So Lila, how old is your teen? I have some more thoughts on the clothing. Also, teach her how to do laundry. If she knows how to do laundry, she can get by just fine with three of everything.

(A long time ago I lived in my car for a little while - I tried to raise very resilient kids with a clear definition of the word "need" and the understanding that choices have consequences.)

We can't donate mattresses here. You have to find a person who wants it or throw it out. Why are you saving the box springs?

If the loveseat isn't very comfortable, why does no one sit on it?

CM, I am fine with a new thread. I think you are the person who starts having trouble first, so we should switch when you need to.

Everyone is fine, but I was in a minor car accident (basically my fault) on the way to get Bean this morning. Nor real damage to my car (minor abrasion of paint near area that is already rusting out) but significant dents and scrapes in the other, late model, luxury car. So my insurance rates will go up. And I think I triggered my daughter's anxiety - she is picking Bean up early today.

The other car was probably speeding, which probably contributed to the accident (along with darkness, and rain), but there is no way to prove it, and legally I know I am at fault anyway.

None of this is helping with my general blanket of "I suck."

Below it should read "is very comfortable" not "isn't"

Clearly - isn't doesn't make sense.

Awww, SubC, I am so sorry about the accident! It is really stressful even if you're okay. I was in one almost 3 years ago and I was technically at fault too. That just makes it worse. But no matter about fault. Don't let any guilt feelings get ahold of you. Life is hard enough without that. It was an accident.

The loveseat which is wonderfully comfortable has not been sat on in years because it is in the family room, next to my husband's den, so he started piling his stuff all over it. No matter now I clean it off it goes back. He was even living out of a suitcase that was laying on it for 2 years. It just makes me mad whenever I walk in the room and his junk is piled all over it, so there's no use in even having it. If it's gone, we can use the space for exercise equipment that is taking up space in my son's room.

DD is 16, does her own laundry, but has anxiety issues and self image issues and tons of stress over clothing all the time. I'm hoping that by giving her the allowance it will take me somewhat out of the equations, as much as I can. She isn't driving yet so I still have to take her shopping or help her order things online.

Today I had a meeting. I took phentermine this morning (Dr recommended) and so I had enough energy when I got home to sort a couple more tubs. I filled a donate box with old paintings my kid made, a frame, some mirrors, and a bunch of large toys. I really have enough toys and this is ridiculous saving it all. Then I found some other odds and ends to donate and toss. Bagged up some toddler clothes to donate. Looked at one of the twin mattresses, and thought about why I am/was saving the box springs. Here is the why: we took apart my son's wooden bed and put it in the garage. It needs a box springs to use it. I figured if my disabled son ever moves out and gets his own place he could take the bed. So to me it is a thing of hope? I dunno, but part of me is just like... I should just get rid of all of it. Sigh. Undecided.

Now I have to wait for my son to wake up and help me load donations into my car and move a few bins to the garage and take a box of dishes from the garage to the car to donate. I love the dishes but I got them free and I just can't hang onto everything... even though I think, if that son moves out, he will need dishes... sigh.

I did take the 2 boxes of books and videos to the donation place this morning before I did the other sorting.

So, yeah, if the clothing is a factor in mental health issues, you have to deal with the situation from the mental health angle and not the clothing angle.

When your son moves out, you can probably find a good bed on Craigslist or such. If he's not likely to move in the next two years, I say, claim the space! By the time he goes, you might want him to take the bed he's sleeping in now.

Thanks, SubC. Good points, so I went ahead and listed the bed and mattress for free. I hope someone will hurry and come get it before I get second thoughts.

I also sorted a couple more things and picked out some of the kids' books that are not my favorites and put them in the donate bin.

I'm baking a frozen pizza, and then I hope my son will help me move all the donations to the car and the newly empty tubs to the garage. Once the mattresses are gone I can get rid of that loveseat. I am making progress. Husband back Weds night so I am trying to get that loveseat and mattress gone and the exercise machine in there before he returns.

What are you guys all doing today?

STARTED A NEW CHAT THREAD

Here you go - just click on this link:

NEW THREAD - PHASE 16

Or go back to The Daily Chat heading and find it from there, either way should work.

Tatoulia, I hope the birthday shopping went well!

Hey all, hope everyone had a happy and productive (or relaxing) weeeknd.

My sister is feeling a little better, but my niece and her boyfriend (who all share the same house) have now tested positive. My parents & brother are already boosted and Now we will all try to get that done ASAP. Very worried about my sister with her health issues (similar to mine) And furious with her reckless coworkers. Just praying none of the fragile kids in that class get sick. Grrrr

In other news, we drove out to the country to get some cider donuts and hit our fave bbq place. Both places had nice outdoor setups and it was a beautiful day. The BBQ place has a gorgeous wall full of Glass mosaic murals. We've been watching it develop over several years and we just happened to visit right before a celebration of the project so we got to hear the artist talk about the team of people who worked on it and the process. Pretty cool.

Found my fall wreath and put that up by the front door. We've had a Halloween thing hanging there but it's not quite right without the wreath. Already decorated for Halloween so I am done with that and my son already has his Halloween costume (elf) and accessories sorted out. (Raccoon, fake snowballs, etc). He's hysterical. Some years I start getting holiday stuff organized in the basement and we decorate early. Not sure what I will do this year. I kept everything simple this summer and that was the right choice. Not sure yet about Christmas yet though. This would be a good time to purge though because then I can donate more in time for other people to use it and I will be going through it all anyway so might as well get rid of some stuff. Not sure what we will do for thanksgiving since my mom wanted to keep hosting while they lived in their house, now they won't have room to host so my place is the most logical but we don't have a working oven. We've been using toaster ovens and instant pots and the stove top for ? prob several years. Possibly five or more. I really have no clue. You might walk in my front door and assume there are no major issues with mental health in the house but you would be wrong. Haha.

An ongoing project is printing out a base record of my genealogy research. I handed over a binder to my mom with her mom and dad's records and everything for all four of her grandparents. I asked her to page through and make notes of any issues and if anything prompts any memories to let me know or record them. I also gave my dad two of his grandparents records. He's already done a great job of writing up his memoirs which I'm really grateful to have. He also recorded interviews With one of my moms grandmothers back in the 1960s and one with his own mom back in the 1980s. That's the one I've made a handful of little films from. My mom's memory is better than his but not for any family history unfortunately, and my aunt who knew the most about her side died this past year before I could visit and ask a bunch of questions. I'm not sure why it took me so long to get my stuff together with this considering how many hours a week I typically spend on genealogy, but I am SO glad I am getting it done now. I know there's a lot more to do before I get it to the place where it will be easily shareable (My ultimate goal), but this stage is an important step toward that. I tried interviewing my mom but as I feared my dad hijacked her session and even started arguing with her about her own family history. He's a major handful and my brother and I regularly tangle with him over his moods and how he treats our mom. Tough situation, but over all I think they've adjusted well moving into their retirement community and we've been making an effort to keep visiting them fairly frequently even though it's quite a bit more inconvenient than when they were in their house. Tonight we brought over a pie and donuts from our field trip Saturday and they were very happy to have our company for a few hours.

Lila, way to go on the bins... I really appreciate the exchange of ideas because I have several hundred bins I will be confronting pretty soon. On second thought, I want To rephrase that - I moved out a bin's worth of cubic inches of too small/old/etc clothes to the porch to donate. That freed up another elfa drawer.

I still haven't been able to find my three "master lists" and that has already caused two screwups that I know about. Our puppy has her rescheduled spay appt tomorrow morning, "Don't Forget the milk/bread/laundry/puppy!"

Good morning!

Road, definitely do not forget the puppy!

Goid job on the clothes!

I hope your family us better soon and that your sister's class stays healthy!

That is cool about the art!

My house is such a mess. I seriously need to do an emergency tidy before I pick Bean up this morning, because there is no space it is safe to let him run free, and it will be cool and rainy all day.

Also, once again I did not work on lesson plans over the weekend. But I did somehow manage to gain three pounds since the last time I got on the scale.

I am feeling super down on myself these days.

I don't know if I will decorate for Halloween or not. Bean is too little to care and we are going away with all the kids for the actual holiday. I want to take each of my kids a little pumpkin full of goodies, but I'm not sure I even have the time and energy for that. I have three bins if Halloween stuff because it is one of my favorite holidays, but I just can't seem to find the energy for much lately. I forgot my vitamins repeatedly this week, but I don't think enough for this to be low iron. Still I am trying to do better.

Two things I did well this weekend -
1 - I picked the winter squash and I did not leave them in the wagon. I washed them and set them out on the porch to cure, and I put cardboard under them so that they won't stain the floor if they suddenly go soft on me. And I put the wagon away.
2 - I cleaned out the buck stall and I used some of the stored cardboard under the bedding to mulch part of the garden.

Just curious if anyone else has had slow loading of this thread page and if we need to start a new thread (Phase 15, I believe it would be, but check to be sure). To our newer friends, we just have to do that periodically or there begin to be glitches. We can post a link. We can do it in a few days when people have had a chance to know we're getting ready to do it.

Tatoulia, SubC, you've been here and are familiar with the practice, what do you think?

I stand corrected - just checked, and the new thread would be Phase 16.

SubC, you sound a lot like me. I wish you lived next door. I think we would be good friends and could help each other.

I woke up feeling depression coming on (well, it's been coming on all year but it feels like I'm starting to give up). I woke up thinking, I have nobody. That's not true but I feel like it is. Isolated... overwhelmed with 'stuff'. Paralyzed under lists of things I need to do. I wake up and think I need to make more lists - that will solve the problem! But unlike before, I have no energy or motivation to even create a new list.

Anyway. Thank you all for your sharing and comments. My teen and I were just discussing the clothing allowance thing and we are going to do that. The only issue is she is very impulsive. She will buy a $60 sweater and not have enough left for pants and underwear. Then a month later she 'hates' the $60 sweater and throws it in the donate bin. I just can't!! In fact the clothes in the two bins were ALL clothes she 'hates' but that she just had to have and spent good money on just to wear twice. So I saved them. Now it is down to one tub and if she gets desperate there are some tops, socks, and underwear in there she barely wore.

I am scared to get rid of anything because a few times, I saved an item for years and years, then donated it, and within a short time after I needed it for something. I am pretty broke and can't just buy new.

The couch got put back in its place and now I am worried because I barely have time to get anything done before husband is home. Todays goals: figure out which of 3 twin mattresses is the worst and donate it. Put box springs in garage. Donate the loveseat and move the exercise equipment from upstairs to the spot where that loveseat it. Which makes me mad because the loveseat is very comfortable and I'd rather keep it but no one has sat on it in years and it doesn't match to move it upstairs. I just need the space and tell myself if I want a loveseat I can pick a different one off craigslist for $50 and put it upstairs.

Wow a lot going on here! Great conversations! Cm I didn't see your post when I posted my short one so I am so sorry about your tooth!

Cm I agree with road. I see that the guy is going to try this week with family help but I too question whether he really wants this job. It may be too big and pride and fear of disappointing you is playing a role.

Wow Lila I am so sad you've been sick. WTG on making progress on the bins. SubC that was stellar advice and look, it worked!

Road you have so much going on and I'm so proud of you for taking care of people and keeping your personal priorities in focus.

I am off to take mom shopping for her birthday.

I am starting to think I will never enjoy shopping at the fancy grocery store again. Too many people (hardly any masks) too many colors and sounds and words. Just too much everything. And I was thirsty because lunch had salt in it. (Super yummy, but I hardly eat any salt.)

Dh insisted I pick out new oven mitts - I got simple blue stripe, which surprised him because there were so many choices (too many choices!) and the only other things I put in the cart were a bag of Macintosh apples, two bananas, a loaf of bread, and a 4 pack of small bottles of a special real sugar vanilla soda I like. Also Dh had a list. But usually I end up with many add ins that I can't get anywhere else. He kept saying "don't you want chocolate? Don't you want cheese? Don't you want jam? Black bean pastries? Hot crunchy peas?" I just wanted to be done and leave and drink something.

I have holes in my socks. This is sad because I like these socks. The holes are in a place where they will rub if I darn them.

Hi,

Happy weekend

Lila, you aren't alone - I wasn't able to have kids but I have my own artwork to sort through and I've seen how quickly it can accumulate with my friend who has several grandchildren. And I know I've seen decluttering articles on the subject so I did a quick Google search. Here's one, and there are more out there. Maybe look at 3 or 4 and glean the best tips.

Popular Science declutter kids artwork article

Road, we're not sure but I did talk to the fellow again and found out there had been additional medical sequelae from his close encounter with the excavator machine. He says he has it reserved for this Monday and his son can run it.

I'm just treading water but at least calm. Thankful the tooth didn't break down into the roots. It buys me a little time. Dentistry is a fraught business for me due to dental PTSD from my youth. I do have a nice dentist now, but had hoped to ease into things more slowly... 😕 and I was going to check into insurance first. Ack! The money side of things will be painful too. 💸💸💸

Yesterday I baked a pan of brownies and managed to get them to the church this morning for their Fun Night tonight. Given all the chaos and the fact that I'm literally out of practice cooking and baking (because we haven't wanted to make a lot of dishes to wash), this was harder than it sounds, but a satisfying accomplishment.

Hoping for a good week next week. I don't want to count on anything too hard, but hoping for some sort of forward progress.

Tomorrow I'm going to go to the bunny club board meeting. That should be interesting. Hoping for minimal drama. But I guess I'll be involved for awhile till things get resettled and then at some point drop off the board again and just be a volunteer, which suits me better. Maybe now that the heated feelings of everyone have had a cooling off period, solutions can be found. I hope.

Lila!

First, I am so glad you recovered from covid. My personal experience with actual cases is far worse than the official death rate, so I do not take that for granted.

Now, your bins.
Children's books - there is no point in saving classics like "goodnight moon" my experience with Bean is that tons of people will, gift those. Also, replacements will be available cheaply online. If there are any still in print books that are well worn, they can probably be passed on.

Dog supplies and toys - see if you can donate one bin worth to other people who foster dogs. I know it is money spent, but fostering a dog costs as well. It sounds like that is an area where you are charitable. Harness that charitable impulse to reclaim some space.

Clothes - does your granddaughter's mother actually want the clothes you saved? I saved 5 bins and it was clearly too much. Dd has different tastes that I do, some things became dated, stains came out on the whites, and elastics gave way. Styles change too - especially for preschoolers. You can probably cull at least some if that. Maybe a whole bin, or enough to combine with books.

USPS flat rate boxes are free. Return never used ones to the post office, or recycle them all.

Are the frames to keep or gift? I set the frames against the walls below spaces I would realistically hang them and donated what was left over. I have only used two since and should probably purge again.

CM,

I am still thinking positive thoughts for your plumbing. Good luck on the board meeting! And yay! For brownies!

Road, I am so sorry for all of the health crises people in your life are facing. Unvaccinated school staff make me very angry. Remember back when we were all just worried about school shooters? We had procedural meetings about lockdowns and the number of people who were willing to take a bullet someone else's kid (based on questions asked) was astonishing. People who won't even take an approved vaccine to protect kids who can't or for whom it is not enough should be ashamed to look their coworkers in the eye.

Amazing clothing progress!

Try not to get bogged down in your Dh plans. Just keep taking steps in the right direction. I agree that if something is going to a storage area it should be the stuff from the basement directly. Soon you will have your room under control and be able to chew into those storage bins. I believe!

Today I picked the winter squash and cleaned the buck pen. Not my original plan, but progress anyway. I need to start some kaundry and the dishwasher.

Tomorrow we are going to lunch at Bean's house and then shopping at the fancy cool grocery store.

Thank you all for the suggestions and encouragement. It was helpful! The whole situation is exhausting.

I went through the adult clothing bins (3) and got it down to 2, put the rest in a bag to donate along with a few clothing items I took out of my drawers.

I went through part of the kids' clothes, pulled out some things for my granddaughter (dd can decide if she likes them), and bagged up a bag to donate. I saved some that are cute for her to grow into... just a few... and I saved the Gymboree stuff since there is a market for it.

I posted and gave away a piece of annoying furniture to make space.

That's all for today but it's something.

p.s...

my teen just called me a hoarder so I went into the two tubs of clothes I was saving for her and purged them down to one, and am donating a huge bag full tomorrow. lol.... motivation.

Lila, what is the process for buying clothes for your kids? My tweens and teens got an allowance and could spend it wherever they liked - yard sale, thrift, new or online, but any amount over that they had to use gifted or earned money to buy. So I would just hand the kid the bin and say "here are free clothes that you may grow into. Please get rid of anything you are sure you will not want and store the rest in your room in case you need them." My youngest is still regretting the day she insulted her older sister by saying "omg! I will never be a size 4!" And donating a stack of shorts. Then the hip fairy showed up.. now she is a 10.

Yay for less annoying furniture!

What is the future of the couch? Or was that the furniture that left?

Bean visit and fancy grocery store today.

Tatoulia, I sure hope you have much better luck getting the plumbing done than we have had! Which isn't saying much. Apparently our guy must be having more back trouble. Sigh.

A friend of mine's sister-in-law and her husband didn't want to get vaccinated, both got Covid, the lady is in rehab, but her husband had it worse and he died yesterday. So sad, so unnecessary. I'm going to see if I can arrange for my booster jab real soon.

(note: candid venting ahead)

My big toe had started to get infection, I guess from an ingrown toenail trying to star, I took care of it I thought, but now last night it started hurting like crazy when I went to bed. Got up and soaked it in epsom salts water. I hope to avoid needing antibiotics because they upset my tummy and with bad plumbing, sorry for the TMI, but a person cannot afford to need the bathroom too urgently... feel so grubby and gross... 😖

Cannot imagine how this household plumbing bottleneck situation will play out if it drags into winter and we're having to get out in the cold to drive to public restrooms, still not be able to do laundry and not wanting to go to a laundromat because of Covid, and all the delays and backlog this has caused. A friend of mine has even offered to help with some of the cost of calling in another outfit, but we're kind of stuck with this situation at this point because of all the money spent, we just have to wait at least a bit longer and see if it'll resolve. After this, we're only going to use this guy for smaller and non-emergency projects. He's good at what he does, but his own health is a concern, and we do want to see him lighten his load for his own sake even.

All of it has put me way behind on big decluttering efforts, but I'll try to pick away at what I can.

Again so much shame over this around other people, and dread of the question "How are you doing?" in casual conversation. 🙄

Right now I better go soak the toe and put more medicine on it and get ready for PT appointment. Just trying to live moment by moment and not get overwhelmed by the big picture.

Send me support vibes to keep my spirits up, ladies.

Tatoulua, your bed is pretty!

Hang in there CM! I hope your foot is better today.

You might want to think about taking your friend up on the plumbing offer. You definitely need a larger, more responsible outfit.

My first pottery class ended last night (but I still have glazing to finish because a lot of my stuff got in late and isn't bisque fired yet) and my new one starts next week. It's a firing class. I actually pulled four unfinished pieces off my home studio shelves to use for the first class. We'll see how I do at keeping up.

Today is another "survive the school day, collapse in a heap" day.

Toe is better but last night a chunk broke off one of my teeth! 😫 This is getting so old, this never ending string of crises.

Thanks for the support - it means a lot. 💗

Thank you, SubC! A big change from the sleigh bed. Once I figure out the lamp situation, I'll post more photos.

Hello my friends,

Whoa this week got away from me fast...

Cm, I agree with subC to take your friend up on her offer. I think it could be just that simple,,, but just in case you're hesitating, here are some things to ponder... I do remember the complexity of the situation, but in this case I wonder if it might not be better to turn a blind eye to that long enough to get the problem solved, and then once it's solved, you can sort out any interpersonal or financial issues. I'm guessing we in this group are all unusually creative at seeing the ins and outs of a situation and being sensitive to others but sometimes the solution presents itself but we hesitate to grab it. Another angle to ponder: who is expending more energy worrying over the situation and who is more inconvenienced? Is he getting up early and staying up late to solve the problem? Is he reworking commitments and cancelling other appts to solve the problem? Is he having potential health complications because of his efforts to fix the problem? No. But you are. If YOU (or any of us) were in that situation on his side of the equation, we'd be bending over backwards to say "There is too much going on in my life right now, I can't handle my workload, I feel terrible I've held you up so long with such a serious issue, so now I insist you hire a different outfit to do the job and I will do my best to compensate you financially." People have crises, people get in muddles (we all know that too well) but if it was happening to someone else and not you, you would never expect them to tolerate a situation like this. Last thought... if a contractor kept bumping your friend's job to paint her bathroom and you applied all the same events to that situation (even though painting a bathroom is a very superficial, non essential type of project) you'd probably still advise your friend to cut bait. But this is not a bathroom painting project. If you categorize projects you hire tradesmen for In terms of urgency and importance, this is right there in quadrant one... absolutely urgent and the most important appliance there is. Sorry so long winded, but maybe there is something in there that resonates... sending support:::::

So my life update has a theme and it's family and friends have medical crises... first my uncle who visited over the weekend and came to the party took a tumble and hit his head in his hotel bathroom, then started battling an infection of some kind but still drove himself and my aunt all the way back to st, Louis and then promptly landed in the hospital for 3 days. They could never figure out what the issue was. Then my bff called weds am - she was on her way to my house to help support me in trying to schedule my medical appts and get my health care $#/+ together Which I struggle with so much... She was sobbing asking me to come over ASAP, she had fallen and... I said do I need to call an ambulance? And she said no just come over fast. I sped across town and praying an ambulance had already gotten there and it had. Her shoulder was injured but we weren't sure how. There was an issue with one of the paramedics Mishandling the situation which I won't get into but that added some drama and possibly more injury... but they got her to the hospital, and a room in the ER, pain meds, xrays and scans, etc. and it was a dislocated shoulder. I was with her all day til her kids got out of school then I picked them up and hung out until her husband got home From airport at about 10 pm. (Another story)... she had to wait 12 hours for the right guy to be available and an OR to open up to fix it. Once it as fixed she sounded 100% normal again. So weird. She just has to wear a sling and be careful for a few weeks. Sun a relief. I went through the ER waiting room coming and going several times and it was jammed with people waiting, not friends and family - just injured, sick people waiting in the cue to get a room in the ER. I'm guessing there are about 40 ER rooms and I counted 35 individuals waiting outside in the waiting room, about ten of them elderly people in wheelchairs... 5+ hour waits for some of them... checked in with my nurse friends and they said that is how it's been since august. And many many people check in and wait and leave without being seen. Our COVID numbers aren't even that high around here because so many people are vaccinated now.

So speaking of being vaccinated, my vaccinated sister just tested Positive for COVID. She's a teaching assistant in a classroom very similar to my sons but in a different town. Most of the kids are medically vulnerable with auto immune, etc., or are in wheelchairs or are very fragile medically. The teacher in that classroom, against what you would think her personality would be, has made the ongoing decision to not get vaccinated, proceeded to get COVID, and infect my sister and who knows how many of those kids. My sister is actually sick with 102 fever, coughing, aches, etc. I am so furious with her coworker. I don't know if we all would have Been exposed a week ago when she was at my sons party, but I am guessing that would have been too early and my sister did actually keep her mask on the majority of the time she was in my house. My uncle who got sick tested negative in the hospital; my husband has had a negative test through school in the past week; and when my son And I were really sick a few weeks ago we had negative (home) tests. I think if we had had it and the test was wrong, too. Much time would have elapsed between when we came down with it and the party to have given it to my sister. Anyway, If you're a prayer or a vibe- sender, keep my sister in mind as she has asthma, is very overweight at present, and has had pulmonary embolisms in the past.

I know that's heavy but I don't want to blow off the purpose of this board which is to share updates on the topic at hand... my room was starting to get pretty messy again so "claiming my space!" "Holding the line!" "Guarding my turf!" (Michael Scott's "I declare bankruptcy!" Always comes to mind at this point)... "don't forget the milk, the bread, the laundry!!!" I picked up the laundry and got it in the baskets then got the baskets to the hall and eventually down to the basement and through the laundry although I did end up asking the H to change the last load cause I couldn't deal with one more trip to the dungeon last night. I swept the floor, picked up my sons room, took out a bunch of garbage from all the rooms, updated the big school bulletin board of things, sent some school emails, got some genealogy stuff printed, cleared off my nightstand and cleaned out the drawer, went through some of my sons clothes to sort out the too-smalls... and took down a bin full of "donates." So still Holding the line and making incremental net gains... but the H hit me with a surprise plan of his to move all the crap in the garage to a storage unit, and then. Move all the stuff in the basement to the garage so that we can. Have French drain installed to stop the basement from always flooding. Now I realize probably none of this will happen because if he wants to empty out the basement, we should just move that stuff to storage and not move everything twice, but the other issue is even if we get drain tiles installed we will still flood due to other issues with the house. Anyway, I can't blame him for wanting to deal with these big issues but it still hurt the way he flippantly threatened me with it. Anyway, I'm carrying that load on my back now as I continue to move forward. If I can focus more on making larger strides quicker that would be great. Maybe I will pull that off. But I do feel like I'm operating at (my) full capacity.

I need to bail out of this epic post, but one more quick thing... someone mentioned making an effort to reflect on the positive. A few years ago when I had my , well, a few years ago I read "the happiness project" by Gretchen Rubin. I picked up a gratitude journal habit (and since lost it) but I remember it having a positive impact on my life and perspective. Just one sentence or two or five a day... of things that you're grateful for, appreciate, learned from... something beautiful you saw, a moment that made you happy... a kindness you received,,, anything positive. It was a good thing, I'd recommend it If you haven't tried it, and need to get back to it myself.

Be back later, xoxo

hello again. It's been awhile. I got covid and am still recovering after 6 weeks.

Last week my son and daughter switched their bedrooms, which was fine. Except one of the bedrooms is huge (size of 2 bedrooms) so one side of it was full of tubs, boxes, stuff. Like a big storage until. I mentioned that I would sort the tubs and get them out of there and let them move a couch downstairs into that room. Well, they took me very seriously and moved 80% of the tubs and stuff into the basement family room (which is not used much) and tried to move the couch into that room but it's too big and won't fit! So now the fam room is literally completely filled with tubs and stuff with barely room to walk, and there is still more in the other side of that bedroom.

So this morning I was super motivated to get going and donate and toss at least half of the stuff. I went into the room with a big box for donations and a trash bag and started opening tubs. But omg. Every tub I open is stuff I really want to keep. I have reasons to keep. It is very upsetting, opening tub after tub and realizing I had sorted all of the unwanted stuff out a couple years ago for a yard sale. Putting lids back on, going to the next tub, same. There is literally nothing in the tubs that is 'trash' an nothing I want to donate. But I have to do something, it is unwalkable, my husband will be home from a trip in about 5 days and I have to clean it up by then. Garage and sheds are 90% full. PLEASE HELP!!

How do I get past the mental block?? I saved all this stuff and can't imagine parting with any of it! Here is what is in some of the tubs:
4 tubs of books sorted by age - which I saved for grandkids
2 tubs of dog supplies and toys - I have 2 dogs and I sometimes foster
6 - 7 tubs of clothing I saved for my granddaughter, from baby to age 5
tub of kids' artwork I saved
tub of my diaries
tub of my father's stamp collection
tub of brand new frames
tub of things that belonged to my parents
tub of art supplies
tub of spare blankets
stack of usps flat rate boxes
box of bubble wrap and packing supplies
tub of legos
box of various envelopes, padded envelopes etc
4 tubs of clothing in sizes slightly too small for me
and more and more...

I already sorted out damaged things, 'less nice' things, 'less important' things, so I feel paralyzed because ALL the clothes left are nice ones and ALL the art supplies are good ones etc. I don't know what to do.

Hi Lila, my suggestion would be (and take it with a grain of salt since I am a relative newbie)... pull out the diaries or anything else that's highly personal or sentimental and store elsewhere. That might help give you a feeling of security while you face down the other stuff. Then start with the box you feel least attachment to. If you HAVE to get rid of a large volume you (we) have to accept that we will be donating things that are usable, things that we like and love and things that have monetary value. See if you can knock several boxes out or Reduce the volume by several bins worth of stuff... another category I've been considering is "things that require projects to turn into usable things" - that would be picture frames and art supplies. If you're like me that's not the only box of frames (I think I Have 4 or 5) And that's not the only bin of art supplies... I would also look at "Things that I'm saving for someone." I have a fair amount of things like that, too but if I'm honest, it's unlikely they will ever get to their intended target, may get damaged in the meantime, the person might not like what I picked out or it might go out of style, and there are people who could Really use that stuff now... These last two I think of as "potential" and "theoretical". I don't know if it's realistic to keep stuff in those categories at least while we have volume we have to reduce dramatically.

Again, I am on the front end of dealing with my stuff, but your categories sound very familiar to me and that's kind of what I'm thinking at this point.

And sorry about the Suddenly living room chaos. That's stressful and you didn't even cause it.

Stopping in to send some love!

Tatoulua, there are many days when all I want to do is sleep.

But seriously, yes. One of the things I love about my job is that there is so much less not teaching than there is in public school.

I tried to check your ig, but it is private again?

Road, good job housecleaning! Check your laundry. 😉

I am an antisocial hermit and have really enjoyed the covid limits. It has been so nice not to have to deal with the awkwardness of not wanting to do things with people. Somehow it is rude or inconsiderate if you turn people down for three or four activities in a row over the course of a couple weeks, but not to keep badgering people to do things over and over again in the same two weeks.. Lol! It's not that I don't want to be friends, it's that I consider the significant verb in that sentence to be "be", and I don't understand all this "do, talk, see' stuff you insist on.

CM, I'm glad the garage sale went ok.

I am still struggling with time management, priorities, motivation, and a lot if negative thoughts. A little at a time.

I came up with another new idea (those generally last a few days - insert eye roll) and am going to try to focus more on journaling - just to take a few minutes a couple of times a day and record thoughts, accomplishments, goals, things that are working, areas to focus on changing... I write a lot online (yes, what I post here counts as "a lot") but then I never really look back at it.

I have found a spot in my house I forgot about that is sunny on fall mornings, so I'm going to try to tidy it up and spend some time working here on mornings I am home (there is a table buried under here somewhere..)

Step one: get off the computer and spend 15 minutes finding some square inches!
Carry on!

Blasted executive function.

My studio kids recommended a 325 page book. Yesterday I spotted it in the lost and found. I agree, it was an excellent book. I got 4.5 hours of sleep last night.

SubC I reopened my Instagram so if you want to stop by, please do!

Cleaners came today. Boy I felt like a fraud after having them here on Friday but so be it. It was great.

My disposal is acting up. I tried my usual fix-its (which i haven't had to do in years) and could have worked on it a bit more but instead called a plumber for a new one. Plumbers will be here on November 1, which is pretty great. I have lived here 26 years. It is time and thanks to my hard work to reduce my spending, I can afford it.

The company I called has worked here before and is very professional, unlike that terrible local plumber I called to fix my sink (which still isn't fixed) who refused to wear a mask, kept calling out Jp my name, and as it turned out later, not only went into my bedroom but went all the way in, over by the windows, to place something that was in my hallway. I was here. He should have asked. Or out by my bedroom door. Not walk all the way in, going past my bed, etc. I hated him.

Okay I fell asleep after work and now it's 1 AM and I need to shower and get ready to go to the office tomorrow.