I hate housework! My husband usually potters around (he is a potter-er) and cleans and I make mess. But he has been away for the last couple of weeks and shame on me I had to bring in reinforcements! I was starting work last week so I had an excuse for bringing in my mother who looked after our little girl AND she completely cleaned our house! each night I got home things were more and more wonderful! I thought "this is what it was like for a man in the 1950's getting home to a wife!". Better even – because my mother is also full of stimulating conversation that a man might not have allowed back then. I wasn't surprised to find that my mother was in fact super woman since she completed a degree while she gave birth to three of us and kept a steady job all at once. She is the queen of multitasking! Now why didn't I get that gene?
So I went grocery shopping and left the stuff that doesn't need refrigerating on the kitchen floor. Left a load of washing in the machine for a few hours. Made two meals and used almost every dish. Left said dishes on the sink. Played in the lounge with the baby and decided to give her biscuits there too. Changed in and out of a few outfits just to go for a walk. Got on-line and talked to other mothers and fathers who are probably trying to clean the house. Built a blanket house out of the lounge and all of the freshly cleaned blankets provided by mum. Had a one sided food fight at the kitchen table. And then I finally hung out that load of washing!
So I recon I did pretty well! So tomorrow I hope that I am cleaning. But who knows what fun might mysteriously pop up instead!?
Haha Pip! I dream of being a 1950's wife but I really am just far to busy to concern myself with such things as dusting and vacuuming…..especially when there is building blocks and dolls houses/lawn mowers to play with and work/study to do! Not to say I don't love a clean house but there really aren't enough hours in the day and when I do have a spare one I like to take some time for myself. I'm not one of those people who finds cleaning therapeutic! I find running or hanging out online far more therapeutic!
I DO however find that maintenance is VITAL! We have a small house that becomes very cluttered very quickly but if everything goes back in its place immediately and I do a quick once over (and I mean quick – 15 minutes max) once a day I feel more calm and on top of things. For instance I don't leave the house without picking up toys. Sometimes that means strapping the kids into their carseats (car right by the front door) and doing a 2 minute zip around to put everything back in its toy cabinet crate. If I leave it until I come home then there is INSTANTLY more mess on top of the mess that was once there!
DPs piles of clean and dirty laundry are another whole story though and could quite possibly take over the house in the next month! If you don't hear from me for a while call 000 and get them to dig me out from under his huge pile of mess!
I used to be OCD about cleaning, then I had Maddy and was only 90% OCD when it comes to cleaning. Since having my lovely high mummy needs Elly I dont have time to be OCD… as long as I get yesterdays washing done, dried, put away… I can be happy. I have had to let everyything else go by the wayside.. so my standards of above higher than high…… are now very low. But it makes for a happy elly, which makes for a happy mummy.
When it comes to housework, it pays to keep in mind this motto…IF ALL ELSE FAILS, LOWER YOUR STANDARDS. Works for me!!
I actually use a kitchen timer. You know how it's always suggested as a way of keeping on top of things? I went and bought one and my eldest thinks it's the best toy. She sets it to 10 minutes and we have a 10 minute cleanup, she puts things away while I walk around with a plastic bag and throw out anything that could possibly be classed as rubbish. I'm absolutely amazed what a difference 10 minutes can make. If it wasn't for that I would be teetering on the edge of hygiene, it's DH who keeps our house going. Although for some reason laundry doesn't bother me, I quite enjoy hanging it all out and the girls have their own line and help, and I'm a master at getting them to do the chores. It's remembering to go back and finish the job after we've had our play that I'm really bad at!