hey you, leaf

yeah, you. guess what? i'm turning you over.

organization is not my forte. my closets and drawers will rat me out. i'm great at shoving things here and there. buying more laundry baskets hoping they will do magic. sorting piles into…more piles. and saying to myself on a daily basis "i'll do that later."

honestly, the only time my house really gets clean is when someone is coming over. jeff has said on more than one occasion, you know, we really should have people over more often. that's subliminal for…why don't you clean this place up? 😉

most days i feel like i'm drowning in a sea of mismatched socks and underwear while surfing on legos and crushed cracker crumbs. and if you don't believe me, i dare you to come over to my house at this very moment. no really, i triple dog dare you.

so i came across a tidbit the other day that i hope has the power to change my world. self-help stuff is out there everywhere and it's always great to read but i need it simple. if it overwhelms me, it's a no go. but this Daily 7 routine screamed "you can do this!" and i think i can. oh wait. do or do not. there is no try.
this totally together journal has loads of promising info. check it out.
anyway, here is where i'm going to start.

Number 1: Make Beds Right Away
this means that lincoln can be my alarm clock no longer. when he came into our lives with his unruly sleeping patterns, the early morning me checked out. i need to go find her.

Number 2: Do One Complete Load of Laundry
this means i need to love the laundry, embrace the laundry, be the laundry.

Number 3: Empty All Garbage Cans
i used to think that once i got married i would inherit a new appliance–the automatic-garbage-taker-outer. don't get me wrong, he does a fantastic job. but let's face it, i have two hands and so do my kids.

Number 4: Keep Your Kitchen Sink Empty
this means i need to get over my phobia of emptying the dishwasher. why is it so much easier to fill it than empty it. why? (clenching fists in the air) why?

Number 5: Clean Up After Yourself and Help Children Do the Same
this means i need to hang up my clothes right away. no draping them over chairs or making so-called neat piles on the floor. i've struggled with this since the womb. maybe i just got too comfortable with that umbilical cord being all over the place. this one will take all the will-power in the world to change. i must summon the force.

Number 6: Bathroom Wipe-Down
this means just exactly that. the road to a dirty bathroom is paved with good intentions. i have a container of clorox wipes under every counter…what a novel idea to use them!

Number 7: Before Bed 10-Minute Clean Up
this means two things. a quick bedroom sweep up by the kids. and i need to unlock the 50 pound chains of exhaustion that bind me once i've put them to bed and close their doors. maybe i'll dangle a popsicle reward in front of me to make it happen.

it remains to be seen if i am going to sink or swim with this. gonna give it my best effort but also realize that it's okay to have a **subject to change without notice** disclaimer. wish me luck or better yet, nightly popsicles!