Mama's been busy!

I spent seven-ish hours going through cupboards and drawers in the kitchen today. We had 2 overflowing junk drawers, lots of wasted space and just some things in not-so-convenient places. I moved a lot of things around as well as cleared off some counter-space.

Have you ever noticed that once you start throwing stuff away, how much easier it is to part with things? I filled at least one garbage bag with trash, plus 2 brown paper grocery bags with recyclables! Being down to one, semi-organized junk drawer is nice, as is having things available that you use daily.

Next up: the family room/office. Our desk is a mess! I used to do all our budgeting and bill-paying out there until Jas bought the laptop. Now I usually figure out the budget at the dining room table and then pay the bills from the living room. Our poor, neglected desktop and desk are overflowing with old statements, papers, dust, and random things that we just set down and forget about. It's definitely a catch-all for clutter. I need to go through our filing cabinet too and get rid of anything older than 6 months. I like to keep statements from every bill at least 6-12 months just in case. I can go back and make sure I paid the bill, when and how much. Also, I need to tackle the bookcase. I have a ton of books that I've read, and many I haven't. Many will probably never get read again, not because they're not good, just because, a lot of the time, if I've read it, I tend not to go back to it. The kids have a tendency to bring stuff out there and just forget about it.

This mama is ready for bed now though. All three of my handsome little men are sound asleep, Jas is home and I'm exhausted. We have a long day ahead of us, as well as a full week. A has cub scouts tomorrow. I'm babysitting Wednesday. Baby J has his PT eval Thursday and E has to turn in his Ronald Reagan report. Then E and A have a 4-day weekend (mid-winter break. Didn't they just go back from Christmas break? It's weird to me...), with Catechism class on Saturday, and - hopefully - Mass on Sunday. We did good this weekend. We (the three boys and I - Jas doesn't go to Mass typically, only for special occasions) made it to 8am Mass and the boys were well-behaved and polite. It was a special day for A though, he received  a special blessing as a scout!

I was sitting here thinking the other day and realized if I could have the perfect place to live, it would include at least one thing from every place we've lived. From NY: my job - the place and the position I was in, because even though I was a manager-in-training at a pizza joint, it was fun!, my friend Cathy (and her kids of course!). From MD: our parish - which is where I went through RCIA- including my sponsors/Godparents, my friend Jill and her daughter. From OH: our families, my friend Sharon and her family. From MI: my kids' school - including all the teachers, well most, there are a couple I do NOT like, but we are like a large family (it truly takes a village!), my friend Julie and her kids. Then I would throw in some amazing friends I've made online, but never met. It's funny how things are though. We never really realize what we have until it's gone.