Hoarding Without Substance, Part III *Conclusion*

What I realized in the end, is that nothing will change, nothing will get better, until I make the changes.  I couldn't expect my kids to change, or want to do things in a simpler, more efficient way if I wasn't showing them that way.  While I'm not on the level of people on that show "Hoarders" I realized that my attachment to things... gadgets, clothes, shoes, papers, books, etc. was detrimental to my life.

Slow process, but it's working

The clutter, the mess... it had become the norm in my house and that wasn't a good thing. Even when the house had been thoroughly cleaned, it still looked dirty to me because of the amount of clutter that we still had.  When I would walk into my house, it didn't feel like, Ahhh, home sweet home."  It felt more like, "Aw man, I really need to do something about this." 

I started small, by giving things away to friends.  Not things I didn't like or were junky. I mean things that were nice, but I didn't have any real use for.  I donated lots of other items to the Salvation Army.  I was left with less clutter, but I had a long way to go.

I started to look at things a little differently, and once I did that, I noticed the changes.  I noticed them immediately.  I could look in a room without thinking of how bad it looked or what else I needed to do.  I could invite someone into my home without a super-haul.  I could come home after a long day and actually relax.  These things are important. C.H.A.O.S. (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) is so draining. Mentally, financially, physically and emotionally.  It didn't happen overnight, and I still struggle with clutter, but I feel more and more like I'm getting to a happier place.

Hoarding Without Substance, Part II

This is what I am in my head. I am wrong.

In my head, I am a Domestic Diva.  I keep a super clean house, so clean that you can eat off of the floor.  I'm always ready to entertain.  I work part-time from home, volunteer with the PTA and my girls' school, cook 5-6 nights a week, give my husband all of the adult time that he wants and needs, and I keep my hair natural and nails done to boot.  I grow my own garden, scrapbook, knit, work-out 4-5 times a week, am debt-free, bake fresh bread, I'm in a book club and so on and so forth.  This is perfection. This is also an alternate universe. :)

In reality... My house is a workable mess...When I entertain, we're doing what amounts to a complete overhaul right up until the minute that company arrives. Then, as the hubby greets guests, I fly upstairs to shower/change and THEN I am ready to entertain. I do work part-time from home, but it's not going as smoothly as it can, because my office is a mess lol! It still has junk in it from the last time we "entertained." It seems to be the catch-all room.  Mornings are a mess, heading out is a mess... because we can't ever find things we need.  I do volunteer with the PTA and their school, but again, it's not always smooth because of our time management.  I'm a caterer who LOVES to cook, but I don't cook every day like I should.  Why? The kitchen has too much clutter and I hate doing dishes. *sigh*  Hubby is patient, but I know he needs more of my attention. I'm so caught up in my day-to-day messes that by the time I'm ready for him, he's knocked out sleep. (Po' thang)  Appearance-wise, I'm ok, I just feel the need to lose some serious weight. I've been working on getting my garden right for the last few years, I have scrapbooking materials everywhere in my house, I can't knit (yet), I still carry debt, I bake bread only out of necessity (too lazy to go to the store lol), my book club memberships are sitting unused and so on and so forth. This is my REAL life.  It sounds even worse when I write it all out lol.

This is more like me in real life. 

All of these things combined make me feel like I am "The Great Pretender."  It's not that I lie to anyone, or try to make everything seem like it's perfect. I don't. But I think I lie to myself.  Pretty lies... but they cover ugly truths.  I traced most of my discord to... clutter. Yes! Clutter. Simple, right? WRONG!  It went much deeper than I thought.

To Be Continued.....

Hoarding Without Substance, Part I

Ah, the elusive packrat... Not to be confused with the all-too common hoodrat!

This is a pack rat

This is a hood rat. With glitter!

The ever helpful Webster.com website defines a pack rat as "a person who collects or hoards especially unneeded items."  If there was an illustration on there, it would have my face next to it! I never realized how much of a pack rat that I was, until I decided to clean up. Literally, just clean up my house.  I had what the lovely Flylady calls CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) realllllly bad.  It's not that my house is jacked up.  I live in a pretty nice suburb, on a street with well manicured lawns.  My house is an average sized colonial.  From the outside looking in, you'd never guess that inside that home was a big damn mess.  Yes, I said it... A big. damn. mess.  

Earlier this year, in keeping with my desire to live a more simple life, I decided to get rid of what I deemed as a "little clutter."  I had no idea what I was getting myself into. None.  I've read so many cleaning and organizing books that I could probably write one myself.  There are certain things I tend to keep neat, such as my office supplies, catering supplies and "toy party" supplies.  Others, like laundry/toys/dishes/paper clutter/books and so on... are all over the house.  I used to joke that I was just not all that domesticated, despite the fact that I'm a WAHM.  But as I started taking an honest look at my life.... I realized that I was right.  That's pretty sad.

To Be Continued.....

Soap Nuts!!!

Awhile back, I was reading one of my all time favorite blogs, Simple Mom, and she introduced her readers to something that I'd never even heard of. Soap Nuts.  They are a natural detergent.  You place a few of them in a bag and throw them in the wash.  They can even be re-used and then composted!  I make my own detergent, but that was totally beyond my scope of experience.  However, I decided to give it a try since they seemed awesome. I went to the Laundry Tree website and placed an order for a sample pack.  It was only $1.99, so I figured if I didn't like them, it was no real waste of money. Well, not much of one anyway lol.  When I received the packet, I opened it up and this is what I saw:

Yes, this is what they really look like!

I just stared at them, like how the heck are these little turd nuggets going to get my laundry clean? But I decided to go ahead and give them a chance.  You place 3-4 of these nuts in a small linen bag (which is included) and throw them in the wash.  This is for warm/hot water washing.  There's another set of directions for cold water washing.  I chose to do school uniforms - a true test lol!  I added a scoop of my homemade oxyclean to make sure that my whites stayed bright. (Recommended)  I followed all of the directions and crossed my fingers.  When I pulled the clothes out... SURPRISE! They were just as clean as the detergent that I make.  Most of the clothes were hung up immediately.  No scent, and they work great for those of us with sensitive skin.  All four of us have super sensitive skin, so when my youngest wore her shirt the next day and there were no ill effects, I was sold. I washed two more loads of clothes and then threw them in the compost bin.  I am giving away sample packs with all of my Christmas gifts. <3

Homemade Dishwashing Detergent and Rinse Aid

How I wish that the above picture were true! A holiday from apron strings.. what a lovely dream. I will admit that my dishwasher makes my life easier, but it's just one small aspect of taking care of my kitchen. *le sigh*  I was a fan of the Cascade action packs, but the cost, the labels that read as a "who's who" in poison, etc. prompted me to look for other options.  After reading up on it, and searching the internet for other options, I found that this formula works best for me:

I've been using this for a minute as a test, so I trust it!

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

Ingredients

1–box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (I found mine at Kroger in the laundry aisle)
1–box of 20 Mule Team Borax
1–box of coarse Kosher Salt
1-container food-grade Citric Acid = I had some already, but you can find it online (Amazon.com/ebay) extra cheap, or you can find it in spice specialty stores. Kroger has it sometimes, and it's either called Citric Acid or Sour Salt. If you cannot find this you can substitute 2 lemon Kool-aid packets per batch that you make. They have to be lemon, because otherwise, they'll discolor the inside of your dishwasher.

Rinse Aid
1 – gallon of White Vinegar

In a container with a lid (Old coffee cans work great) mix:

1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup citric acid

Shake well! That's it! When you pour it into your dishwasher cup, use about 1 tablespoon of the mix. It will clump together, but that's fine. It's because of the citric acid.

For the rinse aid, simply fill up your rinse aid compartment with vinegar. Not only does it keep your dishwasher clean and deodorized, it's great for the dishes.

Homemade Febreze

I've been tinkering with making my own household cleaning products for a while now.  From the expense, to the artificial smell, to the decidedly bad environmental factor, I decided to go the natural route.  I know that there is no one recipe that will work for everyone, but here is a recipe to make your own "Febreze."

Homemade "Febreze" 

1/2 to 1 cup liquid laundry softener (I love Downy Lavender/Vanilla, or Gain's Apple Mango Tango)
1 cup vinegar
2 to 3 cups water

Mix everything in a spray bottle, and just spray it as you would with Febreze. This works well on most fabrics, including furniture, carpets and pet areas.  The possibilities are endless!

You can play with the amounts, as far as the ingredients go. If you find that you have a thin white film on your items, you may need to add more water.