recycling center after work on Thursday. It is only a 15 minute trip from work, and then no longer to home than from work to home, so it would be very sensible to get that done. But then there is the garden, and the stalls, and the cheese making, and the house is such a mess..

Thanks SubC for the correction! I appreciate it and you are right! Many years ago, I would've been in my thirties, and I tracked down two of my teachers to thank them. I had been a very confused teen and they tried really hard with me.

Becky, keep working on getting the stuff out of your house! The kitty cats will appreciate it! I'm so glad you are here.


I did my sheets and also a load of darks. Just a little pick me up. I had to fold the sheets and the darks are hung up.

Very beautiful day here. We had a few minutes of rain but otherwise cool and sunny and breezy. So pleasant.

I'll gather up my recycling and clean kitty's litter box soon. May stop by mom's. I cannot tell you the peace that has washed over me, knowing that she's losing her marbles and not just lying. It's changed a lot for me. She was a bit of liar to start with. Now that I know her lies are her attempt to make sense of things in her own brain, I'm good with it. She's doing what she can.

Good morning guys. Great hearing about

Your days. So I'm using my love for rock as a inspiration to clear kitchen counters.

I have agate,crystals,fool's gold specimens etc.

I can enjoy them if they are all boxed up.

Need to get more shelving. My true loves are my
Animals,Art projects,my rock.

Also removing stuff that should not be in the house. A ladder,boards,tree root system.buckets
Of roofing nails.Im not working now. But
Want to get back to pet sitting.But with
A big truck. The gas charge will be tricky.

I'm in Colorado. I have 3 kittens,main coon mixes.
A amazing breed. I am usually swamped with calls.

You guys are amazing. Love the sight.

Becky

Oh my, no tatoulia! Done properly the job is hard work, but the life is not hard! A pizza delivery person's life is hard. Working on a road crew is a hard life. That was not the takeaway from that at all! I wish teaching paid well enough that more teachers had a choice about working for pay in the summer. I wish more schools would just let teachers teach and not inflict so much administrative nonsense on them. I wish everybody had small classes like I've so that they could focus on their students better. but it is not a hard life! I love my job, and In july and august i will be in charge of my own time for 57 consecutive days!

One day last spring, I told some of my students that I was going to have to leave on time (they tend to linger after school) because I had a summer job interview, and one of them asked "what's a summer job for a teacher?" Another one snapped back with "the thing that puts food on the table all summer." The first one said "no, I mean, like, what do you do?" I told them "my garden puts food on the table all summer. But I'm interviewing for a camp job."

One of our English teachers tends bar on weekends. She ended up moving into her friend's basement during covid. She is amazing and would make more money in public school, but she won't leave our program. We have so much more freedom and joy than a "real" school.

At one point two of my kids were double majoring in education and something else (neither became a teacher after graduation, but both married teachers) my youngest was still at home and would clearly not be following her father's career path. Dh complained "how did we end up with two teachers and no (his better respected, better paid job)?" The youngest proceeded to do impressions of how each of us came home from work. - basically I made my job look fun, and he made his look awful.

(Ironically, the youngest did not major in education, but coaches and teaches swimming as her second job.)

Camp should be easy today - lots of finishing things.
House is a mess.