Getting My Crap Together

I have been a mostly stay-at-home mom for over three years now. Unfortunately just because I have held the SAHM title, that does NOT make me any type of domestic goddess. I was kind of hoping that once I took over that role, the Flylady would come to my house and teach me her ways.

I watched my mom in this role I am in as I was growing up, and I felt like she had it down to a science. Our house was always clean, she always made delicious meals, she was involved in what we did at school, our laundry was all caught up - until we learned how to do it ourselves - but even still - she offered to help us out with it. She never wore her pajamas out of the house! She always brushed her hair and looked lovely. EVERY SINGLE DAY. And that is just the tip of the iceberg of course. As far as SAHM go, Carol (my mom and how I often refer to her) is the real deal. She set an example for me, training me in her ways - but I think we all know that being trained on how to do something, and then actually doing it? Not quite the same thing.

I think all of my married life I have floundered in cooking and cleaning and decorating and well...everything. And then when kids came along and I quit my job, I was out of my element!

And then my old frenemy Anxiety came along, and all of a sudden I just want to clean and pick up every single thing. It's one way I cope with anxiety - BUT if my house is clean-ish and my laundry is done, I feel more at peace. Now granted I have two kids 3 and under, so this probably will not last. It's a phase that is too good to be true. I'll probably get pregnant and this will all be shot to heck ;)

I thought I would write this down - what I am doing and how I am doing it -  so I could come back to it later - and probably laugh at my naivete.

Here goes:

I AM CAUGHT UP ON MY LAUNDRY. I have no idea how this happened. I started doing one load every day and then I found something incredibly satisfying about folding warm clothes, hanging them up and putting them away (well except my own clothes - I barely have room in my closet, I have no clothes and I don't have a dresser so they just pile up next to my bed.) But the boys clothes? Mike's? Yup. Folded, hung up and put away every single day. What a concept right? Actually doing laundry and not letting it sit in the washer or dryer for day(s) at a time.

MY KITCHEN IS CLEAN. WHAT. I mean not like eat off the floors clean, but the dishes are generally in the dishwasher and I even remember to run it every night. And Mike unloads it every morning. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME? I don't even recognize myself anymore. Oh and don't look over at Grayson's part of the counter because I am convinced it will never be truly clean ever again.

I VACUUM. Or what do the people call it around here? Sweep. I DO THAT NOW. My sweet little hand-me-down Dyson gets a work out every single day thanks to the trail of cheese, cereal and goldfish crackers my babies leave in their wake. And not just the downstairs but the upstairs too. OMG.

I BLANCHED BROCCOLI TODAY. I actually did this. I made pasta salad with broccoli in it, and I wasn't grossed out. And it had peas in it too. What. The. What. I didn't even know about blanching last week, and today? Blanching expert! It was like I had an out of body experience today and I was floating above myself while I was cutting up that raw broccoli and I was like, "WHO ARE YOU?! And what did you do with Erin?!"

MY CAR IS CLEAN NOT BAD. Those who have known me for years know that my car is like a PIT filled to the brim with water bottles. But guess what. I drink tap water now. WHAT. But since I got my new-to-me Pilot in November and it is my pride and joy! I clean it out every single week.

I WEAR MAKEUP NOW. Because I have to. Because I have aged years - decades actually - in the past three years and it is now imperative that I have eyeliner and mascara on before I leave my house.

I CHANGE THE SHEETS! I do this every week now, guys! I mean I have always done it for my boys - for the most part - but now I am changing them on a schedule.

And last but CERTAINLY NOT LEAST...

I CUT BACK ON MY PAPER TOWEL USAGE. Paper towels has been a sore spot for Mike and me for a shade under a decade now. I still buy them. But I use dish towels much more often when I am working around the kitchen. Now it takes us a couple weeks to go through a package of paper towels and not just a week at a time.

Does this mean I am a grown-up now? ***



***Honestly, I am a late bloomer. Probably many of you are reading this and wondering what I was doing with my time before. Well, honestly? SURVIVAL.