If it bothers you...get rid of it!

I learned an important lesson this weekend. It was one of those "ah-ha!" moments where you think, "Why did it take me so long to figure this out?"

 

I was cleaning the little boy's room. We clean it every. single. day. And every single day I have do certain things that drive me batty.

 

1. Their dust ruffles on their beds are ALWAYS messed up. They get bunched up under the mattress, they get pulled to one side more than the other, they make it difficult for the boys to tuck their sheets when they make their beds. I hate messing with and fixing those dust ruffles!

 

2. They have a rug in their room, one of those rugs with roads and signs and buildings that they can drive their Hot Wheels all over. They love that thing. But it will NOT stay put! It is always pushed up against the wall or folded over or pushed under the bed. If my baby girl gets a hold of it, it can even end up in the hallway. I am forever fixing that thing!

 

3. The baby loves to go into the boys' room, open their lower drawers and pull out every single piece of clothing inside. Seriously...almost every day I have to fold and re-organize their drawers. Then she proceeds into the toy closet (with their help, I'm sure) and gets out every single toy in there...just to see the pieces all mingling together like a chaotic little toy party...ugh.

 

Any other moms feel my pain here?

 

Now, I know kids will make messes. I actually revel in their creative play. But doing the same thing over and over and over...don't they say that's the definition of insanity? I get the same results every time...nothing stays in place or clean for very long and then it just has to be done again.

 

My "ah-ha" moment came when I was fixing the dust ruffles for the second time in one day.

 

Why do little boys need dust ruffles? It's not like they're made of steel to keep them from pushing toys under the bed? Can't I just take these things off?

 

Lightbulb moment!!!

 

Just because the stupid dust ruffles came with the bedding set, doesn't mean this mama has to mess them with every. single. day.

 

Bye-bye dust ruffles. Boy, that feels good! Their beds look so much better and they can make them by themselves because I don't have to hold the ruffle in place while they tuck their sheets.

 

By the way, I found solutions for the rug and the mess, too. My hubby brought his nail gun in and permanently stuck that rug into the floor. (Don't worry, the nails are in so snug, they won't hurt little feet...we made sure!) It's not going anywhere now! And we put baby proof door knob covers on the bedroom doors...now the baby can't get in unless we want her to.

 

Lesson learned: There is always a solution. If it doesn't work for you or causes you stress, don't continue to live with it! Get rid of it or figure out a solution to make it work!

 

I've decided to do this in every one of the rooms in my house; take stock of what is not working and find a solution. I just know that my days will be go so much smoother once I get my whole house "annoyance-free". And then I'll start to look in other areas of my life where I can apply this lesson...

 

Life is too short to spend so much time doing the same annoying things over and over. Fix it!

 

So...what annoying thing will you find a solution for today?