3.24.2011

all better

Nine days and a combined 7 pounds later everyone is finally healthy. The kids are asking for and eating olives and peas. Mixed up in a bowl. For breakfast.


A sure sign that everything is a-okay, digestively speaking.

All surfaces are sanitized and I'm in the middle of the laundry pile from hell as we speak but there's no better kick-off to spring cleaning than a good old fashioned bout of vomit and diarrhea, don'tcha think?

I'm so motivated in fact that I decided to take part in Simple Mom's Project: Simplify. Candice's closet inspired me to start making a dent in some of the clutter we've accumulated over the last few years and the Simple Mom project has some great ideas for getting started with those clutter magnets in the home as well as creating lasting organizational systems to help keep things tidy.

I'm joining the party sooooooper late (why attempt to be punctual now?) but started with, and already made some serious headway in, the paperwork department. I can't tell you how absolutely buried we are in the paperwork associated with Phil's myeloma. Medical bills, insurance forms, disability claims, doctors notes, lab reports... all of you guys who have been through similar situations or have had chronic medical conditions totally know where I'm coming from. And not to mention the normal life stuff like bills, catalogs and magazines that come through the mail and just get chucked on top of everything else. Until now I haven't found the motivation to tackle it all. I mean why on earth would I want to spend a whole evening sorting through a mountain of paper when I could watch reruns of Greek on Netflix? I think the technical term for this dilemma is "laziness". But seriously, I'm so sick of the real estate it's taking up in my life and on my counters so I took a stab at it last night and I feel about 20 pounds lighter. And that's not even because of the stomach flu.

I'll probably skip this week's challenge with the kids' stuff because I stay pretty on top of their clothes already and their toys are no longer a huge issue after last week's absolute kid crap takedown. I figure I'll just tack another week on when it's over and handle my closet and wardrobe then since it might finally be warm enough to bring out some spring clothes at that point. Or at the very least maybe we'll be done with the winter storm warnings and I can put away my winter boots.

Anyone else taking part in Project: Simplify? Or just doing some spring (or seasonal) cleaning on your own? Do tell!

6 comments:

Emily said...

Ok, you have inspired me to tackle the pile that is my husband's myeloma paperwork. I was super organized at first- I have a binder full of all the essential info...but with the maintenance chemo, it's just the SAME paperwork OVER and OVER and OVER again...need to weed out the wheat from the chaff, I guess...

P.S. So glad you and your family are all feeling better!

Bex said...

Wow - that's a weird breakfast! I'm trying to organize the house but I want to go buy a bunch of cool organizational things and that's not cool since we are also trying to get out of debt. Hmpf.

keri m said...

I thought of you today as my first grader reported that her seatmate threw up all over her spelling test. I popped that first grader right into a hot bath and am wondering if white grape juice will cut it. I hope you are all feeling better!

Cassie said...

Emily, I know... we get a new EOB or notification from the hospital every time Phil goes in for a blood draw or any dumb little thing which adds up when it's at least once a week. Good luck!

Bex I have the same issue. Ikea is my stumbling block for that very reason. I end up bringing more stuff into the house instead of getting rid of what we have. But... baskets! Boxes! Sorters! In cute patterns! I'm such a sucker. =)

Keri, oh my gosh. I'm praying you guys don't get it. I have read that it's just the purple grape juice or cranberry juice that does the trick but if all you have is white grape it certainly doesn't hurt to try it. Call me crazy but I'm convinced that's why Iris had such a mild case of it and why none of the rest of us got it. We were drinking 5 or 6 glasses of grape and/or cranberry juice a day.

Amy said...

Oh, I'm SO glad the kids are better! And now you've gone and inspired me to check out this Simplify thing. We have Serious Issues.

Jessica said...

I totally feel you on the paperwork. I just purged a bunch of stuff from Ryan's hospitalization and homecare paperwork--tens of pounds worth. hopefully we won't need it anymore? I'm not really sure, but I do know that my bedroom feels so much more relaxing without all that crap on our bookshelves.

Kudos to you! I wish I'd known about the simplemom project before the last week. I'm totally in a purging/decluttering mode. Can't wait to see your before/after photos! they'll inspire me.