Mothering Many

I popped in to say that I am still here, and ask if you are. Last Tuesday, after my wonderful tackle, I went to bed around 8pm with a fever and hard chills. And that was the last cleaning I did until today. Nothing like going out in a blaze of glory, eh? I seem to be on the mend, if by mend, I can mean able to get through the day with less than 2 naps, and so I attempted some light housework today, just my bath and bed room, and not even the floors in those rooms. And that is why there is no Tuesday Tackle for you today. The only thing I am up to tackling is a pillow!

We’ve started new years/terms for three students this week, and I am making a more conscientious effort to include the extras that make a CM education so much fun: art and music and Shakespeare and such. To do that, I have back on some of the extra history readings I was requiring. Part of the beauty of CM is the free time it allows to pursue interests that the children have. It took me awhile to see that, to let go of what I think they want/ought to know, to stop trying to make my favorite subject their favorites, too. We’ll see how it goes.

Now, I know that this set of pictures doesn’t seem to indicate much progress, but if you said that, you would be wrong. My 45 minutes of cleaning a day (ok, usually I do an hour) is really beginning to pay off. On Mondays, I start in my bathroom, and I clean it, really clean it. Then I move into my bedroom and really clean it, and then I move into the living room and clean it. When the MP3 player shuts off, I stop, right where I am. On Tuesday, I start in the bathroom again and tidy, then the bedroom and the living room. Today, a Tuesday, I moved from the living room and into the girls room. Those shots are of behind the door of their room! And it is Tuesday. Only Tuesday.

Now, I probably won’t get any further than their room this week, but I have made it into the that room on the second day of the week! Tomorrow, I will start in the bathroom, tidy it, my bedroom and the living room, and work more on the girl’s room. But even as I have a girl room, a boy room, a kid bath, a work area and a kitchen to go, I am able to say that three rooms of my house are totally under control now. In two short weeks. And that, my friends, is a massive tackle.

The launchpad is now ready for our departures. This is where we keep the stuff that we need to grab before we head out the door. The game shirts for the flag team (yeah, cause I didn’t think I had enough laundry???), the diaper bag, the cooler bag, etc. As you can see, it was piled ridiculously high, and pretty un-useable.

From a six inch tall stack of stuff I have allowed to accumulate on my desk to a three inch pile of stuff that actually belongs here. Most of this stack is notes I need to turn into blog posts or take other action on. I chose a short mission today, because I have a lot of other irons in the fire just now.

Woohoo, I remembered! This project is nothing compared to what our hostesses tackled this week, but it’s a job that’s been bugging me. The laundry basket in the first picture has been on my nightstand since sometime in July. I had no idea I would get the whole thing emptied today! I’ve actually worked on the house most of the morning, but this is the only thing I captured in pixels.

One day, I will have a house that looks like a posh, maid-visited vacation home rental and it will not take me most of the morning to (pretend to) clean it. I’ll be bored and lonely, but my house will be tidy.

Ok, ya’ll. Frealz. If you think I have it all together, please close the window now. Just click the x and go, becasue what I am about to show you is just plain scary. In fact, it’s so bad that it’s going to have to be dealt with as this week’s Tackle it Tuesday. Are you ready? And are “they” gone? Ok, here it is.

This is what it looks like on my side of the bed. Sigh. I am out of room for my shoes and shirts. I have been trying to fugire out what to do with this stuff for so long that i actually squealed with glee when I read about closet cabinets a few minutes ago. Because, ya’ll, look at it. It’s sad. And I have to clean it, and I can’t wait until I get a closet cabinet, I have to do it today.

From this:
to this:

I call that a sucessful tackle. In the interest of full disclosure, I confess that I have 2 small baskets to put away in my room. I elected to play a game with the kids instead of finishing tonight.

Today is Tuesday, and I have (had??) every intention of playing Tackle-it Tuesday. I’ll be working on either my dresser or the changing table. However, the morning got spent with the children, playing and schooling, and now someone little is sleeping on my bed, and where does the time go?

Now it’s time to work, and then it will be time to cook, and then it be time to eat, and tidy the kitchen and then play a game with the kids, and put them to bed. See? Busy. I’ll have to post later if I actually got anything done, but right now…….chances are looking slim to none.

I’m not posting a before pic, because I did this after midnight last night, and did not think the sleeping family members in my bedroom would care too much for the flash. And also, I forgot. Anyhow, I put these shelves together in an effort to clear a little counter space and also keep the stuff I use readily available. It happens to be the top part of an over-the-toilet organizer than my mom picked up for $3. Can that woman shop or what?????