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Messy house pictures- I need the embarassment - Page 2

post #21 of 120
12/15/06 at 5:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aura_Kitten View Post
your kids room looks like my son's did a few days ago. i spent over 6 HOURS cleaning it and re-organizing it and got it spotless !!
I'm cleaning and organizing my son's room next week as one of his Solstice presents. No kidding!
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post #22 of 120
12/15/06 at 5:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RiverSky View Post
Unfortunately, my DD's room looks like like your child's bedroom. For some weird reason, she can't seem to keep it clean. I will do a major cleanup in there and put everything in its organized place and yes, there is a place for all of her million toys and pieces of toys, but for some reason, she will manage, within one day, to tear it completely apart again, playing. It's very, very depressing, actually.

Some of your other pictures are similar to areas in my house, too, and yes, I find it very motivating to see that I'm not the only one. Thank you!!


Off to do some cleaning....
Small plea from a former messy child... If you can bear it, shut the door and vow to just ignore it as much as you can. Cleaning my room was such an ongoing source of conflict and distress for me through my whole childhood that I'm cringing just thinking about it. And despite all my mom's determined effort, I'm still messy. So she could have saved herself a lot of yelling and punishment and attempts to shame me into being neater, and just let me be.

Not that you yell! I don't want to imply that. It's possible that your daughter just isn't very neat, though.

Ok, that was TMI. :
post #23 of 120
12/15/06 at 6:16pm
Your house reminds me a lot of mine. I have so much work to do that I don't even know where to start. (And I am on a tight budget, so getting shelves and other organizers is kind-of out of the question right now.)

I'm right there with you!
post #24 of 120
12/15/06 at 10:03pm
WOW! here's some and some to help you with your endeavor!

Think about 1 room at a time..don't go from room to room w/o getting the first one done! I learned that one the hard way!

Good Luck! I can't wait to see the finished pics!

Kristina
post #25 of 120
12/15/06 at 10:07pm
You didn't show us the bathroom or kitchen? The kitchen is usually the hardest.

I know you can do this. By Christmas you can have everything neat and organized. Where there is a will there is a way. hang in there and post those after pics.

may I suggest some wine during this process??
post #26 of 120
12/15/06 at 10:10pm
Wanna be roomies with me? You and I would get along just fine.
post #27 of 120
12/16/06 at 12:56am
cdmaze,

I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!! What are friends for if not to kick you in the butt : . Pick a day next week and I'm there!!!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe tuesday durning and after Preschool.

Angela
post #28 of 120
12/16/06 at 1:02am
I can't wait to see the "after" pictures! You will have such a sense of accomplishment when it is done and ready for your guests. You can do it!
post #29 of 120
12/16/06 at 1:27am
Egads! How do you get up the stairs without falling or tripping? I'm such a klutz that was my first thought!
post #30 of 120
12/16/06 at 2:04am
Thread Starter 
Wow! Ok- this is the butt-kicking and encouragement I needed! So many great comments.

And some funny ones, too! Yeah- we're a messy little household, determined to make our tiny house work. I'm one of those ADD types (although I despise that label and prefer to call myself "a dreamer")

And Angela, you probably need a break! If you want to come and hang out and watch me clean (in my own special way)- feel free!!!

Dh and I were looking for ds's snow pants and ended up cleaning out the storage closet in our master bedroom (Yes- it is storage behind the little door!). Pretty cool- we condensed it by almost half! There's a ton of space in there now! Of course in the process we trashed the bedroom even more- but dh PROMISES to help me fix it later this evening. (we'll see- 'could take some bartering... iykwim)
post #31 of 120
12/16/06 at 2:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Penelope View Post
Small plea from a former messy child... If you can bear it, shut the door and vow to just ignore it as much as you can. Cleaning my room was such an ongoing source of conflict and distress for me through my whole childhood that I'm cringing just thinking about it. And despite all my mom's determined effort, I'm still messy. So she could have saved herself a lot of yelling and punishment and attempts to shame me into being neater, and just let me be.

Not that you yell! I don't want to imply that. It's possible that your daughter just isn't very neat, though.

Ok, that was TMI. :
Good points, Penelope, and no, I don't shame her. I've just been finding it depressing because I can't get myself to clean it once again. My DD actually LOVES it when her room is clean, she gets so excited but I guess it is too much for her to handle. There are certain things she loves to clean and tidy but when her room is a mess, which it becomes quickly, it's too much for her. But I don't expect much from her, she's just 5. I'm not even the type of mom who asks my children to clean, I just keep hoping she will play with one thing and put it away, or at least just mess it up a certain amount, not completely destroy it and take things apart (like her very cool, expensive doll canopy bed....which for some reason, she keeps stepping on and breaking...).

I don't shame her, I don't yell at her, I don't even get angry, I just feel depressed inside. I will work very hard to not let her know and to better control my feelings or find a solution for them. She's just 5 anyway, I don't expect her to keep it clean or tidy or anything. I just wish it wouldn't get destroyed so quickly. KWIM?
post #32 of 120
12/16/06 at 9:24am
A quick way I discovered that helps me get things "straightened up" is to go through a room and put everything that is on the floor or lay around on top of furniture/shelves into a big rubbermaid bin. (I have been know to use large cardboard boxes also)

I don't stop to sort anything or try and put things away, I just throw it in the bin. The only thing is obvious trash gets thrown out. Then I push the bins against the wall. Its not really organized but it is cleaned up somewhat and looks presentable.

Its the quickest thing to do if you are expecting someone over and need to get picked up quickly. Later, I sort through each bin one at a time. Sometimes it can take me months to get through the bins but in the meantime at least the stuff is not on the floor or laying about.

Maggie
post #33 of 120
12/16/06 at 11:18am
OK new pics of what you've done thus far
post #34 of 120
12/16/06 at 11:48am
My house gets pretty messy with *stuff* and I find it best to clean one room, top to bottom, so you get that sense of accomplishment you don't get when you clean each room just a little.

Our holiday task, before Christmas comes, it to organize all the toys, and purge/store what isn't being used. It is a big job, but dp and I are going to get it started together, and get the kids to help when the systems are in place and it is started.
post #35 of 120
12/16/06 at 11:56am
start with the stairs. That's a serious tripping hazard.
post #36 of 120
12/16/06 at 1:36pm
Laundry hampers in bedrooms and laundry room. Bins for the shelves in laundry room, coat rack along stair wall (hey, at least it's all up), Bins in the kids rooms for toys but shelves to put the bins on or in. What helped the most for me to realize that my ds room was a bedroom and not a store all room was to get him a nice bedding set and some shelving, nothing spendy. I bought the basic wood shelves for $2 at Ikea and stained them. It helped to get things off the floor. I think the hardest part of decluttering and putting things away is that there is ussually no where good to put things. Getting storage solutions is the first step.
post #37 of 120
12/16/06 at 2:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by fek&fuzz View Post
eek. that makes me stressed out just to look at it, but also jealous that you have so much fun ahead of you in organizing/purging.
Hmm...does it make me weird that I thought of all the purging fun ahead of her too .
post #38 of 120
12/16/06 at 2:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RiverSky View Post
I don't shame her, I don't yell at her, I don't even get angry, I just feel depressed inside. I will work very hard to not let her know and to better control my feelings or find a solution for them. She's just 5 anyway, I don't expect her to keep it clean or tidy or anything. I just wish it wouldn't get destroyed so quickly. KWIM?
I think the only way around a mess is to have less stuff to make a mess with.
post #39 of 120
12/16/06 at 2:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by i'mmykid'$mom View Post
Hmm...does it make me weird that I thought of all the purging fun ahead of her too .
NO! I LOVE purging too! The only regret I have about how little I have left is that I can't do major purges anymore!:
post #40 of 120
12/16/06 at 4:30pm
I am another who loves purging...
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