Paperfashion

I didn’t think we’d be able to do it this summer, but the girls and I are headed out on another little getaway! This time the hubs is staying home (he has to work, boooo) and we’re going out to East Hampton to hang with his mom and aunts for a couple of days.

It’s been awhile since I’ve done an organizational post–and you can tell if you take a peek inside my house. I always think summer will be when I get myself together. You know: clean out the basement, organize the closets, get rid of kids toys that never get played with. But this seldom happens. Who wants to stay inside when we can be at the pool or running around in the sunshine? Who wants to do manual labor when you’re sweating just sitting on the couch? Not this girl!

Still, I need to find some way to wrangle the mess that is my house. Since I’m both cheap and always looking for ways to be eco-friendly, I love the idea of organizational pieces that can easily be made from things I already own (or things that would only cost me a few dollars).

So off to Pinterest I go…

Reality is slowly starting to set in that I really won’t be able to do it all this summer. Taking my girls on lots of mini-adventures, working on multiple projects, and also spending time with my husband at the end of the day is just not possible. Something will always suffer.

At the moment, it’s my sanity. I’m cranky and overtired and that’s no good for anyone. So today I’ve decided to take a step back, reassess and reprioritize. I need to put less pressure on myself and stop saying yes to everything placed in my path. I need to carve out time for myself so that I don’t go completely insane. I need to take a second to just breathe.

I also took a look through my “Inspiration” Pinterest board for a little kick in the butt.

Lisa Congdon

Magpie Paperworks

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29 Design Studio

via The Classy Issue

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I might have to buy or DIY a couple of these so that these words are shoved in my face from time to time to remind me to breathe.

Is there anything you’re feeling overwhelmed by at the moment? What do you do to recenter yourself?

Exactly six years ago today, I waddled through the front door of the hospital as if I was about to be executed (in fact, to this day my mom still laughs about how I was “dead man walking” that morning). My first child was due four days earlier and I had been four centimeters dilated for a little longer than my doctors would have liked. They decided to induce me, although I would have been more than fine with letting her hang out in there for as long as she wanted if it meant I didn’t have to face childbirth.

As I stepped into the elevator to go up to labor and delivery part of me wanted to run–or at least walk briskly–as far away as I could. I was absolutely petrified, with visions of screaming movie moms dancing through my head. And as if that wasn’t scary enough, there was the whole notion of being responsible for another human being’s life. For nurturing her and guiding her through life and raising her to be her best self. I felt so heavy and so scared. And don’t even get me started on the look on Tim’s face!

Three hours later, after a miraculously simple labor and delivery, my little rosebud was placed on my chest. She promptly pooped on me and I fell in love. One glance into her big eyes and my husband and I can tell you with absolute certainty that there is such a thing as love at first sight.

Fast forward six years. SIX YEARS. Not only is today my best buddy’s birthday, but it’s her last day of kindergarten. I am a big, emotional mess. The kind of mess that bursts into tears after hearing all of the kids scream “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!” when she stepped onto the bus. How did so much time go by so quickly? How did she get so big?

Samantha is one of the sweetest, most caring people I know. She has a flair for drama (but you have to love her for it) and acts as if she’s 16 instead of 6. She’s funny and she’s smart and I just love that girl to pieces.

Instead of continuing and becoming a big, blubbering mess, I’m going to share some pictures of my sweet petunia…

This picture pretty much sums up what I feel like my life is like at the moment. It’s definitely what my life looks like (…okay. Maybe that’s a slight exaggeration).

But really. There’s clutter everywhere. I’m so overwhelmed by it all that I keep starting mini-tasks before I finish the last thing I started, leaving my house one big lump of messy little piles.

I need to take control!

Yesterday I read a post by Roo over at Nice Girl Notes that really hit home for me. It was about the struggles of being a work from home momma: the difficulty of getting anything done with wee ones weaving between your legs, mommy guilt, and the repercussions of never leaving the “office.”

It’s so hard. Most days I feel like I got nothing done. And every day I feel like one part of my life has suffered: I did too much work and didn’t spend enough time with my babies, I didn’t get any work done, or I hung with the babies and got work done once my husband got home and spent no time with him.

But instead of continuing to whine and wallow in my stress, I’ve decided to do something about it. Today.

The first thing I need to do is organize my life. With less clutter and more order, I’ll automatically feel a little calmer. If that means I get a little less work done for the next couple of days, so be it. It will help me get more done later.

1 :: 2 :: 3 :: 4 :: 5 :: 6 :: 7 :: 8 :: 9

Once I’m organized, I’ll try and set a loose schedule for myself. If I can stick to this little schedule, I’m hoping I’ll feel more in control. I’m absolutely horrible at time management, which is something I have to try to address.

But I’m curious. How do you do it? Do you have any tips I can use to make my life a little easier and slightly less chaotic?