.jpg)
I have decided that it is possible to clean all the time, and then that defeats the purpose of me being home with my kids: that I would actually BE with them. When small children are home all day, there is one mess after another, plus the general cleaning and mess that I am creating from making their meals. So how do you do it? What is your system??
My mom is shouting through the screen right now, "clean as you go! clean as you go!" But my problem is I truly believe I have developed mommy A.D.D.. I will start to something, and then Jack needs to eat, or Holden needs to be fed, or the phone rings, and then I can't even remember what I was cleaning in the first place.
I am so grateful for our house, but it is small enough that if there is one toy out of place, the whole house feels a mess. In my husband's mind, clean means everything is in its place. There could be an inch of dust (which there isn't) but he wouldn't notice. If I do one thing well, it is the lack of clutter. I do not do clutter. To me, that feels messy.
So what does clean look like in your home? Do you have a system? Or just clean as is needed. Do you pay someone to help? Have you decided on a level of "mess" that's O.K. with you? Do you ever feel like you spend more time cleaning than you do with your kids? Let me hear it!
We broke down and hired a cleaning lady (domestic assistant?) starting with every 2 weeks, and now once a week - since I found someone less expensive. Although it is an extra expense every month, it now means I pretty much never have to clean a toilet. And since I struggle with clutter, it motivates me to get everything picked up by Thursday night so she has free range to clean on Friday. It makes our weekends SO much nicer when the house is clean to begin with and we don't have to spend our Saturdays cleaning or arguing about cleaning.
ReplyDeleteI have had a few older women tell me that their biggest regret about raising their own children is that they worried too much about keeping house and wish they had spent that time as quality time with their kids instead. I think there has to be a balance, but getting some help has made a huge difference in my stress level over the house and made me a happier wife and mom.
Abby, I HATE cleaning and should be doing that right now instead of reading blogs! I wouldn't mind it so much if a clean sweep through the house lasted a week, or even 24 hours, but I feel like I am cleaning ALL THE TIME. It is one part of being a stay-at-home mom I do not like, even though I am seriously grateful that I am able to be home with Zoey all day. I try to clean as I go, but it's tough with an active toddler running around and getting into everything. Once she is in bed for the night I pick up all the toys and wash all the dishes and call it good!
ReplyDeleteI have a maid every other week. She does the scrubbing and mopping...but I still can't keep it clean. So funny you just posted this. I have bacon grease on the floor and Wyatt just spilled my cup of coffee I was dreaming about drinking...tough morning. I think I am giving up trying to keep it clean. I am going nuts.
ReplyDeleteAbby....for me it is the clutter that all the sudden covers my kitchen island. I always think if I had a smaller island, but then I would probably just start stacking it :) I do not think there is an easy solution to this one.
ReplyDeleteSherry
Right now I am ok with toy clutter and general keeping up cleaning when I notice something needs to be done. I will be interested to see if that changes when I am at home full-time. Right now my time with them is so precious I am not willing to waste it.
ReplyDeleteNormally we play "pick up" before they go to bed so at least the toys are put away for the evening. Mainly because they enjoy taking them out and making such a mess in the morning!
I didn't even read others comments for fear of feeling inadequate or jealous. When Jacob was born I literally gave up cleaning for a year and a half. My toilets would be cleaned at my mom's visits and that's about it (she lives 7 hours away). I just let myself off the hook. I couldn't do it all. I have slowly made my way back to it this last year although this new (bigger) house has really thrown me for a loop. I do something big almost every day...vacuume, clean the bathrooms, dust, do the floors, laundry. I never have the "clean house" feeling, but it's much more manageable. Clutter in my house is a sure sign that nothing that day has gone well.
ReplyDeleteI've enlisted 4 of 5 of the kids to help with cleaning.They get allowance and life lessons on how to clean different things, how to maintain a home and responsibility of taking care of their own messes. Many hands makes cleaning faster and then we all can play and do more.
ReplyDeleteMeg Allen
There is a line in a Meg Ryan movie that has stuck with me - teenage daughter talking about her mom: "I mean, she's obsessed with making our life look more like a Crate and Barrel catalog." My mom was a really good house cleaner and although I like the house much better when it is clean, it is impossible for it to stay that way for more than about 30 minutes. I clean once a week and step back, love it, and then sigh...Full well knowing that it will not stay that way. And if I just scour the sink and run the vacuum, it feels clean enough. My mom always tells me to get a cleaning lady but at this point I would rather spend that money in the Crate and Barrel catalog. :)
ReplyDeleteWe clean on the weekends -- a deep clean. But during the week I just let it go. We have two little ones too and I'm like you...I would rather just back in their littleness right now!
ReplyDeleteI wish I could reply individually, so here is the best I can do.
ReplyDeleteJen D.--It sounds like having someone come in was worth every penny! I'm sure your hubby likes a happy wife and a clean house.
Jessica--You are exactly right. It is hard to be motivated when you know it will go back to messy in 2 seconds.
Julie--I can't tell you how many cups of coffee have been spilled at our house, and on white carpet. {don't get me started on having white carpet} I'm sorry you were having such a rough day. Been there.
Sherry--We have the same problem, but no island. I think for the most part, if the counters and sink are clean, it makes our whole house feel clean.
T.--Thanks for sharing!! our house is the same. If there is tons of clutter that means it was a bad day.
Meg--I fully intend for the boys to help, and Jack does, but only to a certain level. Looking forward to the day that he can fully clean-up after dinner.
Rachel--Jack did describe me at his school as "loves to vacuum." Hmm.
Katy--It sounds like I just need to pick a day and do it all at once and enjoy. Thanks so much for all of your comments!!!