Although I must say..I try. Really, I do. I would say I am in the middle when it comes to keeping my house clean. Maybe this is where my mommy mania kicks in. Oh, I don't know. What I do know, is that I really really want a clean house. But I just can't seem to achieve it. Or when I do, it doesn't last for more than a few minutes with a dog and two children (Babe included) running around.
Let me back up a little bit. Today I brought Hunter to my friend Ginny's house for a play date. She has two children: a two and a half year old boy, and a 7 month old girl. Her house was pristine. She probably cleaned right before we came over (as we all do before a play date), but, as I was roaming around chasing after my excited toddler, I noticed every single room was clean and perfect. Everything was in it's own perfect little place; the windows were void of little fingerprints, even the refrigerator had perfectly aligned food with no splatters or spills. The children toys were all perfectly lined up, and her two year old was happily playing with cars. Perfect, perfect, perfect.
So, I know Ginny cleaned before the play date, but her house is like this all the time. How, oh how does she do it? In the past I have envied all of the type A moms out there who can juggle their children and keep a house spotless all while making it all seem so effortless.
Needless to say, when Hunter and I walked through our front door after returning from the playdate, I felt a little like a failure. I looked around and saw cheerio ground into the carpet, dog snout and toddler fingerprints decorating the patio window, and a kitchen full of clutter. After I put my son down for his nap, however, I scanned the house again. And it didn't seem so bad. Maybe there are houses that are shining, pristine and glittering. But not mine. My house is my house, and it's a house full of love. It's lived in. It's clean when it needs to be, and not when it's not. Today is one of those "not" days. It's perfectly imperfect, and that's just fine with me.
I know the feeling, but maybe she never spends time with her kids and is always cleaning?
ReplyDeleteI figure there is time for that when school begins, until then I want to be with my girls.
I need to have stuff put away. That is my "thing". But, as far as clean? Once a week I clean the house. And yes, it totally sucks when 2 hours goes by and everything looks icky again, but oh well.
My dad often asks if I ever wash the windows!
It is funny you wrote this today because cleaning is part of my post for tomorrow!
I feel like I am constantly picking stuff up. And I wish I cleaned more, but like you it's clean when it needs to be. Just don't stop by unannounced. :)
ReplyDeleteI think my problem is I begin one task, but think of another and abandon the original task-then I have like 5 things going and I just give up because it's taking so long to get them all done! lol
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I recently tackled our biggest messes-our kids rooms! I am wondering how long it will stay this way...
ReplyDeletei hear you :)
ReplyDeleteI heart you Moni!! xoxo Ker
ReplyDeleteI call it the "lived in" look. My house looks like kids live in it. Until they all leave for good (#1 is 25 and recently moved home), it will never be pristine. I don't know how some people do it.
ReplyDeleteMy mother in law keeps a pristine house. She gave me the greatest gift of words when my first was born. She said that she wasted her children's childhood running around picking up instead of enjoying them. Then she encouraged me to play more and clean less.
ReplyDeleteHappy SITS sharefest day!
ReplyDeleteOh man. My house is bi-polar I tell ya; sparkly clean one day and a House of Horror the next. I always worry that people will stop by unexpectedly and I will have to pretend we are not home...
But seriously I try to strike a balance too, not so much that I never see my family, and not sooo dirty I can't see my family from the piles and filth covering them.
From my perspective I would say you got it down just right, but, then again, I haven't inspected your showers and tubs so...
Susan,
ReplyDeleteThat's very good advice. I do know some people are so caught up in the cleaning aspect that they can't even sit down to enjoy their children-my best friend's grandmother would vaccum her (white!!) carpet every time someone would set foodt on it. I couldn't believe someone would take it to that extreme! It have come to realize that instead of picking up toys 20 times a day, that I just enjoy the time I have with my son and wait until he goes to bed to do some light cleaning. I'm trying to do a little every day-and it's been helping quite a bit!
Insanitykim,
ReplyDeleteI can relate with you! You clean it all up, and the next minute you have nothing to show for your hard work.
PS my tub and showers are clean...that's one thing I am pretty anal about lol