Mommy's Project 52:16 Organizing

I am a first born.  I am a Virgo.  These two things together make for one very Type A personality, one which thrives on order, obedience, and routine.  I also have ADD.  That alone makes for one scattered, busy, obsessive, and disorganized person.  Add ADD to a first born Virgo, and that's one hot mess.

This is the real sign of a Virgo

While thriving on order and routine, I am easily taken off track, I get distracted rather easily, and become disorganized in a flash.  As hard as I try, it seems nearly impossible to stay neat and orderly sometimes.  Even my mind becomes a mess of lists, ideas, plans, and tasks.  Having two small children, it seems that any time I get one area of the house cleaned and organized, it's only a few minutes before the tornado goes through and everything is a virtual disaster.  Let's not even think about my desk at work.  Don't even start with keeping track of any of our social lives, either.  Sigh.

That said, I never, OK rarely, let the house get to a point where A&E would want to come film us for a special on hoarders homes in disarray.  I have learned over the years to let things take their natural course and do my best to keep things from sending me over the edge.  I do need order for my own mental health, but, I've learned to cope with an environment that is not entirely neat and tidy, especially since having children.

I stopped short of putting them
in alphabetical order

My fridge is always an OCD dream.  Everything in its place, everything facing front, and lined up nicely.  We do our best to keep the shoes from overtaking the family room and entry way, but pretty often we're tripping over our own feet shoes.  My pride and joy, though, is my car.  It's my sanctuary, of sorts, and it's the one area that I have full and complete control over.  No food, no drinks, no mess.  Just the interior, two car seats, and my reusable shopping bags stacked nicely in the back.  Ah, serenity. 

Doesn't look like much, but it's kid crap nirvana for Mommy

In 2010 we embarked on a project to make our basement a functional space rather than the place we just shoved the kids' toys and a big TV in hopes that someone would find it appealing.  It's an unfinished basement, and we needed to give the kids their own place while preserving somewhat of an adult space, where we weren't all on top of each other while enjoying the basement.  But what to do with the four tons of art project stuff, 10,000 pieces of plastic food, and countless items that the kids collect over time?  We had some shelves which we were originally using for storage, but decided they were better put to use for the kids' stuff.  We now have a fully organized space where the kids have their own area, and we have an area for storage of holiday stuff and all that crap you can't get rid of. 

Single file lines, just like in school

In 2011 our big organizing project was the that doesn't have a place so put it in there guest room.  This included a wall system by Elfa, which we hoped would minimize the space needed for the computer, books, and give me an organized space from which to pay bills.  I will never be called to have my room photographed for one of their catalogs, though.

Now to organize the organizer....

I can't read magazines like Real Simple or Better Homes and Gardens, I get too overwhelmed, then disappointed.  I can declutter with the best of them, but keeping it that way is my biggest challenge.  Luckily, I've adapted and can tell you where something is without much thought.  It may be in a pile or under some papers on the counter, but I know where it is.