Confessions of a Disorganized Housewife: Fessing Up

These days, if you want to come and visit, you're entirely welcome. Just plan on coming early in the week. 

You know what they say about the road to hell right? It's paved with good intentions. When we first moved here I was Susie Homemaker. I stuck with my routines, went to bed at a decent hour, Baby Bear was in a great mood... life was good. We even got some painting done and even a little decorating. I'll do a post on the kitchen and dining room soon, we just need to finish up in that area. 

But then came things that got in the way. Started chatting on Facebook messenger with friends until Jim came home from work. After dinner chores got pushed aside. We had to run here or there for myriad reasons from helping out a relative to just plain boredom. It rained a lot so that painting wasn't advisable (from what I've read if you paint on rainy days it doesn't dry properly). Seizures and meltdowns reared their ugly heads a few times. In short, while I have been continuing to try and keep the place neat and orderly while making the house more into home, it's been more like swimming upstream while the other fish are busily heading downstream: you're putting out a lot of effort but you're really not getting anywhere.

One thing I've kept up with though, is (mostly) managing to keep Mondays free of distraction so I can get the house back in order. The weekends are now the true weekends so unless I'm babysitting on Sunday, not a lot of housework is being done on Saturday. And somewhere along the lines of Friday, the brains in this house tend to forget where shoes go, and things tend to fall by the wayside. 

That's where Mondays come in. That's my time to restore order to the living room, bathroom, kitchen and dining room. The rooms get picked up, the dishes are caught up, the bathroom gets a good scrub down, and the carpets get a good vacuuming. All that fun stuff. Most of it, anyway. 

Slowly though, I'm figuring out the spring time slump and getting back into a more feasible routine. A load or two of laundry gets done most days, and today I wrote up some rules for a happy kitchen:

• dishes are done by the end of the night and at the very least are put in the drainer to dry if not put away.
• litter boxes are patrolled daily with regular scrubbing
• Floor to be swept nightly
• Trash taken out nightly.

If I can get back in the habit of making sure those are done regularly, as well as mastering the art of menu planning (and sticking with said plans) I think I can keep a handle on the housework so I can better spend my time with Baby Bear and the Hubs, as well as work in time for writing and art work. Home Sweet House is relatively small, which I am thankful for when it comes to keeping the housework manageable. 

So there you have it, folks, my confession for the day. Now, if you'll excuse me, the laundry needs rebooting and dishes are calling. Have a great Monday.

This is Charlie, holding the tv down so it doesn't fly away each night, lol.

It's Finally Friday! Take Some Time

It is finally Friday! I thought I'd sit and write a bit while Baby Bear relaxes. Honestly, I'm hoping he naps today so I can get a little bit of a snooze in myself. Yes, finally I have learned to sleep while he sleeps. Most of the time. 

It's been a nice day so far.  No appointments, no trips to the grocery store, no tantrums. In fact, for lunch the Hubs was nice enough to prepare quesajitas --I'm thinking he created that combo. It's a cross between quesadillas and chicken fajitas. Yummy!--while I took a few minutes to make a card or two. I love being creative when I can. I don't always get a lot of time to do that, so I take advantage when I can. It's a great stress reliever.

Sorry for the sideways cards. I just recently upgraded something on the computer and I'm still figuring it out. I'd like to say that I came up with the design for these cards. Nope. They all use the same stamp set from Stampin Up!  and were part of a program my demonstrator does. Basically, participants agree to buy the set she chooses, along with a few other tools such as ink pads. The demonstrator, as part of the price, sends precut card stock and any embellishments needed to finish the cards.  It's fun and for now gives me a few minutes to play without having to think too hard. With Baby Bear, sometimes that's the best way to handle it.  

Speaking of that sweet young man of mine, that nap I was hoping for just went out the window. He's currently laughing and tapping the love seat to get my attention. Translation: Boredom! Time to get moving again. Have a great weekend.

Autism Wednesday: Confessions of Life with Baby Bear

So....I haven't written in a long time. Oh, I've had intentions of writing. I even came up with a blog post or two...that never made it from my computer to here. Life has been filled with the usual ups and downs that find us all. Baby Bear has done so great at times and I've wanted to share those moments --and then there are days that really just make me want to throw my hands up in surrender and say, Come take him. I can't handle it anymore. Those are the times that really break my heart. I know there are parents who have had to make the painful decision to place their child in a residential home of some sort. The one time we came really close to actually doing it --we were informed that the state wouldn't take him. They have no place for young adults with moderate to severe autism. We never pursued it so I have no idea how true that statement is. I do know, however, that in the hierarchy of state funds, adults with special needs are very low on the totem pole. But you know what? Honestly and truly I don't want to place my son in a home that isn't mine. I know there are loving people who become caregivers, and I also know that one day he may very well end up in one anyway, due to the deaths of The Hubs and me, or that we are just too old and frail to care for him properly. At the same time, I can't imagine not having J in the house each night.

The times that I do consider placement are born out of frustration, anger, and fear. This is a home we plan to stay in for a very long time if we can. We are the ones responsible for repairs. It makes me feel better that I don't have the worry of a landlord throwing us out because J broke something, but it also makes my heart sink when I see the damage that has occurred in J's room already. Sometime very soon, as in the next few weeks or so, we will be learning all about replacing dry wall. At the same time, we are considering what to put on the walls that is sturdy enough to withstand the banging, but wont seriously hurt his hands. Quite obviously plain, painted walls aren't going to cut it in his room. If a crack or hole is knocked in it, his OCD  kicks in and he starts picking at it, particularly if he's angry or bored. See where this is going? Yeah, not pretty. There are books, magazine articles and blog posts galore on baby proofing your home.  Baby Bear proofing? Not so much. I feel like I'm paving the way on this one. 

So...yeah. That's pretty much life here at Dottie's Life these days. Mostly good, some not so good, and learning to tread water again. I won't promise to write posts because we've seen how that goes here. But please don't give up on me. I have lots to tell you about. I just stumbled once again and let life pull at me. I want to write at least three posts a week, if not more. If I lag, please feel free to contact me. I love hearing from you even if I don't get a chance to respond.  For now, housework calleth, as does Baby Bear. He's "talking" to me in his own language, wanting attention. I do love his sense of humor.

 Baby Bear doesn't like getting his hair cut very often due to sensitivity issues. But I do love his mischievous smile. Doesn't he clean up good?