Who is the idiot that put me in charge?!

I really don't get it - how come I get to be "the boss"

I'm the one who:
knows where everything is
knows where it should go
knows how it got there (cause I'm the only one who puts things away)
knows where we bought it
grocery shops (unless it's an item I forgot and need picked up on the way home)
knows where the best deals are
cooks
cleans
does 97% of the laundry
takes care of my own car
takes his car into the shop sometimes (so he doesn't have to take off work)
takes kids to school
picks kids up from school
goes to school meetings
does school fundraisers
does homework
volunteers at school for 2 different teachers
pays the bills

How did I get to be in charge of all these things?  It's not that I think I do more than my husband...I honestly SUCK at a lot of these things...

My kitchen should be condemned half the time...after shopping, putting away and cooking - I don't want to stand in there for 15 more minutes to clean up.  My kitchen's footprint is 3 x 6 - that's a fucking closet and I don't want to be in it anymore except to grab a beer and for that I don't have to go all the way in...

My bed is NEVER made...laundry rarely put away...

I am inherently lazy and unmotivated...what kind of people am I raising my kids to be?  I very consciously give them a lot of physical attention...hugs, big slobbery kisses and always tell them how much I love them because I didn't get a lot of that growing up... so my kids will be slobs that know their mommy loves them...is that ok?  Or should they have a squeaky clean house and live in an emotional vacuum?

Somebody (a.k.a me) fell asleep at the helm on this one because I am just not sure my current path is the right one and at the same time I feel helpless to change it...

I have been taking baby steps and I do believe that I will get there, but I want to get there with the least amount of collateral damage...house is getting and staying cleaner (getting rid of all our extra CRAP is helping with that) but how do you motivate others when you yourself are unmotivated?  My own parents were afraid of pushing their "gifted" child too much and so they didn't push at all...i didn't have to work very hard for the things I wanted/needed because it came pretty easily...I have children that need to work hard to get what they need and I don't know how to show them to, so I just reorganize their closets instead...I am constantly creating my own chaos (messy house) to show that I can clean it up faster and more efficiently than I had previously...

I need to just clean up my messes and walk away...not try to "one up" myself with how great I can organize all the shit we own...I don't need to live in a museum, but I do need to get rid of the chaos for my girls and start living my life as a better example...

Here's to being in charge : /

Aloha - no bueno : (

The hubby has been Hawaii again...and now instead of coming home tomorrow night he has to stay until Tuesday...

Did  I mention that my youngest came down with the stomach flu this past Sunday night?  Or that she gave it to me and I came down with it Tuesday night and held on to it thru a good part of Wednesday?  Or that he's coming back ON Valentines day?  At night?  Which just happens to be the day before my oldest's birthday and 2 days before we head over for some cabin "camping" and 12 year old birthday partying?!  And now I have to take my children with me to a baby shower at my mother in law's home (she pretty much hates me...she previous posts) because he won't be here to watch them and it's for my youngest sister in law that started the latest shit storm with aforementioned mother in law

Ok, I'm done with the bitching...now I am going to start panicking a bit and possibly start shitting in my pants...again

a-lo-harrumph

Can you be too organized?!

I used to look at magazines and think - damn I will my house looked like that and then thought...professional photo shoot, big flippin house and then...discovered blogs...and saw that people really can and do live in Better Homes and Gardens type places...maybe...I am sure that they clean up the place and have some awesome dslr camera...and then I wanted my house to look like their house...

Now,  I just want a clean house, full of happy people, where my guests and family feel welcome and that no one will have a stroke if something spills, somebody pukes (my good friend has children that spontaneously vomit) or heaven forbid something gets moved out of place.

Gone are my ideas of a Pottery Barn Kids room for my girls...it's Trailer Park Trash to Treasure for us all the way!  We don't have a lot of money, but I'll be dammed if I am going to waste it on matching furniture and coordinating storage bins that the kids are never going use anyway...I'd rather get year long passes for the zoo...

Cleaning up the house...ADD style

I just can't help it...it's what I do...

I start to clean a room, find something that goes in another room, go to deliver said item and the next thing you know...I am cleaning THAT room...only to find something that needs to go upstairs...and you guessed it...go start cleaning upstairs...

I shutter to think of what would happen if shiny objects start having the same effect on me...

Viva la Staycation...

We did this last spring in our little town and we are going to do it again this year : )

We have a facility with 7 man made lakes and on the last one there are 7 waterfront cabins and 3 that actually float in the water...we snagged 2 of the 3 floating cabins last year and this year we managed to snag all three!!!!  So now we have the entire floating dock to ourselves : )

The cabins are AWESOME!  They have a small bedroom with a queen size bed, full closet build in dresser and 19" flat screen t.v.  A full size bathroom with full size shower and build in storage shelves for all the luggage, towels, extras.  The kitchen has full size fridge, microwave, stove top, toaster, coffee maker and they supply pots and pans and plastic cups & utensils, paper plates, paper towels, dish soap, sponge, cutting board,etc.  The couch flips out to a bed, there is a small round table with 2 chairs in the "living room" and a 26" flat screen t.v. with a dvd player in it.  The back patio where you enter the cabin has a full size patio table with large chairs, full size grill with propane filled up and a little deck box you can sit on...it has the life jackets inside - yes!  Life jackets - because...each floating cabin has it's own personal peddle boat moored to the back : )

I love it!

It's like camping, which we love to do - but with a shower, tv and peddle boat!!!

I feel like we brought more crap that we do when we tent camp, but I figure out it's just different crap...I don't have to bring the tent, sleeping bags and cooking stuff, but we do have to bring towels and sheets.  and we get to bring ice cream : )

It is a little get-a-way in the middle of suburbia, but it's nice to get away without the huge price tag...and it has a shower!

If at first you don't succeed...

I am trying...to stay focused AND motivated...

The MASSIVE purge continues - I haven't been able to get to the downstairs craft closet yet...

But, I have  :

Cleaned out a 55 gallon trash bag FULL of stuff from the girl's rooms to be donated to thrift store - yes, you read that right!  It's one of those industrial strength black trash bags - you know the kind that when you see them pull one out in a movie - that someone is going to end up chopped up and put inside?!  They got rid of clothes, shoes, toys, puzzles, stuffed animals, dress up clothes, My Little Pony figures, ETC.!!!!1
So PROUD of them.  Usually little sister just wants to move big sister's stuff into her own room, but this time she was the main one to donate : )

Went thru most of my closet - I can now walk in it again : )

Sorted out paperwork/bill files for the new year and can actually GET TO THEM!!!  A key factor that has jacked me up before.

Went thru the kitchen cabinets and got rid of mismatched or unused plastic storage containers and gadgets that I don't use.  Although I did hold on to the bundt pan even tho I have never made a bundt cake...it's good to have goals...I am a pretty big baker, but mostly cookies and bars - cakes and pies are not exactly my gig...yet...

My main purpose/goal here is to be more realistic in exactly how much shit we own...I am done trying to cram 10 pounds of shit in my 5 pound bag...trying to get it down to around 7 pounds of shit...I live in southern California - I am not getting a bigger "bag" anytime soon : ( 

New CAR!!!!!!!!!

Just brought home my new (for me) car : )

An 08 Honda Pilot - pics tomorrow Mys ; )