...and other fables and fairy tales.  Haha, its an impossible task, I've realized.  Oh, wait, you thought I was going to give tips?  Oh girl... my tip is this: give it up...its not going to happen.
Or you're asking the wrong person, at least. This is just a rant. :)

Don't get me wrong, I could keep my house clean...it is actually possible...but I would be cleaning constantly, all day long every day.  Who wants to do that?   I pick up the toys, and my toddler follows behind me and throws them all over the floor again.  I dust the tv stand and in minutes its completely covered in dust and pet hair again.  I mop the floor, my husband comes home for lunch and leaves foot prints. I mop it again,  more footprints when he comes home for the day.  Is it normal to have to mop 3 times a day?  I'm not going to do it.

And I don't have time to clean all day long.  Part of the job description of being a stay at home mom is...to be a mom.  I'm raising a person.  A lot of my time is spent taking care of her. Feeding her, bathing her, reading her books, taking her to the park, playing with her, teaching her, consoling her when she gets an ouchie, consoling her when her toy gets an ouchie.    

Laundry and dishes, don't get me started there..the never ending stuff. I was so proud yesterday, I actually folded and put away all the laundry!  I mean, I usually fold some of it every day, but I never seem to get to all of it. There is always a laundry basket sitting around with some clean laundry in it. But yesterday, I finally did it! Completely emptied the basket.   And 30 minutes later I pulled another load from the dryer...and there's that pesky basket of laundry again.

There's clutter everywhere. My house is so small that it just can't be helped.  There's just no place to put everything. Every now and then I'll find some good ideas on pinterest and will go on an organizing spree, but it just doesn't stay organized for long, if I even finish the project to begin with.

And of course there's all the fun little toddler messes like crayon masterpieces on the wall,  spilled cereal boxes, and my toddler's latest obsession with scooping water out of the toilet with whatever she can get her hands on.

I'm fighting a losing battle here.  I'm cleaning the same things over and over and never have time to work on things like my messy bedroom, or the disaster garage. And yet I go to a friend's house...they have a family too and yet their house is spotless.  Is there some sort of magic involved here?  Or have they simply mastered the quick "company's coming!" clean up and its actually a mess the rest of the time? I know I get the most cleaning done when I'm expecting someone to come over.    I'm hoping that's it. Because otherwise, I'm definitely doing something wrong.

Sometimes I just think, "Come on! You're home all day! There's no reason you can't keep the house clean." 
But I don't want to spend all my time cleaning and stressing about the house.  I want to remember playing with my daughter, snuggling on the couch, get togethers with friends.  I'd rather not remember the ongoing battle with the crappy military housing floors. 

I guess my goal should be to get the important stuff done. Keep the kitchen clean, keep the kid clean and fed.  Do the everyday stuff you have to do (dishes, laundry, sweeping).  Work on everything else when I can, but try not to worry so much about the clutter and toys because they're always going to be there. Do the quick pick up when someone is coming over of course, but try not to let it drive me crazy the rest of the time.  Easier said then done.

Do you have any tips for keeping your house clean and organized? I'd love to hear them!    

A couple of tips that sound promising but I haven't actually tried yet...

-Make a cleaning schedule. (ie.  Mondays, clean the bathroom. Tuesdays and fridays, vacuum)

-Pack up some of your kids toys and alternate them every now and then.    This sounds like a good idea to keep the toy clutter reduced some!




Being a stay at home mom, a girl has to find ways to entertain herself.  Me, I love to shop. I am definitely guilty of being a shopaholic.  And I love to go clothes shopping, but since having a kid I find its just not as easy to do as it used to be.  It's hard to relax and shop when you're wrestling a toddler that doesn't want to sit in a cart and would rather be running amok through aisles.   So when I found out about Stitch Fix, I was intrigued.  It's like shopping but the store comes to you! 

Stitch Fix claims to give you your own personal stylist. You fill out a style profile with your preferences, and they also encourage you to make a pinterest board with styles you like.  Then based on your style preferences they send you 5 pieces of clothing and/or accessories right to your home. They also send you styling cards with ideas on what to wear with each item.  You try it all on and then send back what you don't want in a prepaid envelope.  There's a $20 "styling fee",  but its credit toward your purchase if you decide to keep anything.  They also give you 25% off if you keep all 5 items.

But what are the prices like, you ask?   Well, they are a bit on the pricey side.   The website says the average price is $55, and the items that came in my first box ranged from $34-$68.   So, for someone that usually shops at Old Navy....yeah, that's a bit much.  But, despite the high prices I decided to give it a try and see what it was all about.       

So,  on to my first fix! I was super excited when it arrived, however my first thoughts on opening the box were "Hmm...looks like my stylist wasn't paying attention."   Nothing in the box looked anything like the styles I had selected in my style profile, or like the styles I had pinned on pinterest.  Did they even check?  But still, here it was, so of course I was going to try everything on. Maybe I would be pleasantly surprised?


So first up, and please forgive my creepy white legs, lol, I dunno why they look like that in this picture,  we have the Renee C Rawlie V-neck Abstract dress.  It wasn't completely awful, but I didn't love it. It was also too small in the hips so I couldn't have kept it even if I wanted to.



Next, the Gilli Sarina Abstract Chevron Maxi Skirt, and Market and Spruce Sam Hi Lo Tee.    My thoughts on this outfit are, "Blaaaaah."   I know a lot of people are into maxi skirts, but its not my style at all.   And as for the shirt, I liked the fabric but not the fit. Even adding a belt didn't help. Thumbs down on this outfit.



Below is the Renee C Tucker Paisley Split Back Tank.  This one I ended up keeping.   When I pulled it out of the box I was pretty sure I was going to hate it, but I actually liked it on. Its not like anything else in my wardrobe, but its cute.  I like the funky print.  I'm not that crazy about the split back (forgot to take a picture, sorry...) but it wasn't a deal breaker.



And finally, this Bay to Baubles Diaz Leaf & Bead Layering Necklace.   It was kinda pretty, but I'm not a big jewelry person,  so I'd have to really love it to want to keep it.



So, there ya have it. Five things, only liked one.    Even though the first box was mostly a miss, I'm still going to try at least one more. They claim that the more times you order and leave feedback, the better they get at finding things you'll love, so we'll give it another shot. I really do love the idea of this! So here's hoping for some goodies next month. I'll try to get better pictures next time. ;)

So that's it!  Just wanted to share my own review in case anyone else was thinking about trying it out but wanted some more input. Hope it helps. :) 
Want to give them a try yourself?  Sign up for Stitch Fix!


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