Wednesday, March 28, 2007
My mind is spinning with all of the things I need to do and have to do and want to do. Last weekend we rearranged all of our furniture in an attempt to make the eight of us fit in this little house. With less than 200 square feet per person, things can get kind of tight at times and we're trying to maximize our space as best we can as well as rid ourselves of as much clutter as possible. So, Mark and I moved our bedroom downstairs and we put the three babies in one room and the big boys in another room. We no longer have a guest bedroom which sort of puts an end to the Henrichsen Hotel we've been known to run from time to time. You're all welcome to come and visit but from now on all I have to offer is an air mattress in the basement and a place in line for one of the bathrooms.
I gave Mark specific orders to reduce his clothing stash and when he was finished all he had to offer me was a pair of shoes. But thankfully I'm less attached to things and have managed to rid ourselves of many items we no longer need. I'd love to keep several of them but the new rule for keeping things around here is--if we don't use it on a daily basis, we can't keep it. So Mark made one trip to Goodwill and I have another trip ready for him when he gets back from Mexico.
On the first trip to Goodwill Mark donated several items and then called me from the store where he'd found several items he thought we might want--a popcorn popper, another bouncy seat, some scooters, a bathroom cabinet and a picnic basket? Since we're trying to reduce our stash I did my best to refuse, although we did end up with another bouncy seat and a popcorn popper for the stove so we can try and make our own Kettle Korn--a staple in our household. When Mark visits Goodwill this next time maybe he should stay away from the store part since it kind of defeats the purpose of my decluttering and we always seem to find something there that we've just gotta have.
So the past several days I've been trying to put things back in order which is quite a challenge. I've also been trying to dig clothes out of boxes for all of the boys. The big boys need t-shirts since the weather is warming up and I can no longer stuff poor Caleb in size 12 months. Of course, this requires extra laundry and more of my time. I finally gave up on the laundry and decided to hit the laundromat last Saturday. I got all of the laundry clean but did I get it all put away? Nope. And here we are at Wednesday and you'd never guess I went to the laundromat at all. Now I just have piles of the stuff all over the house begging me to do something with it. And that's not the only thing begging for my attention. All of the kids seem to need me too.
Yesterday we reached 75 degrees outside. It was "simp-a-lee gorgeous" as Denver would say and we couldn't resist a day in the fresh air and sunshine. So we had a picnic lunch and spent a good three or four hours in the out-of-doors longing for the return of summer and popsicles and swimming pools and lazy summer afternoons. Of course that meant I didn't get a whole lot done and am beginning to fall behind on other chores. So today I tackled my to-do list and neglected the children while I checked things off one by one. I got the bills paid and the checkbook balanced. I got the invites to my sister's baby shower made and addressed. And I got a good start on the finishing touches for the Ward Sock Hop Mark and I are in charge of. I don't think I've ever mentioned our new calling--we're the Ward Activities Committee. So we're planning this great ward sock hop complete with Soda fountain and Soda Jerks and Hula-hoop contests and disco balls and music and bubble gum blowing contests and all sorts of fun. But we're down to the last few days of preparation and with six kids attached to my hip I've been limited in my ability to "get ready." But I've gotten good at delegating and I have some really great friends and I think refreshments, decorations, games and prizes are just about set. Now we've just got to get that darn disco ball up and running and make sure we know how to work the sound system. Minor details, I know.
Of course Mark's been out of town as well and that always adds to the craziness. But despite the hairiness of things right now, I sort of like it. I don't get so bored when I have a million things running around in my head begging to be done. I enjoy a good challenge now and then. Plus I eat a lot less when I'm running around aimlessly and that's always good for my waistline, although I can't say that I've lost as much weight as I have sanity. But there you go--whoever said I was sane to begin with?
posted by Shana # 3:38 PM 
|
|
|
