Spring Cleaning

Last time I wrote an entry–okay, my one and only entry–I was working on a new proposal and trying to get organized. Well, I thought I was done with both. Not so. My editor asked for revisions and the organizing...I'll get to that. The revisions I can handle. Her suggestions make it a much stronger story. I know what I want to do and have everything ready to go. Unfortunately, my organizing woes are now impacting my writing time.

My organizing efforts didn't work. Maybe that's a bit harsh. The nursery and our master bedroom remain neat and tidy. We found a place for everything in those rooms and it's worked. Of course, those are the two rooms that we didn't have the help of the professional organizer. But the rest of the house is a mess. It's not the disaster it was pre-organizing, but it's just not working. For me, my husband, our kids, even the cats.

Our house is small. Adorable, charming, but small. Even with a professional organizer's assistance and getting rid of minivan-full loads of stuff, there just isn't enough space. So we're doing what we probably should have done instead of remodeling after baby #2 arrived and most definitely should have done after baby #3 arrived, we're buying a bigger house.

Buying a house is easy. Or has been so far. We currently have money down on a piece of dirt that will one of these days contain a foundation, then framing and finally a house. July or August, it will be completed. At least that's what they say. I have images of us living in temporary housing–a motel like my family did when I was going into fifth grade and our house wasn't done on time–when September and the start of school rolls around.

(Note to self: if I sell the proposal make sure I don't have a summer deadline!)

The problem with buying a house is selling the house you live in. What do I do with all the stuff I have no place for? What do I do with my three kids who don't understand that a house has to be kept neat ALL THE TIME? And what do I do with my indoor cats who dart outside the minute the door is opened?

Crying didn't help so I called a real estate stager. She's coming today. I'll be honest. I'm scared. Scared of the amount of work I will have to do. Scared I may never have time to write again! Wish me luck, okay?