Don't you wish?!
Last week we talked about the Underused Parenting Tool of Sleep? How'd it go? What did you try? Anything work? Feeling more rested?
I love to tie in parenting and organizing and here it is. . . Let's all get our bedrooms picked up and cleaned out! Do this FIRST. Do not start with your kids playroom, do not start with your spouses shoes - as much as they irritate you. I KNOW, if you just got your son's legos corralled your family life would be oh, so, so much better, but trust me.
Of the five Global Organizing Tips - the most tragic, sad, horrible and painful is "Get Yourself Organized First". Do you need a minute? I understand. Here's the thing - it feels better in the short run to point our fingers at everyone else in the family that needs to get their sh** together. Fixing the other is a Dark Art. Remember Harry Potter, Star Wars? The Dark Side is seductive, compelling, riveting - but it in the end, doesn't get us where we want to go.
Let's start with our own bedroom, and you want to know why? You go there every day. Every day. It's the last thing you see when you climb into bed and the first thing you set eyes on in the morning. How does it speak to you? What are the objects saying? Off the top of my head, here's what we are dealing with in the typical parents' bedroom.
CLOTHES: dirty clothes, clean clothes that aren't put away, ill fitting clothes, need to be fixed clothes, stained clothes, totally unfashionable clothes, kids clothes, clothes handed down from our sister-in-law that we know, know, KNOW our child will never wear, running shoes, dressy shoes, ugly shoes, shoes with holes, pilgrim type shoes you bought in the 90's. PAPERS: bills, unopened mail, late bills, medical bills, taxes, catalogs, trash, ticket stubs, art projects, art projects with glitter, styrofoam, macaroni, the art projects that don't fit in our memory boxes, more tax back-up, notepads - written on and blank and 1/2 written on, 40 cent stamps, thank you notes, Playbills, receipts, to-do lists (from 2006). DEBRIS: jewelry, dog toys, kids toys, first aid products, lice products, light bulbs, hair doo dads and brushes. BOOKS, ETC: parenting, organizing, financial, romance, history, biography, board books, kindles, library books (overdue, of course), magazines that essentially tell us we are too fat, wear the wrong clothes, don't measure up, are eating the wrong food groups, vacationing in loser spots, and are a general Glamour Don't.
Are we exhausted? Do we feel bad about ourselves? Do we wonder why we don't think we have it all together?
AND we have the power to transform our bedrooms and lay our head down in a peaceful serene room each night, and awaken with a clean slate each morning. Grab a trash bag, get your recycle bins out, dirty clothes hamper open, and donate sack ready to go. Pitch, donate, move to the downstairs bookcase. Do it, DO IT, GO, GO, GOOOOOOOOO!
Here's what will happen. You will go to bed thinking, "I've done enough for today. I got this. It's time for peace and quiet. I'm good enough as I am today. Sweet dreams everyone!