Update 05-21-2012

Ok so I gathered all the papers in the house and divided them into school related and then OTHER...whatever else there is because if I did what I wanted and sorted by type like junk mail or coupons or whatever so it would have stopped me dead in my tracks because I would get hung up on perfection...and yeah couldn't do that to myself...but did the piles so its not so over whelming for my husband...so this gave me an idea...I am going to sort the house out by kind of clutter and yeah haven't started yet but thats the plan so we can see how much of the same thing we have...because I know there is a bunch of the same or similar things...anyways....thats the game plan though...

I went to rake the leaves outside my house and found the broken rake and that's all I had and after doing half a wall worth I decided I was going to find the other one...so I went into our cluttered garage to find it and found three strollers I been meaning to get rid of so I dug those out (which was unburrying a handle that looked like the rake so there was motive behind my madness) I dragged them all out and took pictures to send to a friend I thought may want it...but she didn't so I decided to spray them down with shout stain lifter and then power spray it with the hose...the stains didn't come out but oh well...then my neighbor came over and asked about my garden which got me going to start to pull the grass out of it...and she said she would come back with her mom and help but never came back so I got a little done on that then remembered the task at hand...well long story short the handle wasn't to the rake and I had to use the broken one and drag all the leaves away from the house then shovel it will a snow shovel because I didn't know where the shovel was and to prevent myself from getting sucked into any other sidetracks I just grabbed what was out in plain sight....so yeah it worked and got the job at hand done and I weelburrowed the debris to the compost pile we got going...so I got it done just had a few sidetracks which is why I am a SHE as flylady explains (Sidetrack Home Executive) See where I get the hoarding executive ha ha...so not only do I sidetrack but yes I have a handle on my hoarding tendencies I have refrained from buying anything...I will walk around with stuff in my cart for a while then go and put it back after reasoning in my head...will you really seriously ever use it? and would you use it more than just today? and another one thats good to keep me from buying stuff no matter how good of a deal it is...is WHERE WILL I PUT IT? that one really makes me put everything back and that is that and I didn't cave into the urge to buy such a great deal...so...my suggestion and actually high recommendation is when you are at the store and you are impulsively buying because of a great buy...ask yourself those questions for a while walking around the store with the items in your cart...and really rationalize and put emphasis on the where you will put it...if that doesn't detour you from buying stuff...there are counselors out there that can seriously help you overcome this addiction/disorder...

Anyways, notice I am working outside now instead of inside? Well my husband wants to clean the house before we put a bun in the oven to have a baby in May or June we need to put the bun in the oven in Aug....so yeah gotta step it up into high gear and get through all this junk and get the house ready for baby before the bun can even get into the oven...so yeah...really want to...but very much discouraged...my husband stopped at a garage sale and brought home MORE STUFF!!!! stuff we couldn't live without...so yeah...very discouraging...we are trying to get rid of stuff and he is bringing home stuff quicker than I am shoving it out the door...so feel my wheels spinning and not getting anywhere...so today I put one of the three strollers on ebay which is only running one week for local pickup only...so if your interested and you live elsewhere than Wichita KS then your going to have to travel here to get it...and it would be whole lots cheaper than shipping and handling trust me...anyways...I don't think it will sale because I am so honest and yeah spared them the disappointment when they received it because of the stains but I seriously think they would come out if you put them through the wash...anyways thats all in the details or description whatever....so thats one step closer to getting rid of strollers we no longer will be needing because I bought a new one at the thrift shop awhile back....so yeah that was back when I was weak in my thought control methods...so yeah...I am better have my slip ups every now and then but haven't in a very long ...anyways...I am recovering now to teach my husband the same methods to help keep him from buying so much stuff...fingers crossed!
Anyway talk to you later.
Sincerely,
Rabeka Jo

This weeks attempts

Well I been sorting papers into two piles one related to school (including: drawings, art, teachers notes, menus, etc.) and the other is "other papers" which is anything BUT school/kid related...so I got not too tall of piles going as to not overwhelm but seems my hoarder doesn't want to go through them yet...ok so kinda at a stand still because if I keep adding to it, they will just become overwhelming and nothing will ever come of it...so may try a different approach...may sort it even farther down into art, writing, reading, report cards/progress reports, and teacher notes/menus...see if that's less overwhelming assuming that's the problem...
Anyways, been setting the timer so not to get burned out and just picking one item to gather (papers)...throughout the house...next will be toys and sort those by type again, just to show how many of each kind we actually have and show we can afford to let a few go because we still will have plenty...
After the toys are under control again, I will be tackling my hobby stuff and send my husband to his hobbies and tools and such...I am tempted to help him with his and sort by type and with tools sizes and show him how many of the same he has and hope he can part with some...and same with my crafts really contemplate if I really will ever pick them back up or actually sit down and learn on a few of them...and get rid of them if need be.
Anyways, it's of course a slow process as usually it is since the house didn't get this way over night it surely won't get better that fast either...so I'm taking my baby steps and decluttering (well at least trying to) I had a few things I thought could go away but he told me where to put them instead...at least they have a home now...just wish it wasn't in our home...oh well...I'm giving him the power over what goes and stays and I am not really sure if that's what he really wants so I'm going to ask him and see what he wants from me since it seems he is annoyed and discouraged for whatever reason. You know get on the same page.
Anyway ttyl,
Sincerely,
Rabeka Jo

going to be over stepping my boundaries soon

Alright, I am tired of the clutter its past time for me to step up to the plate but I think we finally found a medication that helps with my pain...which means I do have Neuropathy which is where my nerves send signals to my brain saying pain pain pain but when in fact there is no pain at all its just misfired nerves...I am on neurontin which so far has been a blessing in the pain department but in the OCD and can't sleep department it has really taken its tole on me...but the pain is managed so I can soon get this spring cleaning underway and hopefully not step too far over my boundaries and get rid of a bunch of our stuff that is cluttering our lives making me feel like a hoarder. It no doubt will be hard...I will struggle to get rid of things but it just has to happen...I can't live like this anymore...yes I wish someone would come in and direct me...but the only reason for this as my wise aunt told me...is because I don't want to take blame if it doesn't turn out well and someone points out the faults in the progress...then I wouldn't own that shame or disappointment...who ever directed me will be to blame...so I just gotta set out and do it for me and to please me and my family and thats all that matters...I don't need others approval other than them anyway...which is a hard thing to overcome but I am working on that...anyway...life definitely hasn't been easy...we lost my husband's sister...she died...its been hard on us all...anyway...I just gotta suck everything up and do what needs to be done so hopefully soon I will have updates on a regular basis and progress to brag about...I gotta go back to www.flylady.net and get my fly on...and just do 5 mins then 10 mins then 15 mins then 20 mins and thats it...I don't have to do any more cleaning than that at a time...I probably will stay at one level of minutes for a while gradually getting more time on the clock...but the limit is not to burn myself out on the task at hand which is easy for me to do...as with anyone...so yeah...I as usual have big plans and I do plan to follow through this time...I know I have said it before...and didn't...I am the best at starting things that I don't finish...one of the faults I have to live with every waking hour of every day...I can't wait till the day I accomplish what I set out to do...that will be such a great day for me...it will mean I can do anything I set out to do...and yeah...this whole trying to get instruction from others so I have someone to blame if it doesn't work...yeah gotta stop that...for sure...anyways...
I will talk to you later everyone.
God Bless you and keep your hearts light and your feet firmly planted on the ground
Sincerely,
Rabeka Jo
p.s. what have you gotten done in your hoard progress? brag in the comments below...maybe it will encourage me to get to it and stick to it...I appreciate all my followers and I hope you can learn something from me and apply it to your lives as well as you to comment and inspire me to keep going...thank you for your time...talk to you later :-)

Candy Hoarding

An Executive hoarder will keep candy from last year Halloween and when its thrown out will go through the trash picking out what candy was thrown out that is "still good" because "sugar doesn't go bad"...but does it? I think it does but I could be wrong so correct me if I am wrong please so I don't feel I should down the candy just to get it done and ate so the end of battle of what is good and whats is bad...I know when candy has spots that is obviously gone bad and I threw those out and anything opened was tossed as well but pixie sticks were rescued and things in wrappers and gum that hasn't been opened but unknown date when it was obtained but yeah OK I won't argue it was like we never had it but yeah waste not want not right?

OK enough venting about the most ridiculous thing I have ever witnessed hoarded in my life, thought I had seen it all on the show hoarding but I stand corrected lol...and I totally flashed back to the show with the fit he was throwing sifting through the trash salvaging the still good candy...anyways yeah...whatever I allow it cuz he allows my hoarding of other catagories LOL!

Alrighty but the root behind this hoard I would think that there was starving children some place in the world that would love to eat year old candy or something along that line LMAO

Anyway ttyl

Update Nov. 2, 2011

It has been awhile since I updated...so....Been kind of out of commission because of dizzy spells then my back went out, but we got a lot done lately so I thought I would update and brag about it...OK not a lot to most people but to me its a lot...so there!
We took out the queen bed from our oldest son's room and took it to my husband's parents house for my father in law to use as their bed cause he isn't able to sleep since his stroke and knee replacement (prayers are welcomed thanks), and we traded out the toddler bed in our youngest son's room too. We went to a garage sale and scored twin frames two of them the first one was by chance and the second was just a blessing that was hidden :-) see I went up to the lady having the sale and asked saying you probably don't have a twin bed frame do you? and she said yes down in my basement actually and I was like wow really? and she said yeah you can come on down and look if you want I went and looked and it was beautiful! so they tore the bed frame apart and called me the next day and we went to pick it up and the husband spotted behind some stuff the other matching twin bed frame and we ended up getting both for 20 bucks :-) awesome! no fights they were the same so yeah that was awesome! OK then we got rid of some clothes, shoes, sandals, and some food we won't use and some food that we thought a family in need would enjoy, which we had a friend of this family in need come and get them who was a friend of a friend of a friend so yeah complicated more than how I found out about the situation, Facebook post posted by one of my friends...anyways got the clothes and food to them and they were very thankful...my friend is supposed to get to some clothes and give them to me to give to them too...but not sure when that will be...they are very busy. Anyways, the boys rooms look better. I put four tubs of toys in my youngest son's closet so his room doesn't have a tower of tubs that scared me cause they were so tall...anyways glad that's resolved, our living room is still cluttered our kitchen is still cluttered and dinning and entryway but we got rid of some more stuff and every bit helps right? someday we will have a clutter free home right? baby steps as Flylady says with her great program that does work its the applying it that I struggle with...I am guilty of being a SHE you will have to visit www.flylady.net to figure out what a SHE is. You probably are guilty of being one too ;-)
Anyways, just thought I would update you. I have a tip to add from experience with my executive hoarder husband...I am just as guilty as being as bad but yeah...lesson was learned on my part...anyways ttyl
Sincerely,
Rabeka Jo

my progress as of 09/07/2011 or should I say digress?

Well pretty much things are at a stand still...though we did get rid of ONE box of stuff to the DAV so I guess that is a little progress but we did tend to splurge the other day for Jack's birthday this weekend. He is going to be 6 this year, but we found the Clearance isle at K-mart and got a bit more than we probably should have...it all having thoughts to be Christmas gifts but they were such great buys we couldn't say no...ugh! I hate this way of thinking in the moment of shopping...so I have to get into Over Haul mode and down size before the mother load hits this Christmas otherwise I will never get on top of the toy situation ever!
The weather has been awesome and I really should be going through the garage to get rid of more stuff or better organize it (ha ha who am I kidding you can't organize clutter!)...anyways...just been too busy with the kids to really do any of that...we had plans of cleaning the garage the other day and ended up spending the whole day going to pet shops then ended up at the animal shelter to get a Guinea Pig for the boys...just what we need a pet that I am no doubt allergic to...ever since we got it, I have had a runny nose but it also might be the seasonal allergies kicking in but my eyes really burn in the house now...so who knows...anyways...I have a lot of hopes and dreams but I just can't seem to convince myself to just gun ho and get to it...its like the motivational fairy has just passed me by and I really need her to come and beat me with her wand! ugh! Once I get started I tend to keep going and going and going...its just the getting started part that I struggle with...and once I hit a bump in the road, like something I don't know what my husband would want to do with it so I put it in a box and then that box gets full and I am like wow this is really going no where cause I am just moving it from one place to another and really not making head way...and feel like I am running my wheels in the mud...but anyways...I do clean at least once a week with the sweeping and the mopping and dishes get done every other day to every day and the laundry maybe once or twice a week...but lately with my stomach hurting I have to admit my husband has been doing all of that...
That's another thing, I have something going on with my stomach, it hurts so bad I am doubled over and I went to a specialist and he is doing a colonoscopy on me to make sure nothing else is going on than IBS as he suspects it to be...I hope they find something and it is an instant fix and all will be well and it won't be all in my head as many people around me I feel treat me...anyways enough about me.
I just really need that motivational fairy to come and beat the heck out of me and get this party started...with the kids being in school all day I can accomplish things if only I could get started ugh!

Sincerely,
Rabeka Jo

Update Aug. 15, 2011

Well guys, today was kind of a hard day for me it was my daughter's who was adopted out birthday she turned 11 today so that means 7 more years until she is old enough to come and find me. I miss her terribly bad and her sister who turned 12 back in March. But today I tackled my kitchen counters. I am going to leave the hoard in the garage that is out of sight out of mind there until I can get the hoard inside my home under control and well able to be used as its intended or get rid of what can't be used or whatever it is I am trying to say and do lol.

Funny how I just move my clutter around cause nothing really has a home yet...I really need to figure out where to put the things that I really do need to keep hold of cause I do use them often instead of letting them float from one hot spot to the next...because thats what I do with everything move it from the counter to the stove to the top of the microwave to the dining room table to the entertainment center table that is just cluttered with stuff without electronics on it to my desk to my couch even! Ugh! Stop the madness! But how? I am still trying to figure this out and soon as I figure it out, you know I am going to be posting it here on my blog.

Anyways I worked long and hard and boxed up all the clutter that don't have a home yet, but are needed to be saved for my husband to go through later, I wasn't partial to hardly any of it but he might be so I kept it all for him, not to step on his toes. Anyways, I cleaned the counter with green works and paper towels I wiped down the coffee maker, the microwave on the outside and underneath the toaster, microwave, and coffee maker. I still need to unload the dishwasher and reload it, so I can better scrub the sink with cleaner products cause I don't want to use the products with dishes in the sink because I'm paranoid about the cleaner sticking to the dishes and making us sick. So yeah. The way I got started was the www.flylady.net way by starting my timer I set it for 30 mins which since I am back in shape I believed and successfully did two 30 min sessions without a hiccup though now I am stuck in front of my computer blogging to you guys :-) but I am enjoying sharing with you all my accomplishments.

I also cleaned the electric can opener with a toothbrush and cleaner then rinsed (unplugged of course) with water (and the part I rinsed was detachable) Anyways, it looks brand new! That reminds me I still need to clean the inside of the Microwave too, and the front of the cabinets and dish washer :-) then that half of the Kitchen is done. But this will probably have to wait till tomorrow sometime, since I am already ready for bed.

Anyways, I just thought I would update you all on my progress.

Sincerely,
Rabeka Jo D
P.S. we didn't get pregnant this month at least so the pregnancy test 5 days prior to my expected monthly said no...but we will keep trying :-)