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Monday, June 24, 2013

Clean freak in a cluttered space

     There's something about moving that turns you (or-turned me) into a clean freak.
    
     Fur, for example, used to be a simple fact of life. Having cats and dogs growing up, fur never really phased me except for after particularly intense cuddle sessions during shedding season. Simple brushing, shaking off clothes, and vacuuming would keep the fur level down to a level I was comfortable with. And lint rollers were saved for defurring myself before getting into someone else's car or home.

      Since moving a few weeks ago, I'm not sure what changed. I have the same pets, the same clothes, the same bed. And yet the fur seems so much worse! I feel like I am going crazy over it now- I simply can't handle it. To keep it slightly controlled, I've found myself brushing the animals daily, keeping a sheet over my bed with a blanket over that (and only allowing the dogs on the blanket. The sheet acts as another buffer), vacuuming and sweeping the entire apartment daily, and washing bedding every few days. All our clothes and such are kept shut in a closet, where no animals are allowed. And yet I still can't manage the amount of fur. I imagine it is moving into a new, fur free place that makes fur much more noticeable. Not to mention the animals ALL wanting to be comfy off the hardwood floors. Where they used to be content on the carpeted floor, I now have both dogs and the cats trying to use our clothing as cushions and congregating on my bed.

    On top of my (failing) attack on fur, I've realized I have picked up habits I never really had before. Things like washing the doors around the doorknobs, wiping down the counters every time I use them, washing the fridge door every afternoon. Just the random, little things that I suppose all people do to keep their homes tidy, that I am a little embarrassed to say I NEVER thought about before. Sure, I'd clean up the counters if I spilled something or noticed they looked messy, but I never thought about just wiping them down every use to keep a mess from building up. And the fridge and doors/walls only got wiped clean if I was bothered by the fingerprints.

      The thing driving me insane right now is the big pile of clutter in my living room. Moving from an apartment with 4 closets total and 2 bedrooms, into a 1 bedroom, 1 closet apartment (with less than half the counter space) has significantly hampered our storage space. I am going to have to get creative here, and fast. Most of the boxes are filled with things like my earring tree, little baskets to put things in(if I had a place to put the baskets), and other little trinkets that need a place to be put. It is hard to imagine fitting an entire other person and all his many things, especially clothes, into this apartment. We'll have to buy 2 dressers (one with drawers, one for hanging things) just for his clothes- I doubt we will be able to fit all 3 of our wardrobes into the already crowded closet we have.

   In the end, I think we will all fit quite perfectly in here. As me and Aaron rarely venture out of our living room and into the bedroom, there will be no problem turning it into Joel's nursery and using the living room as our own until we move into a bigger place. And there really is no rush- we don't even own a couch or a dinner table!

    Personally, I find the small space cozy. As furry as it may be, it's nice to have my furbabies warming my legs while I write this, watching Futurama with Aaron.

(On a side note, I have made a facebook page for this blog. Because I fancy myself a professional blogger I suppose.Or because I have WAY too much time to kill. Feel free to like https://www.facebook.com/rheabecomingmommy )

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