Unmanageability Part 3

... and then there are the cupboards, frig, cabinets, and other shelving units...

What on earth happened to my tidy, uncomplicated life?!  I used to keep everything where it belonged, and had a few boxes of crafty things... but child bearing and a debilitating condition, brought me to this point ....not even the cupboards are safe.

I used to practice the prinicple of just enough. As a single person, I had 2 plates, 2 bowls, pot n pan, 3 coffee mugs (it so sucks when you neeeeed coffee and the only mug you have is dirty), and half of a cabinet of food items. Oh, and a dorm sized frig. As a sahm mother of 2 and one enroute, we have a stack of plates n bowls n mugs, plus the kids plastic plates n bowls n cups n lids, a cupboard full of pots n pans, 3 cupboards and a small pantry of foods, and an apartment sized frig... that is NOT big enough!!

How can I ask for more when what I have is totally out of control?!

I love to cook but am so overwhelmed and out of energy, rarely can I even get to whatever foods I need to prepare... much less cook it. GAH!

Unmanageability Part 2

...and the chaos doesn't stop with the main rooms...

Our closets and dressers are under utilized and unorganized.  Stacked boxes with who-knows-what's  inside. If we don't know what's in there, why keep it?! We've been working on the concept: one in, one out. For every 'new'  item we adopt, one gets donates (or sold if we absolutely have to recover the cost- this is becoming less and less, as we are more in the mode of GET IT OUT!)  And a flat surface is my nemesis,  becomes a "hot spot" in a moments notice.

The bathrooms are more manageable,  I believe that's because they're smaller rooms and I can attempt to clean up or just wipe down the surfaces (given my physical limitations). FlyLady calls it a swish &swipe... works for me!

Unmanageability

I am powereless over people, places, and things.... and MY LIFE has become UNMANAGEABLE.

I am a sahm of  two, three and under, in a high risk pregnancy with baby3, on a  modified bed-rest of sorts, living in a 1000sq ft apartment... with a very supportive husband, recovering from a disease, who works full time, making 20k a year. Whew, what a mouth full. Since motherhood,  my life has been upside down, backwards and sideways.  Dont get me wrong, I LOVE being a mommy and all the wonder and joy you get from parenthood... but it's all upside down, backwards and sideways!

My heart condition has decided that pregnancy and parenting are enough, and its deciding to take a break. Meaning; I must have corrective surgery in the next couple of years, if I want to live and grow with my family.  Which means, everything I've ever known (energy, ability, emotions, desires, dreams, goals, expectations as a mother) has changed... drastically. In a relatively short amount of time.

What this has done to the household, the level of inability and lack of serenity,  is unreal (not including the fact that there are two able bodied, active toddlers living here). I will disclose photos because I know I'm not the only one who's been here in this situation. The Fly Lady has summed it up wisely: CHAOS.  An acronym for "Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome".
(http://flylady.net)

Let me take a moment to say clearly: I am thankful for what I have, all that's been provided, and all the change that has happened during these few years. Progress is progress no matter how small. It all counts!

We have walkways throughout the house. Stacks of boxes, piles of stuff, in every possible location. My understanding is, the only differences between us and a "hoarder" (as in someone conflicted with the disease that controls the emotions and thinking) is that we willingly and eagerly purge items, and we are amidst habit-changing lifestyle changes. We are ridding our entire lives of clutter, one bag or box at a time. It just isn't fast enough for my likings!

CrockPotting

In an effort to help preserve whatever sanity and serenity I can ... I've been crockpot cooking anything and everything. Here's lunch: pasta w.sauce! Desired amt of uncooked pasta, cover w.watered down sauce of choice.

One hour (I've eaten this same dish after 30-40 min too), on high,  ¡viola! Ready to eat pasta!  I put it together just before leaving to pick up from PreK, it's ready when we arrive.   Prep time: 30 seconds to 1 minute. Yeah!! My kinda dish!

*update: add a scoop of cottage cheese to the bowl, seems much like lasagna! Mmm!

Time flies

Well, I'm shocked it's been 9 months since my last post. Life gets busy with two toddlers, phew!

I have created many Pinteresting things, including the cinnamon-bun-pancakes that I said I would make once my husband found them and pinned it on his own Pinterest board! (He did it!)

Most recently I made a weekly menu board. Being impoverished and unable to spend $10 to make this cool menu board, I made due with what we had on hand... cardboard from a previously used box, markers, paper, clothes pins. I color coded the papers to make sense for our families needs.  It may not be the cutest, but it functions and makes my week a smidge easier. Hooray! ((Used glu stick to adhere clothes pins to the cardboard, some office clips stapled to the wall -- yes, that's right-- stapled.)) [McGuyverette here]

Crafting: kiddos

 Crafting with garbage, foods, and recyclables!

As I tossed an empty chip bag towards the garbage, my baby abruptly turned, starring at the crinkley bag, reaching in the air as if to say "momma, I want that!". Hmmm... what can I make with it? I got it! A shakey crinkly bag! I cut the top half of the bag and threw it away (some things actually do make it into the garbage, lol).

With the bottom half, I turn it inside out [shiny side out] and gave it a hot rinse and dried. Then put  about 1/4 cup of uncooked rice into the inside-out-bag. Folded the top edge over, folded the corners in to avoid pokey points, and sealed with a long thin strip of duct tape [don't ya just love that amazing wonder-all tape?!]

Viola! an impromptu shakey toy! Both kiddos were pleased for many days on this piece of 'garbage' turned toy! I'd say it was a hit! And well worth the monies spent! (ha!!)

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Toddler was uber bored with me one day... so we tried some fine-motor-skill-play time!
Spaghetti Dough Mounds!

Stick spaghetti into a mound of dough (playdoh shown, can use homemade salt dough too!), have toddler place cheerios onto spaghettis. Of course, she came up with her own rendition... shortened the spaghetti [because she was rough-housing them and they snapped], counted a few out, and  *precisely*  replaced the newly shortened pieces back into the already-used holes. Nothing else would do.

SUCCESS!

Zoo

Some lovely warm weather has filled our winter, a trip to the zoo was a must! I love our local zoo, we are blessed to have a fantabulous and yet manageable zoo nearby. I can't wait til warm spring and summer months and all the Zoo-ing we will do!

Eagles the size of toddlers...

Diving Polar Bear Cub

 Doesn't every zoo have a lovely state-of-the-art Polar Bear exhibit? With a 30 foot pool? With above ground surround windows? With a wall of window looking into said pool?!?  It's awesome! We  *love*  it!

Striking beauty Goose