I Am Raising A Hoarder....

I am at my wits ends.  I have lectured, yelled, taken away things, etc.  I feel like there is something about my 8 year old that makes her inherently a hoarder.  She has a problem parting with anything, even pieces of paper.  I have never seen anything like this.  I have no explanation, no reason, no logic.  She seems almost emotionally attached to everything she owns. 

Today she was cleaning her room and asked me what to do with a large shoe box that she had decorated for her class Valentine's Day party.  VALENTINE'S DAY?!?!  I asked her if there was anything still in the box and she told me that there were the cards from her classmates.  I felt bad afterwards, but I just looked at her and said, "You have to throw this stuff away! You will get more cards from the same kids next year, THROW THEM AWAY." 

I was busy nursing the baby, so I asked the oldest sister, who is 10 to check on the room after she claimed to be finished cleaning.  Well, of course the warden found plenty wrong with it, but she was right!  There were wadded up tissues in an empty tissue box, pony tail holders randomly about, and just stuff. 

I immediately went looking to see if Hoarders was on television right that moment, sadly it was not.  I have it set to DVR now, because I explained to her that is where she is headed if she does not get this under control.  I guess I am hoping to scare her straight?!?!  I want her to see what an unhealthy obsession with stuff looks like.  I want her to see what happens when people cannot let go of things. I am not saying she WILL be a hoarder, but hey, it has to start somewhere. 

I do not know any other way to get through to her.  I asked my mother, that is how desperate I was.  She informs me that she herself was the same way as a child.  She said she eventually just grew out of it...ugh.  Okay, so I have some hope, a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.  I mean my mom is a clean freak, so really, this does give me some solace. 

I am still going to give her a taste of Hoarders...scare her little butt straight. 

The Joy of Having A Toddler...

 

There are many things I love about my toddler.  She is sweet, smart, fun, and just a general joy to be around.  That being said, there is one way in which she drives me absolutely bat sh*t crazy. 

When I am working feverishly to clean the house, she is working just as feverishly to unclean the house.  I try and get her involved, to get her to "help" me.  This is almost as bad as just letting her go buck wild in the background. 

What I do now is get her interested in a couple different activities in one central location.  Then, I hurry to get as much done as I can in that area without distracting her attention from whatever has her captivated.  Once she loses that desire to stay where she is playing nicely, my time is up and it is time to wrap it up, immediately.

Some people just say screw it, and let it all hang out until the kid goes to bed and then they do the 15 minute round up and shove everything in its place as quickly as they can.  Others, like me, go through the daily grind of trying to maintain a level of "company ready" at all times.  There is no wrong or right method, just a matter of what you are comfortable doing.

I have been in people's homes that looked like a tornado went through.  When I walked in they politely said, "You will have to excuse the mess, I just wait until bedtime and we clean it all up then."  No big, I mean as long as it is not my house, I do not get hung up on that.  Now, I have also been to a couple homes in which there was food lingering under the table from breakfast, which was hours since over.  I have seen a few milk ring stained tables, and a stray sippy cup or two.  I know for a fact that the moms in those households were very overwhelmed, because they told me so.  Thankfully it was soon after our visit that they were able to get a helping hand in there to get them back to the level that they were comfortable. 

It is important to be okay in your own home, whether you have kids or not.  I have a 19 month old who is a busy little bee, and who is very clingy to mommy.  So things are not as clean as I would like, but I have to say I feel like I do a pretty good job.  At any moment someone could come into my home and I would feel fine welcoming them in and feel relaxed sitting down with them for a visit.  I would not feel like I had to explain away a mess, or be shoving things in the closet before I opened the front door.

I think the key to this is keeping as minimal amount of items out and about as possible.  The more knick knacks the more dust, the more clutter, the more ojeda (pronounced ah-je-da).  You know it, you have had it at some point if you are a parent. I think there can be a balance kept that does not keep parent away from child too much, but still allows the house to be kept tidy and in order.  I also love organizational aids, but be careful because too many of these are just more clutter.

We also have areas that are toy friendly and areas that are not.  My 19 month old also knows that before we leave her area, which is the living room, she must put her toys back in her toy box.  She does it religiously now.  It just took some practice and patience, and lots of clapping.  But she knows that it is part of the routine.  If she is ready for bath or bed, she will start cleaning up, and you can hear her saying, "Mess, clean up mess. Okay, yes, clean mess."  It's really kind of cute, although I wonder if she will eventually be OCD and washing her hands 12 times before touching her toys at some point.  But hey, she knows to throw them in the box before we leave the room.  It is not that hard of an expectation to meet eh?

So whatever the state of your abode, just strive to meet your own standards, not those of any imposed on you by some societal unrealistic standard.  Care about your home the way you care about yourself and your family, as best you can with the "help" of kids.

 

The Riot Act

Have you ever read your kids the riot act?!?!  Where does this saying come from anyway? Well I read mine this act in question this morning. I told them to clean their rooms yesterday, well I should say room because while we have abuela withnus they are sharing.  Anyway,  when I went in this morning it was obvious that they half donkey'd it at best.  I have been sick for two days now, and I thought they could be trusted to accomplish this task without my intervention. I was apparently delusional from my fever.

After threatening to throw it all away, they scurried around trying to clean up before school. I have been feeling bad about yelling at them, but not about why. They are great kids, but they do have their faults, just like the rest of us.  The younger of the two has a harder time with the whole room cleaning thing.   She is a pack rat in training...a future Hoarders episode in waiting if I do not break her cycle now.  The older one just does not want to clean up after the younger one, which I understand but still, can I catch a break somewhere in here.

So now they are at school probably wondering if crazy mom really is going to throw out all their belongings, or if the fever has gone to my brain.   I think a little of both are possible.

My New Vacuum....

A week or so ago, I found myself in need of a new vacuum.  I have a dog, who is currently shedding his entire Winter coat.  I have a 3 level townhome, and am pregnant so the stairs are a killer.  I needed something great on pet hair, lightweight, and that was not going to be cutting into the grocery budget due to cost. 

I did some research and decided to try out the Shark Navigator Lift-Away.  I love this vacuum.  I vacuumed my entire house in an hour, including the stair cases, bare floors, everything, and did not break a sweat for the first time ever. 

It swivels, has a detachable cannister, great tools, and is about 12 pounds.  I cannot say enough about this vacuum.  I bought it at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, using my ever handy 20% off coupon, the normally $169.99 vacuum cost me about $142 after tax.

I am very happy with my Shark, and highly recommend it to everyone!!!

Shark Website!!!

Vinegar...

Did you know there is a Vinegar Institute?? I had no idea! There are countless uses for vinegar, and I love it!! So here I share with you, a link to The Vinegar Institute

Murphy's Multi-Surface Natural

This cleaner was recommended to me by my cousin. She happened to call me when I was in Target, to tell me about this great smelling, great cleaning, natural product. I happened to find the last bottle left in Target. After risking life and limb climbing to the top shelf, and yes, I know the shelves are not to be used as steps but desperate times call for desperate measures; I got the cleaner and headed home.

Upon opening the bottle I fell in love. No, really, the smell of this cleaner is fresh, and clean. The cleaner is concentrated so it has to be diluted. I got a couple of spray bottles and filled each up with water and cleaner. I cleaned everything I could get to before having to pick up my kids at school. When I got home my hubby was there, and the first thing out of him mouth was, "What is that smell, it smells great in here!" Even the girls said it smelled great in the house. That was it, I was hooked, completely and totally.

It cleans well, it smells fabulous, and doesn't leave a film behind. At $4.00 a bottle, you can't beat that with a stick!

Hello, Good Morning!

Good morning, what a gorgeous day here in Virginia! The storms rolled through last night, and thankfully today, all seems to be doing well. My thoughts and prayers with those not so fortunate with last night's weather. So here I am, a stay at home Mom, with 8 and 6 year old daughters, and a baby on the way. I was divorced, and remarried last May, so I am also a newlywed, who is currently expecting a baby this September, and Mom to Tai, our Puggle puppy. Our life is full of life, love, and laughter. One of my joys in life is sharing my experiences with others, good, bad, ugly, whatever. This blog is about sharing information, opinions, ideas, advice....everything that comes with the art of being Mom. I have plenty to share in the realms of cooking, cleaning, parenting, etc. And I am always looking for new points of views on old topics.