Cluttered Mamas, how do you feel?

[hellbennt]

The thread about our random quirks got me to posting here...

There's a post about clutter, post#26

I love, love, love clutter. Not like the whacko people where there are small paths between stacks of newspaper clutter, but your garden variety papers all over and books out etc, etc,. I find it all very comforting and I am such a visual person I need stuff where I can see it or I forget about it!

I, too, live a cluttered life. But I'm not sure that I can say I 'love' it? I would like to discuss how clutter makes us Cluttered Mamas feel...

For me, I get embarrassed sometimes to have people over. My house isn't that bad and it's only recently that it's started to bother me...for me, having a cluttered house makes me feel like I'm not 'grown up.'

I actually PM'd Fairy to start this thread, LOL, bcse she seems to start threads like this...

So, anyone care to 'discuss?'

living amongst piles and papers,

~laura

[amldaley]

Clutter makes me feel claustrophobic. It makes me feel like my life is out of control is some way. It makes me feel like I am lazy and what the heck is so wrong with me that I just can't get myself freakin' organized???

I fight clutter and clutter always wins. I've been doin' since I was a young kid (but I don't come out grinnin'). I fight clutter, clutter always wins.

I have been in a desperate struggle to "get organized" for most of my life. It is way worse with a kid and a full-time job. And it is not just "getting" organized but living within the organization. And it is not about fancy products, as I know after spending an annual salary at The Container Store. It is about a process. A process I am, apparently, incapable of mastering.

I am terrified my daughters brain is being programmed to see the mess around us as "normal" and she will be a clutterer as well.

[fivi2]

I have a lot of clutter. I do *try* to keep it from crossing a line into messiness. (My mother was always on the very messy side of the line, and now she is like a hoarder with stacks and stacks everywhere in a very dirty house. So I have that image keeping me from letting things get too bad!)

Fortunately (or unfortunately) dh is pretty messy too, so there isn't any argument there.

When my house is super clean, I feel uncomfortable!

I try to keep the front room decent enough so that if someone stops by I am not embarrassed. Same with the kitchen and bathroom. But, I don't have high standards!

My main clutter areas are the master bedroom (stacks of books. lots of books) and my desk in the playroom. I don't really care if the playroom looks messy and no one goes in my bedroom! I don't have clutter like knick-knacks, my clutter tends to be books and papers and mail. So that is pretty easy to tuck away before someone comes over. I let the kid chaos get out of control on occasion, but for some reason their clutter doesn't embarrass me if someone sees it...

I always had a messy desk when I worked, but none of my bosses every cared!

eta: I have recently started trying to get rid of a lot of stuff in our house. (our house is tiny and we have a ton of clothes, etc). It really helps to keep the clutter under control when I am not trying to cram too many things in too small of a space! I have found that just having less works better than the fancy organizers mentioned by pp But, I still have a hard time putting some things away! Like mail and magazines and lists!

[hellbennt]

[Clutter] it makes me feel like my life is out of control is some way. It makes me feel like I am lazy and what the heck is so wrong with me that I just can't get myself freakin' organized???

I fight clutter and clutter always wins. I've been doin' since I was a young kid (but I don't come out grinnin'). I fight clutter, clutter always wins.

I have been in a desperate struggle to "get organized" for most of my life. It is way worse with a kid and a full-time job. And it is not just "getting" organized but living within the organization. And it is not about fancy products, as I know after spending an annual salary at The Container Store. It is about a process. A process I am, apparently, incapable of mastering.

I am terrified my daughters brain is being programmed to see the mess around us as "normal" and she will be a clutterer as well.

I hear you on the laziness! like I'm a slacker or something. I like how you've gotten it down to the process of it all..this really resonates with me. Because I swear, if I had the money I would love to hire someone to come and organize my house and actually teach me how to do it and, this might sound weird, but show me where things should go! Seriously, I grew up in an unorganized, cluttered, crazy house (not too crazy, but my mother has ADHD and is literally all over the place- she's actually much better now, I do believe - better w/ the clutter not the ADHD,lol!) and I don't know where things 'go.' I would have no problem if someone came into my kitchen, for example, and totally rearranged where I put things. I am so not attached to having plates here, glasses there, etc. I try to be logical about things but it doesn't always work!

Like the one area of the kitchen counter that seems to be a catch-all! So I decided to be logical: I cleared out the cabinet space under the counter, thinking that I would just put the counter-clutter in the cabinet...well, the cabinet is now organized (yay me, lol!) w/ the kids' art supplies but the counter is still as cluttered as ever! *sigh*

anyone in miami want to do a huge mitzvah (good deed) and come here and organize me? (seriously.)

as for my kids, for some reason this is easier...I have them clean up and we have bins for things, etc. but ds1's room still has a table in it cluttered with stuff. eventually I'll clear it off...but where does 'stuff' go? ah, the never ending question...

and it *is* hard w/ kids (2) and being a WOHM...

[fivi2]

snip

as for my kids, for some reason this is easier...I have them clean up and we have bins for things, etc. but ds1's room still has a table in it cluttered with stuff. eventually I'll clear it off...but where does 'stuff' go? ah, the never ending question...

and it *is* hard w/ kids (2) and being a WOHM...

tbh, I have basically one bin per room for the "stuff" that doesn't have a home. It isn't ideal, but at the end of the day (or so) I do a sweep - the "stuff" goes in the bin. I put away what I can and leave the rest in the bin - at least it is out of sight!

[SnuggleBuggles]

I usually don't mind or even see the clutter but when it gets to me, it really gets to me. I much prefer it when the house is not cluttered.

Beth

[JustMe]

This is an issue for me. On one hand, I am against cleaning/putting away stuff all the time, on the other hand I do feel stressed, unable to fully enjoy being with dd while the stuff is there. I am too tired to do both (clean clutter, play with dd) while working as many hours as I do, so I kind of feel stuck about the best way to handle this. I am not one who feels my house needs to be spotless, but at some point that line will kick in. I tend to not even "see" the stuff until that line happens and then I feel stuck.

[KrisM]

I am finally getting clutter under control.

Growing up, my mom was a clutter person and she didn't care if our rooms were clean as she'd just shut the door. I wish that I had learned to be neater back then. I hope I'm early enough now that my kids will learn to be more organized as adults.

I hated having to walk around with a laundry basket to hide stuff before guests arrive. I'm now at the point that, with a few exceptions, my house is reasonable looking even for surprise company. Well, my downstairs. I'm working on finishing the downstairs and then will tackle upstairs.

I know I've mentioned it bunches of times here, but I love www.orgjunkie.com. She has before/after pictures and if you search and go through the links of comments, you can see a lot of ways of doing the same thing. I've spent hours looking through things and coming up with what works for me. That is the key - what works for me. Someone else's ideas are great, but if I don't do them, they aren't so great.

I've also spent the past 6 months getting rid of stuff. For a month, I spent 10 min./day filling a bag or box to either donate, sell, or toss. I got rid of lots of things that I really didn't need.

[StantonHyde]

I do NOT feel bad about my clutter. I like it. I hate going to houses where there is nothing there. My brother's house feels like a museum. There is nothing extra, the girls are not allowed to leave out a tea party to play with it after lunch etc etc. I would rather play with my kids or relax etc than clean--bottom line.

My computer area at home is cluttered and my coffee tables have stacks of stuff. I have a "crap table" in the kitchen where we pile everything that doesn't have a home. I have a big play room for the kids where their stuff goes. Basically, there is a method to the madness.

I clean the kitchen every day (usually) because I can't stand dirty dishes and dirt on the counters. I do have to pick up all the stuff and get it off the floor etc once a week so the cleaning ladies can clean. That is a very good control for me. DH is not a clutter hound and hates it. So that is a decent compromise for him. He spends time cleaning his stuff and then bitches because he doesn't get enough time to do stuff he wants to do.
If it gets to the point where I don't know where stuff is, I clean it up. And that happens at least every other month or so. (e.g. my computer area, the play room, the crap table)

I always dress neatly and am EXCEEDINGLY organized at work and have a very organized schedule with my kids etc etc. People are very surprised to learn that I lead a cluttered life--I consider it my alter ego.

[niccig]

I HATE not being able to find something and running around crazily looking for it at the last minute. It gets me all stressed out. That said, my house is cluttered. I got a system working when DS was about 18 months, and then it fell apart last year. I'm working to get something back together.

I don't want the museum house. DS can leave toys out overnight in the corner of the family room. But I have to be able to find the school permission slip when I need it, and I hate having to clean off counters/dining room table to cook or eat.

It is a process, and if you don't keep it up then things will fall apart. It's also very personal. Everyone has their own comfort level and systems that work for them.