Deep cleaning and not so deep thoughts...
I am in the process of getting ready to do a deep clean of my little apartment. Or at least most of it - the kid's room is pretty much off limits as that is the kid's responsibility to get sorted out. For now. As we get closer to possibly moving out of here and into a new place with my boyfriend we do need to get the constant mess under control so the landlord can show the place to potential new tenants.
I have been trying to dig myself out from under the mess that depression has left in its wake, and that has been taking some serious time and effort on my part. So far I have mostly conquered the mess in the living room and half the kitchen.
Part of clearing the mess in the kitchen involves getting rid of a big blue chair that I moved out of my living room over a year ago to make room for the chair that matches my love seat. At one point, the goal was to make room in my bedroom for the big blue chair, but I have gained the realization that it simply will not fit in there currently. It has been sitting in my kitchen, blocking my attempts at getting the area around my kitchen table completely cleared so I can actually USE my kitchen table for more than a catch-all of the various bits of daily detritus that collects on it. The stuff flows from the chair to the table all too easily, and I'm more than tired of it. But I'm also not able to remove the chair from my apartment by myself. And so it remains. However, I'm going to do my level best to clear a spot in the basement to store the chair for now, and then get my kid (however unwilling they may be) to help me get the chair out of the apartment and into the basement finally. Then I will be able to better tackle the rest of my kitchen mess so that I can then focus on organizing the craft stuff I store in that room as well. Easier to do when you have a table you can use as a staging area for your various bins as you sort and organize.
I have contemplated just getting rid of the table and chairs to give myself more room, but then I realized that when my table is cleared off and fully accessible that I tend to use it as an extension of my counter when I am making a big meal or finally doing some baking. My sewing machine can be moved off the table and I can use it on the leaf part of my desk that it currently sitting unused in my bedroom. It's just a matter of cleaning everything off, moving furniture and cages, and figuring out what I absolutely need and don't need. And to try to get out of being such a packrat.
Last weekend I had my boyfriend over for the first time ever. Now, I NEVER invite people over because I am so ashamed of my mess, so this was a giant step for me. I had warned him about the remaining mess and assured him that I'm slowly working on digging myself out of it - thankfully he didn't just turn around and walk out. Instead he encouraged me to keep on fighting the mess and working on getting it cleaned up. He has even offered to give up one of his days off each week to come over and help. It probably does help that we have been talking about him moving in with my kid and I, and he's still on board with that after seeing the mess that remains in my place.
The hope is for us to find a three bedroom place so that we can set up one of the bedrooms as a storage and craft area because that is one of the things about my current place that really sucks - lack of storage space. Sure, there's a basement here but it's shared between all three apartments and the lock has been busted off of it for at least five years after a previous first floor tenant lost his shit on the door and busted it. Needless to say, anything with any real value or can't be replaced does not go into the basement at this point. And the other tenants in the building seem to have no idea how to not spread their crap all over the place. I think it's a miracle that they can get near the washer and dryer that are in the basement for their usage - I have a washer and dryer in my kitchen for our use up here, thankfully.
If we can't get a three bedroom then we will take a two bedroom - one for my kid, and one for my boyfriend and I. And hopefully some sort of in-apartment storage options for my craft stuff and other assorted bits and bobs.
Honestly, I'd prefer to not move because I do like my place for the most part. Yes, the bathroom is tiny and there is no real storage space in the apartment itself, and my closet is tiny. But the place itself is fairly large, all things considering. My boyfriend says the bathroom is claustrophobic due to how tiny it is. It probably doesn't help that I have entirely too many things in there for the space...but maybe if I can get rid of a majority of the clutter he'll be persuaded to give this place a shot for a little bit longer. I really don't like moving very much and this place is centrally located when it comes to so many things, such as everybody's jobs, shopping, and so much more.
I think too that part of my reason for not being thrilled about moving is that for years growing up we never really stayed in one place for very long so we were always uprooting our lives for the sake of moving somewhere else. I don't really know why we seemed to move to often because I was never privy to what my parents would discuss when it came to pretty much anything. I would not be one bit surprised if it had a lot to do with unpaid rent because I know for years my mother struggled to keep even the utility bills paid up without getting disconnection notices. However, it has left a lasting impression on me and my dislike of moving around a lot. Since I have become a mom I have done my level best to stay in one place for as long as possible, only really moving because of my job and a couple of times due to relationships ending. Or because the place we moved out of was a risk to our health, such as our last place and the continuous mold and damp issues.
At this point I'm trying to talk my boyfriend into moving into my current place for now and us looking for something bigger at the end of the winter semester for MUN. As in the end of April. Why? Because that is when a lot more places open up for rent, and we may be able to get the three bedroom place that we want for a decent price. I'm sort of wanting a townhouse if we can get it, one with a washer and dryer included so we don't have to try to find a used set online...something I've done twice over the years before moving into my current place. And it will give me the chance to get this place totally cleaned up before we risk having strangers come through to see if they want to rent the place.
But we've got time to think and talk about it. My boyfriend is giving his notice for his place on January 1, 2019 and I know he wants my kid and Ime to do the same. However, there is just too much cleaning to get done between now and then for me to even think about giving notice then. And the winter is a shitty time to move in this province, especially considering that I live on a hill that is incredibly treacherous when it snows. At least he accepts the fact that my kid will likely live with me for a long time to come...unlike the last guy I dated who was jealous of how close my kid and I are and repeatedly voiced his opinion about how my kid needed to move out. Considering this was coming from a guy who didn't move out of his mother's home until he was in his 30s and it was only because he got kicked out for not contributing a cent towards rent, bills, or groceries - and was proud of it! - he didn't have a leg to stand on.
So, for now, it's back to cleaning and laundry so that I can get my living spaces that much closer to being used for what they are meant for. And with less crap in the way it will make it even easier to clean!
I have been trying to dig myself out from under the mess that depression has left in its wake, and that has been taking some serious time and effort on my part. So far I have mostly conquered the mess in the living room and half the kitchen.
Part of clearing the mess in the kitchen involves getting rid of a big blue chair that I moved out of my living room over a year ago to make room for the chair that matches my love seat. At one point, the goal was to make room in my bedroom for the big blue chair, but I have gained the realization that it simply will not fit in there currently. It has been sitting in my kitchen, blocking my attempts at getting the area around my kitchen table completely cleared so I can actually USE my kitchen table for more than a catch-all of the various bits of daily detritus that collects on it. The stuff flows from the chair to the table all too easily, and I'm more than tired of it. But I'm also not able to remove the chair from my apartment by myself. And so it remains. However, I'm going to do my level best to clear a spot in the basement to store the chair for now, and then get my kid (however unwilling they may be) to help me get the chair out of the apartment and into the basement finally. Then I will be able to better tackle the rest of my kitchen mess so that I can then focus on organizing the craft stuff I store in that room as well. Easier to do when you have a table you can use as a staging area for your various bins as you sort and organize.
I have contemplated just getting rid of the table and chairs to give myself more room, but then I realized that when my table is cleared off and fully accessible that I tend to use it as an extension of my counter when I am making a big meal or finally doing some baking. My sewing machine can be moved off the table and I can use it on the leaf part of my desk that it currently sitting unused in my bedroom. It's just a matter of cleaning everything off, moving furniture and cages, and figuring out what I absolutely need and don't need. And to try to get out of being such a packrat.
Last weekend I had my boyfriend over for the first time ever. Now, I NEVER invite people over because I am so ashamed of my mess, so this was a giant step for me. I had warned him about the remaining mess and assured him that I'm slowly working on digging myself out of it - thankfully he didn't just turn around and walk out. Instead he encouraged me to keep on fighting the mess and working on getting it cleaned up. He has even offered to give up one of his days off each week to come over and help. It probably does help that we have been talking about him moving in with my kid and I, and he's still on board with that after seeing the mess that remains in my place.
The hope is for us to find a three bedroom place so that we can set up one of the bedrooms as a storage and craft area because that is one of the things about my current place that really sucks - lack of storage space. Sure, there's a basement here but it's shared between all three apartments and the lock has been busted off of it for at least five years after a previous first floor tenant lost his shit on the door and busted it. Needless to say, anything with any real value or can't be replaced does not go into the basement at this point. And the other tenants in the building seem to have no idea how to not spread their crap all over the place. I think it's a miracle that they can get near the washer and dryer that are in the basement for their usage - I have a washer and dryer in my kitchen for our use up here, thankfully.
If we can't get a three bedroom then we will take a two bedroom - one for my kid, and one for my boyfriend and I. And hopefully some sort of in-apartment storage options for my craft stuff and other assorted bits and bobs.
Honestly, I'd prefer to not move because I do like my place for the most part. Yes, the bathroom is tiny and there is no real storage space in the apartment itself, and my closet is tiny. But the place itself is fairly large, all things considering. My boyfriend says the bathroom is claustrophobic due to how tiny it is. It probably doesn't help that I have entirely too many things in there for the space...but maybe if I can get rid of a majority of the clutter he'll be persuaded to give this place a shot for a little bit longer. I really don't like moving very much and this place is centrally located when it comes to so many things, such as everybody's jobs, shopping, and so much more.
I think too that part of my reason for not being thrilled about moving is that for years growing up we never really stayed in one place for very long so we were always uprooting our lives for the sake of moving somewhere else. I don't really know why we seemed to move to often because I was never privy to what my parents would discuss when it came to pretty much anything. I would not be one bit surprised if it had a lot to do with unpaid rent because I know for years my mother struggled to keep even the utility bills paid up without getting disconnection notices. However, it has left a lasting impression on me and my dislike of moving around a lot. Since I have become a mom I have done my level best to stay in one place for as long as possible, only really moving because of my job and a couple of times due to relationships ending. Or because the place we moved out of was a risk to our health, such as our last place and the continuous mold and damp issues.
At this point I'm trying to talk my boyfriend into moving into my current place for now and us looking for something bigger at the end of the winter semester for MUN. As in the end of April. Why? Because that is when a lot more places open up for rent, and we may be able to get the three bedroom place that we want for a decent price. I'm sort of wanting a townhouse if we can get it, one with a washer and dryer included so we don't have to try to find a used set online...something I've done twice over the years before moving into my current place. And it will give me the chance to get this place totally cleaned up before we risk having strangers come through to see if they want to rent the place.
But we've got time to think and talk about it. My boyfriend is giving his notice for his place on January 1, 2019 and I know he wants my kid and Ime to do the same. However, there is just too much cleaning to get done between now and then for me to even think about giving notice then. And the winter is a shitty time to move in this province, especially considering that I live on a hill that is incredibly treacherous when it snows. At least he accepts the fact that my kid will likely live with me for a long time to come...unlike the last guy I dated who was jealous of how close my kid and I are and repeatedly voiced his opinion about how my kid needed to move out. Considering this was coming from a guy who didn't move out of his mother's home until he was in his 30s and it was only because he got kicked out for not contributing a cent towards rent, bills, or groceries - and was proud of it! - he didn't have a leg to stand on.
So, for now, it's back to cleaning and laundry so that I can get my living spaces that much closer to being used for what they are meant for. And with less crap in the way it will make it even easier to clean!
Comments
Post a Comment