How DO you do it all? I just don’t see how you do it all. I hear that a lot. Of COURSE you don’t see how I do it all – you are reading my blog or listening me talk about the projects I have going and you are trying to imagine doing all that on top of what you already do!
There is no way humanly possible for one person to ‘do’ it ALL. You either have help, or you let something go. Take this week for instance. This week I need to prep for an event on Saturday, work on getting my magazine contribution ready for the photo shoot, work on dresses for a couple of weddings, and we are hosting our Bible Study here tomorrow night. And I have to make a run to IKEA for pillow forms. And a list of stuff for friends 🙂
Old level came from my Grandpa’s shop.
I needed a snack for Bible Study. I needed my house cleaned up at least a little. We started a project in the girls room and they can’t play in there so they have legos all over my living room. I was using my dining room table to work on projects. My sewing room is barely hovering at the line of organized chaos and will at any moment tumble into complete chaos.
My china cupboard got stuffed with all the small fun stuff I got at my Grandma’s auction. I intended to clean it out and organize but I’ve never got to it. I decided I kind of liked the chaotic loveliness!
And every day you sit down at your computer and you read my blog post about some project or some decor redo, or some ramble or the other. And in your mind it is all peaceful and serene here and the kids never fuss, and I never raise my voice and I always have it all under control – doing it ALL.
I did manage to redo the top of the cupboard with a couple old funnels under my cloche – funnels from my Grandpa’s shop – and some blue mason jars.
Not so! The things I leave go would make you cringe. My ceilings have not been swept for months. I don’t dust. I never mop my floors. I didn’t make that snack for Bible study. I didn’t even clean the bathroom more than a quick straighten, shove some things in already chaotic drawers, and give the toilet a quick spray-down with Lysol! I didn’t sweep, I didn’t get the old carpet moved off the front porch, and the dresser I just bought stayed on the porch where I plopped it, regardless of the fact that it really doesn’t qualify as porch furniture. My living room still overflows with a mishmash of furniture because I don’t have time to get slip covers made and I have a huge lack of storage space. And heaven forbid anyone goes in my bedroom – huge cringe.
We did have a snack for Bible study – my teenager made it. My floors do get mopped now and then – my husband does it. My kids fold the laundry and do most of the dishes. They fuss – a LOT. I have to tell them to do stuff way more often than I should. And I don’t take the time to be diligent about getting them to obey – cause I’m too preoccupied with my projects. My house is never magazine worthy – not sure that will ever happen.
I hope someday to be more organized. Maybe when the kids are out of school. Oh yes, school. I home school. But not like the great home school Moms you read about out there. Oh no. We are lucky to get done enough to get my kids through their CAT tests. They did get good grades on those this year so something is going ok for now. I can still see the look on a friend’s face though, when I told her how far Becca was through 1st grade at the end of the year. She was a bit horrified I do believe – because of the lack not the overachievement!
So don’t ever think I do it ALL. I don’t. Far from it. I have help in the form of my kids (which we all know is sometimes more work than help) and from my wonderful hubby. I have friends and family who come through when I need it – finding great stuff and Goodwill and getting it for me, babysitting my kids, helping with school, praying for me. And of course, above all, God is with me, carrying me through – especially in weeks like this one when everything needs to be done at once.
And the next time you look at someone and wonder how she does it all – remember – she DOESN’T! Even the supermoms out there who appear to do most of it – they have help somewhere and they let something go. They have to!
Now, go get an ice cream cone, prop your feet up, and allow yourself to NOT do it ALL.
Sew a Fine Seam
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Right now my sewing/craft/guest room looks like the fabric fairy threw up. Next door total chaos reigns in the man cave. This is due to 5 kids in there on a daily basis playing games. My front room has an upholstery project and the bedroom holds a half empty suitcase with clothes everywhere as Mr. Decor just got home once again.
Everyone with children who does not have help….we’re all in the same boat. 🙂
Glad I’m not alone – and here’s to having some semblance of order in life somehow, someway, sometime!
You lost me at “I haven’t swept my ceilings in months…”
Yeah, well if you came over and saw the webs hanging all over the place you would know why that was in there!
Amen sister I am unable to sweep my ceilings any more due to sever back issues so once a year I get hubby to get the ladder out & my vacuum cleaner & thankfully he will do it for me 🙂
My hubby will do it for me too – especially if he’s around when I start doing it! LOL! And supermom will never be a title assigned to me I’m afraid!!
Please come sweep mine while you’re at it! Bring Jessica with you…otherwise she might get lost. heehee.
🙂 I rarely sweep my ceilings but they do need it. Remember how Mom would spring clean every year? Completely empty the room and scrub from top to bottom? And how fresh and clean it all felt? You could tell it had been cleaned even blindfolded. Loved that feel. Didn’t love having to wash every single thing that came out of the room! LOL! Maybe that’s why I don’t do it – I don’t love the clean feel enough to go through the work to get there. Sigh.
Yes, I remember and it was nice. I’ve not done very well at that either. I do get in modes where I clean very thoroughly and rearrange. Plus, it’s much nicer to do when you have a nicer house. I do hope to do some deep cleaning this fall. We did everything before we moved in and now there are places starting to need it again.
Sit down and make a master lists of tasks that need to be done. Then give kids their individual lists. Remind them that you’re done with the fussing. If they want special privileges and such they have to do their jobs. My non auditory son got more done this way than asking and fussing with him. In high school I dangled the car keys in his face!! Enjoy the journey!
Great ideas – and I hope to implement something like that when we start back to school. Chores and school done before movies, play, or having friends over!
Sounds just like a full and happy life C:
Very full! And happy as long as the stress level doesnt’ get too high!
I love your honesty, Jill. It is refreshing. I can so remember those days of never having enough hours in the day..and…being a perfectionist I would sometimes stay up all night long to clean the house or do the laundry and be so tired I couldn’t think the next day. You are smart to let some things go. It’s okay. It is better to not stress too much and just let it go then it is to get all frazzled and take it out on everyone around you (which I used to do many times)….NOT pretty…AT ALL! Blessings, Mom- you just keep on keeping on- xo Diana
Thanks Diana. Some days I struggle with feeling guilty that I don’t ‘do it all’ but most of the time I am able to just let it go, do the ‘next thing’ that has to be done and relax about it all!
I love this!! I don’t even have kids and sometimes can barely keep up with everything! I always say that-“how do they do it all?” So thanks for reminding me that everyone struggles a little (or a lot!) sometimes. And btw, I think your house looks magazine worthy in these pics!! 🙂
Susan
Awww, Susan, thanks. I feel like I have so much extra stuff around since I’m trying to stock up for the Springfield fall show that it always looks a mess around here!
And Thank You for being honest and saying you are not a superhuman being, your just one of us!
That’s a good point that you make. No body can do it All! In my 20’s and 30’s I tried to do it all and I ended up getting sick all the time and taking medicine for stress and anxiety! I now have learned to let stuff go and say no to things I don’t want to do. I like the saying, you can have it all, just not all at once. That resonates with me.
Some days I do better at letting things go than others. And I can only let it go for so long and to a point and then I have to dig in and clean it up and start fresh! But having the whole house clean and sparly all at one time? never happens anymore – the last time that happened I think I only had one child!
Hmmmnn glad I’ve read your post. It sure hits me bullseye . One thing good working on the kitchen table is that : We’ve got to clear it up right away when were finished. While in the craft room, we’ve got choices……Well I do.
We use our dining room table for everything. it doesn’t have to be cleared because we eat in the kitchen but the dining room is the room you walk into fromt he front door. I hate it when it’s always a mess so I do try to at least clear it up and make it look nice part of the time!
WEll then, you obviously don’t know me well. I do it all! hahahahahah 🙂 And you seriously sweep your ceilings? I can’t manage to do my floors consistently….!
(If only I had some ice cream. I would so take your advice!)
p.s. you ARE one of the great homeschool moms. You’re great because you are their mom. period. Remember it’s just a number on a book…a guide, not a rule!
Rachel, I have mopped my floors about twice since we put the hardwood in – my hubby does it. He spends more time in the kitchen than ever too – cooking, cleaning up, helping with laundry. Sometimes I wonder what I do – then I remember that I blog! LOL!
You are supposed to SWEEP your ceilings? Oh NO! I must have missed that in home 101. I thought my house was clean or at least semi clean but maybe I should rethink that!
Love your blog!
My ceilings do need swept now and then. I can see the dust collected on them – especially if we have had to use the ceiling fans. My hubby is really good about helping me do things like that though!
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