Five people, four of whom are under the age of 12, and two cats living under one roof can create quite a mess. And when the one adult, who is the only one who seems to care about the mess, works 45-50 hours a week plus various evening activities, homework and basic hygiene, it really piles up after a while. And this adult is feeling the stress.
My Mom commented that I should take things one step at a time and declare a moratorium (this is the vocabulary word of the year) on:
a) dishes in the living room and
b) pencils, crayons and other writing implements carelessly strewn about.
So, I bought a pencil cup and put on the kitchen counter. I even artfully arranged pencils in it, in hopes that it would inspire the little people into using it.
Her other piece of advice was to take back one small space at a time. She suggested I clear a perimeter around my bed. Sort of a relaxing, clutter-free Mom-zone. I liked the idea but tackling my bedroom, which I share with my almost 12 year old daughter, felt a little too huge even after considering her idea of taping off my “clean zone” and focusing on that only. I think the problem is that I can still SEE the rest of the mess under my daughter’s lofted bed and the huge pile of unwashed laundry in the closet.
I decided to tackle the garage. Actually, I didn’t plan to clean the garage. It just sort of happened. Then I got on a roll and into the groove and I just kept going until it was done.
This project started like many projects do… in a completely different area. In this case, the front closet. I needed to get to the back of the closet in order to pull out winter coats, hats, mittens and boots. In order to get these things, I needed to pull out my Eliptical machine. And the Eliptical machine is something I plan to post on Craigslist, since I am not using it because:
a) there’s NO ROOM in my townhouse and
b) if I really felt ambitious I could go over to the exercise room and use an elliptical or treadmill there
c) I am not that ambitious.
However, getting the machine out of the closet, while wondering how I ever got it IN the closet, is about the equivalent of a 30 minute cardio workout in itself. But I won’t be doing THAT every day.
So, now that the beast is out of the closet, I dragged it to the kitchen and photographed it so that I can post pictures on my ad. But I can’t leave it in the kitchen, taking up valuable real estate there…I must find another home until I get it posted and sold. Enter the garage!
Whew!
So, in order to make this exercise beast fit into my garage and still be able to drive my van in, I needed to reorganize. I did have the foresight earlier of a possible venture of this nature and I had bought 8 red hooks for hanging bikes from the ceiling. I was kinda sorta sure I could figure out how to get them onto the ceiling and fairly almost certain I could then get the bikes up onto the hooks.
I think.
Maybe.
OK. I was willing to give it a good try before calling a male friend for help.
A few weeks ago, I had bought myself a tool box and a small lock. It was a necessity since my tools seem to grow legs and disappear. I had to purchase a 4th hammer this past weekend. And I still haven’t found my measuring tape. But the tools I do have are now safely locked in their box.
So, I gathered my tools and assessed my project. I looked at the screw ends of these hooks and figured I would need to make a hole before twisting them into the ceiling. Not a bad assessment for a girl. I was frustrated that I didn’t have my measuring tape or a stud finder. But then I looked up and the light went on.
It’s a garage. And while it is sheet-rocked, the seams are not covered in mud and tape! Brilliant! So, I began to pound my nail starter-thingy and didn’t even whack my thumb. Pretty soon, I had the first bike hung. I was impressed. Next thing I knew, the kids poked their heads out and they were really impressed and asked if they could ride the bike while it hung from the ceiling.
That would be a big NO.
While hanging the 2nd bike, I couldn’t quite see the hook and the tire slipped. Next thing I know, I have a bike bouncing on top of my head. Thank goodness, no one was around to see it. I managed to get it hung up without further incident. I also got the other two hung up on the other side of the garage. The space that opened up on the garage floor was astounding.
I was brutal. I swept and rearranged. I tossed toys and lots of leaves and garbage. And the garage looks clean. Better yet, the Eliptical Beast has a spot and it isn’t in the way! But my incentive for posting it online has diminished because it is tucked away so tidily. Maybe I should pull it out a little so that I trip on it and remind myself that I need to sell it!!
Now that my garage is clean, I am almost ready to tackle my bedroom.
Almost.
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