Getting My Shit Together Monday

Welcome to my new (and lovely named, mais non?) feature. Here, I will be attempting to get those many nagging things in order in my apartment, in my calendar, on my to-do list, and in my life. Of course, I am beginning this on the day before one of best friends comes for a two-day visit, the same day I've sent Lil E off to Camp Grandma so I can actually unpack a neglected and still half-full suitcase sitting in my dining room, wash a sink-full of sippy cups and coffee mugs and clean off my sign of a genius cluttered desk.  As happy as our little family is, things are OC in this apartment. Totally Outta Control. It is time to do some (so not pregnant) nesting.

I have an overwhelming list of shit I do need to get together:  organize the pantry, get my billing system back in working order, update my website, turn my drop-off zone of a bedroom into a den of desire. I know it will feel good to check these things off of crabby Post-It notes I leave for myself, and yet, it stresses me out just to begin. I don't want to be stressed out. I want to feel good, empowered, better.

Here, my intention is to put all of that here for the world and world wide web (OK, for you three) to see, to reduce the bigness of that list and to increase my happiness in my own home, in my own little world.

If you'd like to join me, feel free to shout out how you'd like to get your own shit together this week. We can stress go about it together, cheering and chanting each other along the way.

Week One - This week has been handed to me courtesy my barely-alive refrigerator and a thankfully responsive landlord. The 482-year old fridge has now joined the stove that I have used pliers to turn on for the last year. Hallelujah, the landlord purchased a brand new refrigerator and stove to be delivered tomorrow! (Enter choirs of domestic angels). As long (long long long) time renters, Bruce and I have never had appliances without other people's crumbs left in them! While I know they will be the absolute bottom-line appliances that our nice but DIY-crazy landlord can order, I couldn't be more excited about this. Hooray hooray hooray!

Now on to the getting my shit together part: This will involve cleaning out the old freezer and resurrecting any food that has somehow survived living in a cooler of melted ice all weekend. It will also involve cleaning off the stove top because I wouldn't dare have my landlord take it away thinking we were unclean tenants or anything crazy like that.  It will involve a very precise and glorious moment where I let out those OCD tendencies (moment being the keyword here) and organize a new fridge where healthy foods live on easily-accessible shelves and Diet Dr. Pepper and Bruce's disgusting fruit juice energy drinks live in the far-reach corners. It might even involve some behind-the-appliance wall scrubbing and floor mopping, but for now that will have to be a big old Maybe. I don't want to go too crazy and burn myself out on Week One, do I?

In prepping for the appliance installation, we'll be rushing to make our kitchen seem clean tonight. I should note that the vaccuum cleaners do live in the corner next to the fridge, and will have to come out and find a temporary home in our exceedingly crumby dining room. Coincidence? I think not.

Happy Monday! Feel free to submit your favorite DIY websites, tips and photos of your own neat-as-a-pin homes that will have me running for my label maker. Wish me luck and please, do join me on this journey toward (some) domesticity and (a wee bit more) sanity.

Comments

[2Jmama]

I LOVE days like this, where your number one goal is to get organized!!! Too bad it never seems to happen at my house. Here is my list of things to get accomplished before the Thanksgiving maddness!!1. Finish my homework and my class2. Organize the desk and the area surrounding it where papers seem to have puked everwhere3. GASP!! Sweep the kitchen.4. Laundry laundry laundry

The REAL list:1. snuggle with my coughing 4 year old.2. snuggle with the crazy 20 month old3. Run to the pharmecy4. Crash during nap time.

[Grrrlfriend Jess]

I will be cheering you on in your organizational endeavors, 2JMama, but I will also be rooting for lots of that precious snuggle time, too!

[Kim]

You've inspired me. Both to get my shit together and to come out to the blogosphere.

I heart my label maker. I'll see it again on Thursday, for the first time in a year. I wonder if it missed me.

[Sassafrass]

Welcome back...to you *and* your label maker!

[Ann D]

I love organizational tips. However, I often spend so much time reading them, I don't get to the doing stage -- but that's just me. :-)

My favorite thing to keep me organized is http://www.rememberthemilk.com

It emails me updated to do lists. I mean it literally hounds me daily to keep me on track. Of course, I can choose to ignore it, but then I only have myself to blame. It's a very cool tool.

Thanks for dropping by my blogs, btw. It's fun hanging out with you.