A pending project

I've mentioned before, I think, that my parents are hoarders. My pop is 75 and my mom turns 70 this year. Their house is out of control and there are a lot of household tasks that they can't do. (Like taking down and putting back up a fallen wall).  I have enlisted the help of the remainder of my family to give up a week of our lives to spend at my parents' house to attempt to at least get them to the status not the worst house on the block. (Seriously when I was there for my reunion I'm pretty sure a truck slowed down because they thought it was a yard sale on Sunday morning). Since I don't visit that often, I wasn't aware how crazy it had gotten.  I got breakfast in bed on Sunday morning, not because my mom is nice (well she is sometimes) but because there was literally (and I do not use that word lightly) nowhere to sit except on the beds or at my dad's computer. There used to at least be spots at the kitchen table. Not so much anymore apparently.

They're both overwhelmed. They'll both admit it. Unfortunately due to my vacation limitations and the fact that the fall is the busiest time for my job (we have a black out period where nobody is allowed to take vacation during this period of time and it is about 2 months), and my little niece is still in school so we won't be able to begin this project until March, my niece's spring break. My goal, although my sister doesn't know it yet, is to get the front looking less frightening and then make their bedroom, the kitchen/dining room and living room livable. At the minimum. I'll be renting a dumpster to make that part easier.

There will be a lot more organization required. They do pretty well for themselves with their side business of refurbishing stuff they find at yard sales and then selling it through consignment shops. The problem, amongst many, is that they don't know what all they have and what they do have may be getting damaged further because of the fact that there is no space.

I don't know what their reaction will be when either me or my sister mention it. I hope they will let us help them. I'm not sure what to do if they don't. Except I won't visit again and stay with them. There's no place to stay.