Why do we believe that our house should look like a magazine at every moment of every day? Have you ever considered how ridiculous that is?
I have noticed that if I try to always have a perfectly clean house, I don’t get anything else accomplished. I am not promoting a filthy, unhealthy house, but a home that is lived in. I am telling all the moms that sometimes it is best to just do a quick clean and call it finished. Here is what I do sometimes…
- Set a fifteen minute timer.
- Pick up the toys and clutter on the floor in the family areas and put them all on the same couch cushion. Run fast! (A clean floor feels good.)
- Use a baby wipe or washrag to wipe around the sinks and toilets.
- Make your bed.
- Clear off the table. Put the dishes in a sink of soapy water.
- Sweep the kitchen without moving the rugs or chairs and then mop the high traffic area with just water.
- When the timer goes off, your cleaning is finished.
Now go and enjoy your kids or take a moment to do something out of the ordinary. It is OK to switch from cleaning mode to living mode. It pleases me to see a load of wash on someone’s couch. I like the proof that they really live there!
Another idea comes from my sister; she only does housework until lunchtime. Then she has the chance to get on to other things.
A third idea is only allowing yourself to focus on one room a day…and do the bare minimum in the other rooms. Monday is bathrooms, Tuesday is family areas,…etc.
Life is so much more than cleaning or feeling bad about not cleaning…
When my kids were littler, this poem was framed by the kitchen sink (right up until it fell in the dish water once):
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