Guess what, internets?
It’s time for the monthly Hey-Y’all-My-House-Is-A-Wreck post!
OH MERCY it wears me out.
I would imagine that you feel the same way. Feel free to scream “GRAB HOLD OF THE REINS, WOMAN!” at your computer screen.
Okay. That’s enough now.
First I give you the suitcase that has been in the middle of our bedroom floor for almost two weeks. It’s not completely unpacked yet because, well, I’m just not ready for that level of commitment.
And as you can see, it really adds something special to the overall look of the room. In fact, it’s almost as lovely as the chair that’s piled high with heaven knows what.
Though I believe there’s a board game somewhere at the bottom of the heap. Hullabaloo, anyone?
Also: does anyone know when the bedroom-painting elves are supposed to arrive? Because I could have sworn that they were planning to hit our house before August – with a lovely sage-y taupe in hand.
Next up is the GeoTrax train that exploded in our living room. Along with some shoes.
But it’s okay, really, because I hear that deconstructed toy train art is all the rage in preschool circles. At least that’s what I tell myself when I step on a caboose and then fall up the steps like the graceful swan that I am.
And while I did in fact conquer Clean Laundry Mountain a couple of weeks ago, she beckons me once again.
There’s no doubt in my mind that far away, in western Colorado, Barb looked at that picture and started to twitch just a little bit.
So turn away, Barb, before you see what’s next.
THE PLAYROOM.
I’d appreciate your prayers.
And I’ll be back when my rooms are as clean as my ear canals.
Hopefully pointy steel instruments will not be required.
Girl! You got to come to MY HOUSE. It will make you feel better. We can twitch together. Our playroom looks the EXACT SAME. In fact, probably the exact same toys in the exact same spot. How’d you do that?
And I know all about GeoTrax and stepping on cars. And falling, that too.
Boy, can I relate to that! Why does it seem like my house looks like that every other day, no matter how hard I try to keep it picked up? I was just commenting to my husband yesterday that my life is so futile (not the whole thing, mostly just the housekeeping part). Sometimes I wonder why we bother!
But I can’t help but notice ALL your beds are made. Well done, my friend. Well done.
You call that messy? Rookie.
BigMama,
Not only are they made ….
But, the stunt pillows are fully in place.
I’m not worthy.
Girl, my house looks like that on a GOOD day. I’d call that clean and go to bed! :)
Well, bless your heart for your honesty! My house looks worse right now and I just keep “overlooking” because I know this weekend is the end. We have a realtor coming Monday and it must remain spotless for however long it takes to sell. I’ve honestly considered just throwing the piles of junk into boxes, taping them up, labeling the boxes “junk” and giving the packers/movers a little head start :)
i second Veronica… your beds are MADE. Your floor looks like its had a date with a swiffer wet jet recently. Rookie. :)
Apparently I’ve become immune to kid clutter. I was too busy admiring your carpet and hard wood floors to notice the toys.
I can hardly wait until my 4 get old enough for us to safely buy new carpet and refinish the floors! Oh, what triplet toddlers do to hard wood floors.
When you figure out how to keep a straight house with a toddler, please let me know how, will ya? I tackled the playroom last week. Organizing the toys, all ten million of them, about did this mama in…I agree with Big Mama…at least your beds are made!
Sarah, TN
Now with me having 7 children, those pictures pale in comparison to what my crew can manage to do in less than 10 minutes. I tell ya they can destroy their bedroom before their feet hit the floor in the morning. How they can do it so fast, I haven’t figures it out yet.
A little, Boo Mama. I only twitched a LITTLE. OK, see, this doesn’t look that bad to me at all. This is all very doable. Except maybe for the playroom. You’re just chasing your own tail if you think that’s going to get better in the next ten or so years. LOL
Honestly, if I only had photos of what my house looked like when my kids were little, I swear it would totally wipe out this reputation I have.
You have a Clean Laundry Mountain too?? I can’t believe how quickly that darn thing regenerates itself, just when I’m feeling all proud of myself for finally getting to it! I’ve got laundry sitting in the dryer right now because as long as it’s there, I can say I don’t have any clean laundry to be put away, lol.
I love your laundry mountain. I was tempted to take a picture of mine the other day b/c it was literally as high as the back of the chair (starting at the floor). Can you tell doing laundry is my favorite thing to do -hehe
Thanks for the pics,
Kim
At least your bed is made…
:)
The painting elves? Yeah, I’m waiting for them to show up here and finish my darn dining room! The clean laundry pile is an issue here, too. I have them teetering in a basket right now. And I MEAN teetering.
i dunno….
boomama: i might have to say rookie as well!
i mean, more floor space is exposed than is covered.
the playroom might be a health-hazard, but if you can still walk it ain’t that bad!
:)
I am so proud of you for admitting this to all of us. If I were to take pictures of the mess in my house…I think that would make me change my lazy ways. Maybe I will do just that. Little accountability via the internet might be just what I need.
I can sympathize with the playroom mess. But your room? Yeah, there’s stuff on the chair, I’ll give you that. BUT THE BED IS MADE AND THERE’S NOTHING ON THE FLOOR BUT THE SUITCASE! I would have to work for some time to get my room up to your level of dirty.
You have a CLEAN laundry mountain. Infinitely preferable to the UNCLEAN laundry mountain I have.
I’ve heard it said that in decorating, red brings a warmth to the room, so leave it all and get a book to read :)
Love ya!
Holly
I am notorious for leaving suitcases packed long after I have arrived home. I have you beat: the longest I’ve left one was easily five months.
But your un-unpacked suitcase just makes me like you even more.
Girl, you need photos of your unusually small ear canals and all that lives inside them. They’d be perfect for your annual Christmas letter to all your friends and family.
Yep, I noticed the beds were made too. And a made bed *always* makes things looks a little more together. So see, you’re halfway there.
i’m offering no sympathy because i believe i noticed that your bed was made. neatly in fact. and if your bed is made and your dishes are done then your house is clean. at least, that’s the rule of thumb around here.
Everyone is talking about the whole made bed thing… I didn’t even notice, cause I was so busy thinking “what mess” and trying to find it.
If it were my place, and especially my daughter’s room, you wouldn’t be able to make any distinctions on where the bed actually was…
My daughter, as a baby, co-slept – which is a good thing, as her cot WAS my clean laundry mountain holder – well, up until it erupted all over her (unused) room…
You know what I discovered? If I invite someone I don’t know very well over for supper, then I tend to clean my house. Now, I still have Mt. Dirty Laundry in my room, but the rest of the house looks pretty good.
Too bad the company didn’t come over.
Hugs,
Melinda
Do you HAVE to be this honest when you blog? ‘Cause if you do, I should get out of the blogging business right now. I’m ashamed at the state of my kitchen right now. Just take my word for it. No pictures needed. Nor will any be forthcoming!
Don’t stress, you’ll get it all done. And as Big Mama pointed out, you got the beds made.
Good job!
The saddest thing of all is that these photos show a house 110% tidier than mine.
I subscribe to all kinds of household & organising websites & feeds & enjoy reading them all but never put any of the ideas into practice.
I’m ashamed to say it but I aspire to have a home as tidy as yours, I’m 1000 times worse with no inclination or energy to fix it.
…mama… you have not hit rock bottom yet… and yes I loved the stunt pillows on the neatly made beds…
…really I am just enjoying the voyaristic look at all your sassy textiles, bright red suitcase etc etc… makes me smile!
How’d you get pictures of my house on your blog? Those are how my rooms look too! Except we have the ironing board permanently up in the bedroom (along with the pile of clothes that needs to be ironed), Geotrax and Thomas wooden tracks in 2 (yes, 2) rooms, and I think we need a contest where we submit pictures of our playrooms – you know, whose is the worst type of thing – how ’bout a ‘Boomama Tour of Playrooms’ ….
Ahhh, I feel your pain. I tell you, I really think that I’m on delayed spring cleaning or in advance of fall cleaning. And, I cleaned and cleaned yesterday (it was hotter than the surface of the sun here) and you know what? My house has a funk. A mysterious funk. And we are supposed to go on vacation in a week. Can’t have the neighbors in to take care of the critters with that! I’m going to beg my husband to clean the carpets. Maybe there is something living in that 35 year old carpet that I don’t know about! (It is chocolate brown, afterall!)
PS Martha would be so impressed with your display of bed pillows. And, girl– how is it that you can skip having a bedskirt and cramming the underneath of your bed with a ton of worldly possessions? Teach me the way!
That is so NOTHING. My house is one big disaster. I’m trying, but once I finish one room, the others are in need again. It’s endless!
Aw, heck. You have a made bed in those pictures. Therefore your house is tidy.
A MADE BED!
Yes, the beds are made. But I am pretty sure I noticed a wrinkle in one of them. Oh! And a speck of dust. QUICK! CALL THE NEWSPAPER!
Teehee. Amateur. You shoudl see MY playroom right now. And I ain’t cleaning it.
Okaaayyy … so … you’re normal???
Whew! I was beginning to wonder!
I can SOOOO relate! I have been working through ours too. Things were in order when we left on vacation but I do not know what happened! I guess I ought to go work on getting order back into our home! You encouraged me through this so thanks!
Blessings,
Angela
Giggle, giggle, laugh, snort. Thank you BooMama!
~TaunaLen
I think the bright red suitcase gives the room a nice splash of color. Really it’s just a trap to catch the painting elves and then to pay them back for being late you can make them walk across the room BAREFOOT!!! (Insert cackle)
But now you’ll be able to hear them mutter ‘wait until the painting elves society hears about this’. That can’t be good. :)
I think it was Martha Stewart who once said that once you make the bed, you’re really almost done cleaning. At least I hope she said it. It’s become my motto.
I am so glad you posted this. I now feel normal. I had to stop reading Sarah over at In the Midst of It because I was starting to feel inferior because I wasn’t cooking my family 3 hot meals each day and then repainting all of the bedrooms before redecorating right quick with some lovely items I picked up from the antique store.
I painted a chair in 1999 and I’m afraid my family will have to cling to that bit o’craftiness for years and years to come.
I found myself just a little bit happy when the hat she was making for Addie would come unwound again. As you can see, clearly, I have some spiritual issues.
(In case anyone is taking this too seriously—please don’t! Sarah and I have mutual friends and they all love and adore her so much and I almost got to meet her, but Addie was not 100% that day. It was my loss, for sure.)
But all of that to say, BooMama, THANK YOU for helping me to feel just a little bit better about myself. I needed the the ego boost before tackling the laundry that seems to be overtaking the west wing of my home.
See, now I had visions of you sitting in a comfy chair, in a spotless room, with your laptop. while Alex played QUIETLY (Well, I knew better than that)nearby.I’m so glad to see that it is not true!
I’m sitting in my little rocker, pajamas still on, my bed unmade, and some unpacked shipping boxes at my feet. You make me feel so much better. But, I promise, I’m going to get up and get it all straight and spotless–I’m just going to read one, or maybe two, more posts!:-)
I say embrace the unpackingness of the suitcases. It’s like going shopping a month later when you unpack.
I hate to admit, I’ve left one packed for about a month. I’m a huge procrasitanor. But my motto is “Procrastination leads to much Joy” and I am not one to do things that will steal my joy.
and I’m pretty sure I just made up the word “unpackingness”. Look for it in the 2008 version of Websters. I’m sure it will qualify.
Just a few weeks ago, to remedy this same problem, I brought home 13 boxes from work, put all the toys, baby clothes, baby toys (mine are now 7 & 4) and gave them to a shelter here in town. My son went to school the next day and told them that I had sold all of his toys and he didn’t have any to play with! Son, “give away” and “sold” are distinctly two different meanings altogether!
(and your unpacked luggage?-we still have one from our 4th of July trip-how sad is that?!! Should have thrown in it with the boxes and “sold” it!)
Ah, almost forgot. I cleaned out the Yukon and my daughter asked me this morning, “Why did you just dump all that stuff in one place in my room, mom?” Because it’s yours, sweetie, find a home for it! :)
I would come and help you, my dear, but I can’t seem to find my way to the door because of the piles and piles of stuff that are cluttering my house. I’ve been working on cleaning out the garbage pile that is my office for THREE DAYS now. Heaven Help us!
I am so excited that I am not the only one that doesn’t run home and completely unpack all suitcases the moment I walk in the door…this is what blogging is all about!
I haven’t even been home to really look at my house this week! This is my week to work every day, plus VBS PLUS a revival at church every night. Gone at 7:30 am and back around 9 pm. So, next week, I get to make up for it. Pray for me. :) (Love your bedroom girl! Gorgeous!
Cracking up at the timiliness of this post. My husband and I were up ’til midnight cleaning out our “tool room” to make room for the new freezer (to hold all the make-ahead meals I’ve cooked in my mind)I purchased yesterday. Then this morning, my boys and I carted it all to the alley for trash pick-up/dumpster divers to haul away.
And suitcases? I have three full, huge Rubbermaid tubs from our month living in AK. They’ve made it to the basement and I might just unpack them when I have to get out the Christmas decorations.
All I know is that your beds are all made. You are indeed a true southern woman!
Like other commentors, I will say your house really doesn’t look that bad. It is beautiful too, by the way. But, I understand your total frustration. I will have some organizing tips for you one of these days as I have just done a huge organizing sweep of my own house, purchasing several books on “getting organized” and the like. I just am not organized enough yet to put my thoughts on my blog. ha ha
on second thought, perhaps you should NOT listen to me.
I sympathize with you though…but your house isn’t bad at all!
My mom always had a big box. She would go around the house and put EVERYTHING that was not put away in her box. She would hold the box in the garage sometimes for the rest of the day sometimes for a week, month. My sisters and I learned that when was going around with the box to get our things off the floor.
I do the same thing but my kids are now TEENAGERS. I respect their space but at least every other week I just give each child a big garbage bag with the statement go through your room…anything that you don’t want anymore either throw it out or put it in the bag to be put in the garage. I want to see floors tonite OR I GET TO GO THROUGH YOUR ROOM! It works every time.
My son came to me the day before yesterday and complained that he had ants. ANTS? Did you bring any food into your room? No not really. Not Really? What is in there. HE went to go check things out and came back with an empty popsicle wrapper.
I looked at him and trying to stifle my smile I said that No FOOD in your bedroom is a good rule…Don’t you think?
He and his friend then came up with a quiet game in my sons room. They were putting scotch tape on the floor sticky side up to catch the ants. I explained to my 15 year old that even though this was creative it was MEAN! and he couldn’t do it anymore. His comment back to me was Mom at least I don’t go around and spray poison on the ants and their doorway.
My response…at least I don’t eat popsicles in my bedroom and leave empty wrappers around.
Love your house–why weren’t any of you guys my neighbors when my kids were younger? We lived in a neighborhood in UT where people had oodles of small children but their houses were always clean enough for you to eat off the kitchen floor–EVERYDAY not just when company was coming.
Have a great weekens all :)
I feel your pain, girl.
I would take that house with whatever mess. Oh my lands, Boomama. It’s gorgeous even without the sage green walls and the train tracks.
But I’m sure you’re feeling as if you can’t think straight, so I’ll do the motherly thing and tell you to go CLEAN YOUR HOUSE! You’ll fell better and you’ll fall with more grace and style.
And then I give your free reign to yell the exact thing at me. I need a good kick in the pants. (You take a house off the market and it’s all heck breaks loose in the clutter department.)
The red suitcase is not a problem unless you have to start decorating it for the holidays.
Show me that baby with some green tinsel – then we’ll talk Boomama.
Your blog just cracks me up! I love it.
Veronica stole my thought. I can see your floors in all of the pictures. Rookie!
Now, I realize you “Suth’ners” have rules about etiquette and white shoe wearin’ and all.
But see, we naw’thners have rules about suitcases (what with constantly packing ’em in the Winter to take our naw’thern selves south for some warmin’ up). We really only have one rule, and I quote:
A suitcase shall remain in the middle of the bedroom floor for a period of no less than 2 weeks after traveling. Dirty clothes shall only find their way out at a rate of 2-3 items at a time. Toiletries can take up to a full month to meander back to the shelves (exception; “out of stock” toiletries constitute an emergency and thus suitcase stock shall immediately be tapped into in such circumstances).
So there ya go. It’s the naw’thner way, and you may borrow it just as surely as we’ll be borrowin’ your sunshine come January. :)
Blessings,
~Toni~
I love when you do this. Really really love it. Then I can look around my house and say, “ME AND BOO ARE MATCHY MATCHY TWINS SQUARED!” I wonder when my BlogHer suitcase will unpack itself. Hmmm… Maybe after the laundry self-washes.
boomama that just brought visions of whats going to happen in starkville in just a few more weeks–its going to be MEESSSSY!!!
love jerry and susan
hehe….Looks familiar course I’m totally distracted by what Alex is wearing. It looks ever so suspicious of Hanna Anderson. I LOVE me some HA stripeys! I keep Jophie in them ALLLL the time!
Trina
I’m not brave enough to post my house ;) Maybe I should so you don’t feel alone. lol
I love the episode of Every Body Loves Raymond when Ray & Deborah fight over who will take the suitcase upstairs and unpack. I laugh because I understand all too well. And I always lose!!
Do you happen to know if any of the local Y’s offer classes on scaling the Laundry Mountains?? Clean or dirty, I’m not picky!
It’s only after seeing pics of others’ “messes” that I’m reminded of what a complete and utter slob I am. Perhaps I’ll join in all this fun and post a picture of the dried carrots on my floor… but should I photograph the ones from Wednesday night or the ones from last Tuesday? Decisions, decisions…
Um, the bed is made, so where’s the mess?
I am so glad to know that I am not the only one with Laundry Mountain and GeoTrax. Oh, I almost feel normal. Nah, that would be too wierd.
BooMama, that’s weak. Those photos would be my shining glory of cleanliness and order.
Maybe you could share some of your house cleaning/management tips with us…I’m serious. Do you have any obsessive habits that you could share? I remember you say you vacuum a lot. Sorry i sound dorky.
i don’t know about any elves, but we just hired an angel and her name is Carol. she started monday and cleaned my house from top to bottom. she even cleaned my LAUNDRY room. oh yes indeedy.
which made me think of your mama’s laundry room. which i’ll never be able to compete with.