Have you ever heard of Hot Spots?
No, I’m not talking about the happening bars on a Friday night — I’m referring to areas in your home that no matter how hard you try to keep clean, “clutter” always finds a temporary home at. They are the places in the home where everyone dumps their stuff. Things that do not have a place of their own like to camp out here. Hey, even things that DO have a home like to camp out here…as if it’s one big Clutter Party or something.
Hot Spot #1
our laundry room counter
This is where we come in from the garage, and things get placed here all the time.See that red purse to the right? Yea, that’s mine. (I never said I didn’t add to the problem!)
Hot Spot #2
the counter in our family nook/kitchen area
Here you will find a collection of things from practically every person in the house. There are art projects, magazines, bills, school books, hair ties and ribbons, a packaged box containing the helmet cam that Rich got for Christmas, a porcelain tea set still in it’s box, a plastic lid to a container. And behind all that clutter? The three photographs that I spent a small fortune on in photographer fees and frames. Hidden, by the mess. Such a shame.
Hot Spot #3
the homeschool desk
This desk was a big purchase for us. They aren’t cheap. But sometimes I don’t even know why we bothered getting one. It seems all it’s used for is a “go-between” before the items actually make it to their assigned places. When we clean up the house, all the stuff on the floor or on the tables…go right here. So where do we do school work? Why, on the kitchen table, of course.
Hot Spot #4
the formal living room table
Now, I think this one bugs me the most…only because this room is supposed to always look nice. We hardly ever eat here; it’s just pretty to look at (when it’s clean) and so when there’s clutter on it, this is usually the first Hot Spot that I choose to eliminate.
Oh, and in case you didn’t notice the hideously wilted flowers in the above photo…here’s a close-up of the poor things. I swear, they looked good two weeks ago!
Hot Spot #5
the kitchen counter nearest the stove
I call this Rich’s Hot Spot because for some reason here is where he puts all his tools and gadgets that belong in the garage but he’s too lazy busy to put away….
Let’s take a closer look, shall we?
I mean, really? What IS all this stuff? I SPY…..a walkie-talkie remote, a clearance item for a toothbrush system that we don’t even own, a mini-screwdriver set, a battery, two receipts of some sort, a coupon (he clips coupons, not me), a yellow hair band (okay, that might be mine) two different chargers for who knows what, a pen, a pen cap…and some big purple thing in the bottom left corner.
Hot Spot #6
our master bathroom shower
Okay, I know this sounds like a very strange and unusual Hot Spot. I mean, who puts “extra stuff” in their shower? Why, we do, of course! One day…oh, I’d say about five months ago, we decided to take down Aria’s crib and put it up in our garage rafters. This was as far as it got. At first it was leaning up against a counter in our master bathroom and we kept bumping into it, so Rich said, “Let’s just put it in here until I can get it into the garage.” That was five months ago.
Now, I ask you…how long would YOU put up with a crib in your shower?
FIVE MONTHS!!!
If I don’t say anything, this thing will be in here for years. I’m not exaggerating. Rich, bless his little hard-working heart, has a few faults, as we all do — but his major fault is procrastination. I’ve decided that I’m going to do a little experiment this time. I’m not going to say anything anymore about the crib in our shower. I’ll just continue using our bathtub to wash up in (yes, that’s what we’ve been doing for the past five months, and Rich doesn’t mind because 50% of the time he showers at the fire station during his shifts) But yea, we will see just how long this stays this way.
Any bets? What month, what year, will this crib finally be removed from our shower (by him, not me!)
I don’t know how I missed this post! Your hotspots sound VERY familiar!
Oh I feel so much better now! I can’t do it all. I can’t do it all. I can’t do it all!
I am working on mine too though…slowly!
Haha! I love your hotspots!
I think that everyone struggles with some hot spots. For us it takes everyone working together to get them cleared and keep them that way…sounds like your husband has a lot on his plate. Maybe some of the kids could work together and surprise Dad by moving it to where it needs to go. I’m sure he would be so touched and relieved. Just an idea…
😀
Visiting from Amanda’s party!
Have a great weekend!
Building Home with Him,
Mary Joy
My husband wouldn’t even notice it had been moved. Seriously.
your hot spots are my hot spots too-no matter what i do-except for the homeschooling desk and the shower
in our house, i’d probably leave the crib there but it would drive my husband crazy and he’d move it!
Haha! I am so glad I’m not alone! Love seeing people post pics of real life. The crib cracks me up! Good luck with it! Thanks for coming by my blog and commenting too!!
Glad to see that I’m not the only one who has this problem. My hot spots are #1-The dining room table. I’ve been really trying to keep it clear. #2-Our living room coffee table. That’s all my husband’s doing. I promise. I DO admit to cluttering up the dining room table, though. So, I’m in the same boat as you. Be sure to update on whenever that crib gets moved. 😉 Thanks for visiting my groovy blog!
If it were my husband, the crib would rot and fall apart before it was moved!
We have a homeschool table too. Don’t know why, it just gets things piled up on it and they all homeschool around the kitchen table as well. too funny!