How many hours a week do you spend cleaning? I don’t know either, but I feel like it’s a lot. How many hours a week do you spend dreading cleaning? I don’t know either, but I know it’s a lot more.
I have a lot going on in my house. I have a three bedroom ranch, with a full, unfinished basement. I have two 2 year olds (for a couple of days), a husband and I work from home. My office is in my bedroom. I find myself walking throughout my house, hating my house. Not because the layout is bad, but because everywhere I look, there is something for me to do. It’s a constant "to do" list. When I open the refrigerator I have thoughts of "I need to clean the refrigerator." Going to the bathroom, "I should clean the toilet, and the tub AND the floor…for both bathrooms." Walking through the front door, "I really need to sort through that pile of mail." You get the idea. So, does it ever end? Am I a bad housekeeper? A bad organizer? Has anyone really mastered the art of cleanliness? I could sign up for services like Fly Lady, but I don’t have time to read 20 e-mails per day. Or I could hire a cleaning service, but I can’t afford it. So, what do I need to do to maintain the clean? Clean, I guess. clean clean clean clean clean. It just doesn’t seem healthy, but neither does a messy home.
Of course, I would like to take a moment to thank my dishwasher. I can’t imagine my life without him. He’s hard working, reliable and we run him EVERY single night.
Approximately two times a week, I find myself dumping out Ariel and Racecar’s toy boxes to reorganize the toys. Of course, this is the time they discover they have all of these toys, making it almost impossible for me to get the job done, but it’s a great way to keep things together. I separate the Legos from the wooden blocks, I separate the Little People from the Thomas the Tank Engines, I separate everything. And I do it again in a few days. But for a couple of minutes, I feel great about how organized the toys are.
Why do we hate cleaning? It’s not hard work. It’s just putting things away. What’s difficult about that? I would rather get in the car, drive 1 hour, find a parking space and shop for 3 hours looking for a pair of shoes AND wait in line than clean my bathroom. Does this mean I have a problem? Is it laziness? Could it be laziness when I feel like I clean all of the time? (well, not always, you know the name of this blog!)
I would pay a lot of money to be able to walk into the creator of Fly Lady’s living room in the middle of the day. Wouldn’t you love to see if her house is really clean or organized? I would. Maybe Fly Lady is a woman living in a disaster area who doesn’t even have time to shower because she telling everyone else what they should be doing…when she should be sorting her mail or cleaning her fridge or folding her laundry. Of course, if her house were immaculate and everything was organized, I’d find the time to read those e-mails.
You have me laughing Beth!! I have felt that way for a long time. I am proud to say that 2006 has been a good year so far. I have kept my kitchen clean from clutter. Everything piles high on my counter, but not this year. I use some of the flylady philosophy but not everything.I have started to declutter my house. I think that is the biggest problem for a lot of people, ME INCLUDED! Since I have started to get rid of stuff, it is so much easier to clean. I actually don’t mind if someone just stopped by with out calling.Now the office and spare room are two places I wouldn’t want anyone to go. But I am working on that!
You have me laughing Beth!! I have felt that way for a long time. I am proud to say that 2006 has been a good year so far. I have kept my kitchen clean from clutter. Everything piles high on my counter, but not this year. I use some of the flylady philosophy but not everything.I have started to declutter my house. I think that is the biggest problem for a lot of people, ME INCLUDED! Since I have started to get rid of stuff, it is so much easier to clean. I actually don’t mind if someone just stopped by with out calling.Now the office and spare room are two places I wouldn’t want anyone to go. But I am working on that!
Beth,You’re a woman after my own heart. The sad thing is that I have a maid that comes twice a month and I still have a hard time keeping my house clean. Three bedroom ranch here too, with enough crap to fill a 5 bedroom with an office and separate laundry/utility room, to the brim. . .Don’t fret sister! I don’t think our kids will be scared for life if the house is a little cluttered and the Little People hang out with Thomas the Tank Engine in the bottom corner of the toybox!
Beth,You’re a woman after my own heart. The sad thing is that I have a maid that comes twice a month and I still have a hard time keeping my house clean. Three bedroom ranch here too, with enough crap to fill a 5 bedroom with an office and separate laundry/utility room, to the brim. . .Don’t fret sister! I don’t think our kids will be scared for life if the house is a little cluttered and the Little People hang out with Thomas the Tank Engine in the bottom corner of the toybox!
I suck at cleaning.. enough said.. not my thing..
I suck at cleaning.. enough said.. not my thing..
gasp!!Thomas the Tank Engine in the bottom corner of the toybox!You don’t want to know how bad the kids room is.. BAD BAD
gasp!!Thomas the Tank Engine in the bottom corner of the toybox!You don’t want to know how bad the kids room is.. BAD BAD
I so hear you girl. Everything in my house is dirty and disorganized…and I mean everything! I always have high hopes that I can do better…but never do. LOL! I have more important things to do…like play blocks with Colin.
I so hear you girl. Everything in my house is dirty and disorganized…and I mean everything! I always have high hopes that I can do better…but never do. LOL! I have more important things to do…like play blocks with Colin.