home remedies

I have a problem...
My home is in disarray... I am in need of a home remedy... something to cure my home of its horrible illness of dissarrayedness.
I work shift work making it increasingly difficult to keep a tidy home, that coupled with my live in companions of the 4 legged variety, they are small but have 4 legs each all muddy on the ends... a note of interest wet feet + tile flooring = dog dish bowling... they come in with such gusto from outside down the steps across the tiles and when they attempt to stop they slide inevitably into the food dishes... STRIKE! leaving 8 dirty little skid marks in their wake

Big breath in

and out

I am attempting to streamline things... spring cleaning, declutter, organize...
and yes even learn to cook.
I have signed up for a cooking class-just a one time wonder type class but I figure one small step for man, one giant leap for those of us, meaning me, who are domestically challenged when it comes to the ways of keeping a house.

I think one of the problems is I live alone, I am a homebody so it is easy to put things off because you are doing something else and when I say doing something else I mean having a nap in my favourite chair with the puppies, or reading a good mystery book, or catching up on the latest season of something on DVD.... I know if I put my mind to it I could get things in order in a day max.

There is just something about this that is physically impossible. I can only imagine what I was like as a child keeping on task must have been a chore for my teachers, I should send them all letters of gratitude for getting me through school...

SO in the next 4 days in which I have a meeting, a baby shower and a grocery shop planned I need to get my house in order so to speak.
I can do this I really can. How hard can it be? I've been to other peoples houses who work and have lives and their homes are pristine, why is it I can't do it!?

I do understand I have a lot of "contents" as some have put it, so I have lots of stuff that at this point in time I might not be using but in the future I do have plans for it... does that mean I should just pass it on until the moment comes when I decide to scrap book my life? or make cards with stamps and stickers? sigh... I might have to let some of my favourite crafty things go. I wish I had a tickle trunk... you know a place to store things and like Mr.Dress-up when I needed something I could reach into this magical trunk and pull out exactly what I needed.

but until that time comes I am trapped in my house trying to make it a home that is free of complications and I can just enjoy it....if you don't hear from me in the next 4 days it means I have gotten swept away by it all! don't look back save yourselves!

I will definately keep you posted on the status of this endeavor