During our Shirley Family reunion a couple weeks ago, we were lucky enough to share our home with some cousins for the week. I spent The better part of 10 days cleaning out our guest room. Where I had piled unwanted items like cast off baby clothes and maternity wear - exercise balls, frames, holiday decorations, you name it you could find it there. And then there was my laundry room - you reach the guest room by walking through the laundry/craft room. I know we all have those corners were we pile our "projects" and crafty items. Mine was half a room and the other half was full of, well, laundry of all sorts. This was a daunting task and something I had been meaning "to do" since well, before Ruby was born. John was eager to have a reason for me to get to work, I can tell you. And work I did. I was surprised at my ingenuity. Where I thought there was no more room to store things I found room and by and by I was able to walk into those rooms and breath a sigh of relief. Not just relief - I felt peaceful, calmed and even a bit gleeful. So I have made a new resolution - I will no longer pile things to be done later. This is a TALL order for me. I am clearly clutter challenged. And in the last two weeks I have scarcely had time to sweep or mop let alone to do both, and through out the house, too.
So to begin this resolution I am also trying to adopt a new attitude of CLEAN. Today, being Monday, I stayed home and cleaned. What can I say, we play on Saturday so I had to choose another day to get it done. I cleaned all day and still didn't get to everything I needed to. I could make a to do list here as long as your leg. I WANT my house to be clean, but I am seriously deficient here! I need some help.
My reason in writing all this, guilty as I am, is to gain more encouragement. Cleaning is very discouraging. You mop the floor only to turn around and find the dog had muddy feet when you let him back in. Or you spend hours organizing the toy closet to come back minutes later and the kids have pulled every toy from its home. You clean once and it feels good - but then the dread of having to do it over and over starts to weigh you down and well, for me I just let it all go. But the elation I felt getting these huge tasks done has taught me, again, that there is joy in a clean and orderly house. I want to feel that regularly, or at least more frequently.
So friends and strangers a like - what is the secret? How do you keep a clean and orderly house? Any and all advice is welcome - I am probably crazy to look for answers here, but I need to shake things up and I figure you ladies (and men) have great answers. There has to be something I am missing, and I hope it is not all genetic!
10 comments:
I don't think there is a true secret. I think everybody has their way of doing things and it works for them. I also like to work on Mondays. I try to do all my laundry that day (of course it still appears during the week). I find if I do a load or two a day, and fold and put away (ugh!!) I feel better about myself. Another thing I try to do, is clean the whole downstairs before the kids go to school. That way I can concentrate on another project while they are away. There is no magic to any of it, just remember that feeling of how you felt when you accomplished your goal! Go Amanda!! Oh, I guess it helps that my husband is over the top with being helpful, I don't have to ask too much for help, if at all! One of my perks of marriage.
what a beautiful laundry room. It looks like Pottery barn. as far as clutter advice goes, I have none! My life is always in shambles!
Wow...it looks great! I wish I had some great advice, but our place is so small I usually toss out things before I start organizing. Brian and I have been married only 7 months and it seems like we've acquired so much STUFF! It's amazing! Being organized is so wonderful. Good for you!
Wow, to have a laundry/craft room! We have one big front room. One half is living room, a quarter is kitchen and the other quarter is laundry, dining and office. It isn't as bad as it sounds. We have learned to be organized - you just have to in a small space. Throwing away - as Callie says- is also a great thing to learn (and very hard for the girls to do). A comment on Heidi - she has no clutter! I don't even know where her kids toys are. The house always looks great, not even a dish rag in sight. I too have a veyr helpful husband, but right now he is more intereted in playing in the back yard - is putting in a brick path way. Okay, enough said. Serena
Thanks all! Johnny read this post last night and then he walked into the said laundry room and had a hardy laugh - I have piles of clothes, folded, but not yet put away. His advice, start earlier in the day. It's true that I am a night owl and could go until late in the night rather than get up and get started. Probably the best place to start for me!
Mandee, I am a night owl too. I think we get it from Mom and Dad. What helps me is remembering Aunt Nacy's Moto of "why wake up to yesterday". Some times it gets me going, some times I am just to beat. But it never hurts to be reminded of the fact that if you don't do it today you will just have to do it tomorrow (and we all know by then the piles are twice as high and take twice as long to get through!).
Jenny
So, uh, why didn't Johnny just pick up those piles of cloths?:)
But seriously, you know I do not have a home of my own, but I heard advice a while back that I think about often, choose something for each day and attack it that day; IE - laundry Monday, Bathrooms Tuesday....
Not sure if this is good advice or not since, like I said, I haven't used it myself. But it sounds reasonable enough!
Love ya!
I suggest that you take a picture of each area after you clean it. Then you can post the picture and remind yourself of what you've done! That way, when it all piles up again, you still have the photo! ha ha ha. J/k
I'm still a big fan of flylady - zone cleaning helps me. I don't mind that toys out - I do mind the dirt under the toys.
Right now -we're all working on putting things away when we're done - rather than leaving things for the maid to put away (suprisingly, we don't have a maid!)
I love ya!
Not too much advice here I use to be a clean freak and I have surrendered, it feels really nice. I do clean but not like I use to. However It is really good to have a clean and organized home. I think if you take one day set aside to clean the house(the deep clean) so you feel good that day and your house stays clean for a little while, and you have that feeling of accomplishment, however if you are cleaning your house everyday then I can see the frustration! It is good to just do the little things around the house often like a load of dishes or a load of laundry etc. What has worked for me Is I tackle one big project at a time-like yesterday cleaned out my kitchen cupboards in less than an hr while will slept and that was my project for the week. Hang in there I think you are too hard on yourself. But I do relate and I think if you keep making cleaning a priority than you will find what works for you and your family. Your laundry room looks great and I am jealous you have a laundry room/craft room to get dirty
Thanks for the great advice. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can stay committed!
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