It was kind of a stressful week last week.  Thanks to my many friends and family members who lifted me up with happy thoughts (and the flowers and little gifts were super kind too)!  I’m onto brighter days, with the Holidays right around the corner.  It’s a new week and Thanksgiving is practically here.  (I’m so hungry for turkey and gravy that I can hardly stand it.) 

After a stressful week, I looked around my house and felt totally overwhelmed.  The clutter was taking over!  I don’t have the time I had last year, now that I’m working full time with one job and part time at another.  (I love these jobs, so please don’t think I’m complaining!)  The reality is, though, that I don’t have the same amount of time to go through the clutter and junk that I used to.  So, with no basketball tournaments or soccer games last weekend, I decided it was time to tackle some clutter.  I worked through paper stacks and receipts that were piling up.  I filed and purged.  Then, I moved onto the craft room/den and dealt with kitchen counters.  When the weekend had come to an end, I could walk through my house and take a breath without feeling overwhelmed.

The sense of organization reminded me of this post, from about a year ago.  It starts off kind of snooty, but you might remember that it turns into reality rather quickly.  It’s a fun read, if you’re in for a good laugh.

Here you go:

I strive every day to have a clean and organized home.  Do you know that feeling when someone stops by unexpectedly and your house is a complete mess?  Not me!  I keep my kitchen counters clear, my kids know how to clean up after themselves, and I find it brings a sense of calm to our day.  

Each night, before I go to bed, I make sure everything is completely put away and if I feel to tired to do it, I just tell myself that clutter is the enemy of a relaxed and happy family.

Ummm. Then, I wake up!

It’s only in my dreams that there is a place for everything and everything is in its place.  Sadly, there is always a pile of mail, kids’ papers, and lunch boxes all over my kitchen.  Rarely do I actually see the surface of our little desk area. Yes, I do have a place for everything, but I’m not so sure about that part where everything is in its place.

The kids are constantly leaving things on the counter and, it never fails, we usually run out of room for all of our glasses in the dishwasher.  When I write a blog post about a meal I’ve created, you can rest assured that there is a pile of dishes that has been pushed out of the way before snapping the picture.

I can’t even believe that I’m showing you the horrid laundry room.  It is a constant battle to get the kids to hang up their backpacks and put their shoes in the cubbies.  As a matter of fact, my son’s backpack is sitting in the middle of the family room right now.  So much for those hooks I bought for them to hang their things on!

Those of you who are jealous of our walk-in-pantry will feel better know that most of the time we can barely walk in it.  I swear, the kids actually drop food as they are getting out a snack and don’t bother to pick it up!

Most of the time, I’m not horribly embarrassed by our mess. We actually do live  here.  I do strive for cleanliness and organization, but I’m not perfect by any means.  I’m pretty sure I’m not the only blogger out there who is guilty of pushing aside some of the clutter so that it doesn’t distract from the photo.  We clean up pretty well, when we have to.

I do believe that organization is important, but I can’t say that my house is perfect (or even close).

I’m frequently asked by people how I get it all done.  People wonder how I keep my house clean, cook wonderful meals, spend time sewing and crafting, AND manage to take photos and blog about it.  Well, the reality is, I don’t.  If you stop by my house, there will probably be warm cookies for you, but I guarantee my house will not be in perfect shape.

I’ll just take a picture.  It will last longer.

Happy cleaning!