Trying To Get Organzied

One of the things ( the many things,actually) that is the bane of my life is my attempts at organization.

I love the thought of having everything in it's place,nice and neat,shiny and perfect. However,I know I will never accomplish that. It' s just not in me.

I have the best intentions,please know that. I look around and say..."OK,I really need to organize the kitchen cabinets,and the drawers.The closets in the bedroom are screaming for help. I can kick clutter to the curb....I CAN DO THIS!" I then make up a weekly cleaning chart,go to FlyLady,and begin.

Then real life kicks in about two weeks later,and it all goes to hell in a hand basket.

If I lived by myself,I have no doubt that the house would look...well...not perfect but much better. But I have two men,a boy,two dogs and a cat in this 918 sq ft house. A floor washed doesn't look washed long. A clean kitchen table tends to become a catch all. Things are left where they shouldn't be. I get tired of telling people to put stuff away...who wants to listen to a nag?

And I am not perfect,not by a long shot! My stuff winds up where it shouldn't be,such as the kitchen table. The computer desk is cluttered with papers and books. The winter coats I was going to wash and store away for the season? Still hanging on the hooks in the kitchen. Yep.

Growing up,all my Mom did was work 8 hours a day at her job,then come home and clean. I remember naps on an occasional Sunday afternoon, and sitting watching TV at night, but most of my memories involves her constantly cleaning. Our house was spic and span. Except for my room. There were clothes on the floor ( at least they were all piled in one corner).Actually,it wasn't' that bad. Clothes in a corner aren't such a bad thing. It drove my Mom nuts,though. I wasn't messy,just.....untidy.

Remember,I do have good intentions! But somewhere along the line...I don't know what happens. Things come up. I know it's harder in the summer,with the garden,canning and what not. I shouldn't beat myself up like I do. But I do. I feel the need to apologize to people who visit-"Uh...we are going to clean out the garage this Fall when it's cooler.....I am planning on repainting the kitchen....I need to find homes for all my canning jars..."

Then I say to myself," This is a home,not a museum! People live here,and I don't want to spend my life straightening and cleaning every day.If I have a chance to do something with my family and the house is a bit worse for wear,the hell with it. I want to spend fun time with my family."

I bring this up because I am feeling the incentive to actually organize my cabinets and drawers. I have been eyeing them for a few weeks,but haven't done anything about it. Now I am feeling like I HAVE to. It NEEDS to get done.What hasn't really bothered me for a while is driving me nuts.Maybe incentive isn't the word-compulsion is! That's more like it. That's the answer! I am a compulsive organizer,not a consistent one. A compulsive organizer. I will organize the cabinets and drawers and not think about for months. Yep.That's me.