Ahhh - don't we all feel this way!
Or not ...
I definitely can relate to her waking up, perusing the scene and deducing, "Hmmmm, this won't do."
Unfortunately, my efforts to round up the rat in my backyard, the mean old scrub jays in my oak trees and the spiders outside my backdoor, have all been in vain. I am pretty sure I not an actual fairytale princess, so I am on my own to make sure the tidying up happens.
For help, I have turned to FlyLady to at least give me some pep and motivation, and her system really works. I still have a long way to go, but we are getting there. If you haven't visited her site - it's definitely worth a look. And her book, "Sink Reflections" is marvelous.
So, what motivates you to tidy up after all the people in your lives? How do you attack the work, how much do you assign out? (My oldest just turned 8 and I have heard stories of people having kids do their own laundry when they turn 8 - I am torn - she can't even reach the buttons on the machine. She puts her laundry away, but I don't know when to expect her to do it all.) How do you keep a smile on your face while your three year old is completely destroying a room while you are busy cleaning another?
Love to hear your success and your horror stories -
One of my successes (which is why I am posting this today): After three months of having bedrooms unsettled due to changing everyone around before the baby was born, WE ARE ALL SETTLED!!! Yesterday it finally happened - we all have an organized, happy place to rest our heads each night with clothes neatly placed in drawers and closets, toys packed in bins and books aligned on the shelves. Ahhhhhhhh, I'm drinking it in!
Of course, what would life be like without the horror stories: One day as I was slaving away on laundry in the basement, I came up to find my two sweet little girls (then only 1 and 2 years old) covered in flour, not to mention, the floor and kitchen counters were also covered. I probably didn't react so well to this situation, although I am pretty sure I didn't rip their heads off, since they still have them.
Anyhow, love to hear your cleaning woes and ahhhhhs.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
New Topic - Tidying Up
The Sleep Deprived Ramblings of UtahJenny at 6:18 AM
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4 Mommies Sharing:
Oh, I know the horrors to well. One that I can remember easily is one time I had just finished mopping the floor when my little one dumped a bag of tortilla chips all over it. Arg!~ It was a bit frustrating, but I had to get a pic of course!
http://chanellejones.blogspot.com/2008/02/i-hate-murphys-law.html
hee hee, such a familiar sight!!!
I may have shared this before...but, especially since being pregnant (sick...then huge) one of the only ways my kitchen floor gets cleaned on those not so good days....is when I'm walking around barefoot and I notice something stuck to my foot...I will pick it up and put it in the trash. That's some kind of progress, right!?! Can I also mention that I was extremely grateful one day during my sick-pregnant days when I came home from errands or something and John had scrubbed our bathroom sparkly clean...tub and everything! We could all use a little help like that now and again.
I really am obsessed about cleaning/tidying up my house. But the more I try the less that gets done.
I will attribute this obsession to living in an old house. In a new beautiful home, there can be toys everywhere and no one would care, the house is still beautiful. In an old home with low ceilings, old brass door knobs, and yucky linoleum, you can never make these look good. So you clean and tidy, and the house still looks dated/yucky.
I will share a small triumph:
My kids now understand the one toy rule. If we do not have friends over, as they will make a mess no matter what, my kids will play with one toy and then put it back. If I catch them making a disaster, they are old enough to clean it up on their own.
Another triumph:
My kids now HAVE to hang up their back packs and coats after school on their hooks, and put their shoes away. This has eliminated the pile which used to drive me crazy in the kitchen!
It is amazing how happy I have become with less tidying to do with older kids, but the cleaning is still the same non stop chore!
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