I envy, admire, and am generally in awe of mommies with spic-n-span homes. And I don't know how they do it. I'd love to get their tips and tricks of the trade. (Please!) I'll admit, I am not the housekeeper I wish I was. I don't know if it'll improve with the stages of my knucklehead. Or if I'll get more disciplined. Something, sometime, has got to give.
He currently naps for approximately 1.5 - 2 hours a day. And granted, there are plenty of things I can get done while he's awake. Some, like vacuuming, have to be done while he's awake. Or he'll wake up. Which makes neither of us happy. But others, such as folding clothes, mopping the floor, unloading and loading the dishwasher, cleaning anything with chemicals or strong-odored cleaning products, must be done while he sleeps. And there's always dishes and laundry to be done. So how in the world do I get the other things accomplished? Seriously, I'm asking.
I pick up his toys. Ten times a day. And he always gets them back out. But I can't get upset because they're toys. They're his. And I want him to play with them. He even plays with non-toys. And I love that. I love his creativity and imagination. And I don't want to discourage it. But I seriously feel often like my day consists of playing with him, feeding him, and following him around picking up his wake. He helps me pick up, and joyfully. But I feel like I live in a perpetual state of clutter. I tried buying a toy bin but couldn't assemble it. So his current stash of toys in the den is contained in a play pen turned on its side so he has access to said toys. Needless to say, I use the word "contained" VERY lightly.
I think I'm even beginning to suffer from untidy-blindness. It's a very serious condition (whose name is still in the works) that consists of growing so accustomed to a constant state of disarray, clutter, dust, splatters, and other untidiness that a person begins to no longer be able to see it. And if you cannot see it, you do not recognize it, thus it does not get remedied. The only two treatments I've found thus far are (a) invite people over often, particularly people from out of town; and (b) solicit potentially painful, but honest feedback from loved ones, friends, and oh yeah, the people you live with. I figure if they love me enough to live with me or come visit me with my house not being perfect and without judging me, they'll probably also love me enough to be honest. They'll tell me what needs cleaning when I can no longer see it.
But I really wish I could just figure this out. I want to take a page out of the "Little Shop of Horrors" song and "I cook like Betty Crocker and I look like Donna Reed." (Ok, I don't really want to look like Donna Reed. I want to look like...well, that's another entry...) And if I were rewriting that song, I'd tack on something about keeping house like Martha Stewart. My guess is that her house is not only crafty, lovely, and freshly scented; but that you could run a white glove over any banister or picture frame on any day of the week and not find dust. Ever.
But I suppose I'm happier than Ms. Stewart. I've never been accused or convicted of a felony. My child does not yet have a television show bashing me. My husband loves me. My friends don't feel afraid or embarrassed around me. But I could probably stand to have a little of her OCD and creativity.
Anyone got any brilliant ideas to fix me?
we've always had very limited space but didn't want to limit Eli's toys too much because if it. It was never going to work to keep his toys anywhere but in our little living room.. because duh! That's where we always are, so that's where Eli always plays. Best thing I ever did to get rid of at least some of the clutter? DRAWERS! You know, those plastic drawers you can buy anwywhere. You can get a little spiffier, but I like the cheap drawers that are see through. I've even tought Eli a little organization with the fun game of keeping the cars in the top drawer, action figures in the middle & the big toys in the bottom. At 2 - there isn't much use to rules like put this back if you're going to play with that... but it is a little place for him. And as he gets bigger, the toys will get smaller.
ReplyDeleteSo once my boy acquires more & more & the drawers get too full - we clean them out. Put stuff he doesn't play with in his room & keep his favorites in the drawers. He's even gotten in the habit of moving toys back & forth himself.
Again.. at 2.. that's all a lot to ask. But we started around then.. and now at almost 5, Eli totally has it down. There are still toys everywhere, but when it is time to pick up, its easy & the drawers are a lot more tidy than a playpen for when the kids play room needs to be the adult living space again.
http://www.target.com/c/home-storage-organization-carts-drawer-units/-/N-5xto6#?lnk=nav_t_spc_5_inc_7_2
oh PS - give it up lol! most people I know with the 'perfect' clean house and kids, have a basement piled high with toys. The clutter is always somewhere lol!
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome idea, Dana! Thanks so much for the encouragement and posting the link. Target, here we come! :D
ReplyDeleteyay! I promose, you'll love it. The drawers have even become Eli's sticker 'book'.
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