Pre-Surgery House Preparations

I happen to be lucky enough that the whole extended family is having a garage sale together the weekend before my surgery. Right now my mission is to clean out the kids clothes and toys. It's always a concern this time of year as both kids have birthdays and Christmas is only a few months away, but there's added pressure with the surgery looming. I shudder to remember what the boys did to my house last time I was MIA for 72hrs. On top of which I need clear floors when I get back from the hospital (wheelchair plus high risk for breaking my hip).

I started by attacking my poor dining room table. It had been buried since my last round of crafts. I got all the stuff off (now my desk is buried) and got the Halloween table cloth on it. I really need to scrounge up a centerpiece for it now. I put Riley's small pumpkin and my chain of fall leaves on it, but I'm not happy. Also, speaking of the kids harvest yesterday Isaac smashed his gourd yesterday. We didn't even have it 24hrs! I had just explained why he shouldn't run with it.

After the table was clear (and some rest) I attacked Isaac's room. He is a horder in training. When I've tried to help him clean up he crys when I throw out tiny scraps of paper or empty baggies. He always thinks he's going to need everything. It's irritating. Usually, he can be reasoned with about parting with toys to make room for new toys. I tried exciting him about the kids who would be happy to get them, but he is a 9yr old boy.

This time I decided to skip the drama and do it while he was at school. I enlisted my mom's help and sweep through de-cluttering. I put all the toys for the garage sale in a dark bin so he won't be able to see what's in it. I was very fair in my selections and very stealthy in leaving things so it was hard to tell where things were missing. Then I pulled the bin into my room and emptied all the trash. Mission complete.

When he came home from school I asked him to go through his book shelf and pull books for the garage sale. His shelves are overflowing with reading material that's beneath him. That way he gets to help too. I intended to tackle Riley's room too, but it's threatening to storm and my joints hurt. After Miss Roo's considerable toy collection has been purged I have to re-organize my kitchen. If someone helps me after surgery I need them to be able to finds things based on my verbal directions from bed/couch. Plus I'm hoping for some kitchenware upgrades in the coming months.

Then last but not least I need to work on my room. I need my clothes accessible. I need a calm environment to heal in. I need clear pathways and surfaces. I need to feel prepared. It'll be here so soon!