So I see it is almost a year since I began this blog and then school started, I was back at work (school secretary) and my schedule again became attend to the emergencies first and do the rest later.
There were only emergencies. My 15-year-old daughter's trick knee finally just popped out and would NOT go back in. Her dance troup called 911 and off to Children's Hospital she went to get the knee put back in place. While at the hospital and finally knee back in place and a kind nurse brought us some sandwiches she sat up in bed and the knee just went out again just like that.
That was November 12th and with that incident other things came crashing down. My finances got much worse as she was not insured at the time although to tell you the truth now that everything is all said and done the amount I owed ended up being less than the last time this happened (although at that time the knee went right back in and she started physical therapy) when she was insured. Only insurance I could afford for her was $2,500 deductible and we sure hit that pretty quick not to mention how expensive the insurance was every month. Now both girls are insured under Healthy Families and thank God as now with all the additional medical issues this has brought out for her I could never afford the treatment she is getting even with insurance.
Turns out she has OCD. How's that for one of life's ironies? An OCD daughter with a clutterer mother?
But more about that later in another blog if I ever start another blog. Part of my plan is to not have too many projects and so this blog will be it for me right now until we have reached success.
I am on Disability for the rest of the summer from Berkeley Unified School District. BUSD makes even the most dysfunctional family unit look like Leave it to Beaver. I didn't know how bad it was or how badly I was being harassed until I took my leave on May 25th -- partly to deal with my 15-year-old's issues and partly to save my sanity and health. And more about that later, too, as that's a book in itself and it's not over yet. I'm still contemplating a lawsuit as anyone who has heard my story has almost driven me to the attorney's office themselves. I absolutely loved the job but a few people who have connections and power can do some pretty vicious things which is all I'll say about it right now.
The good news is, I am actually making progress on this decluttering. I thought everything was at a standstill on the decluttering because it really was hopeless but in fact it was the stress from my job that immobilized me.
Not to say that I am still every good at this and not to say that anyone else looking at my house right now would think I had made enough progress but the fact that I am making progress at all is giving my whole family hope. Since OCD is an anxiety disorder and since the state of our house has heightened all of our anxiety, I can see the change in both of my daughters with every space I clear out.
And that one word I've found is the entire clue to organizing one's house -- OUT. Old clothes must go OUT. Toys that are not played with anymore must go OUT. Broken ANYTHING that I will never repair must go OUT -- out of the room, and OUT of the house -- NOT in yet another box or bin where they somehow find their way back in piles around the house or the cat sleeps on the clothes I was going to give away and I find I need to wash them once again, and sort them out of the clothes we are still wearing once again.
My main goal these next days is to clear out the dining room so I can turn it into a bedroom for my younger daughter. Not sure how I'm going to do that yet but I will deal with that once I have finished getting the extra stuff OUT. Right now it is almost in good enough shape to post a "before" picture.
Right now I have NO kids in the house, neighbor took the 9-year-old and the 15-year-old is at a movie with a friend. Now to set the 15-minute timer and begin again.
