Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Cleaning Woes

I like a clean house. No, I REALLY like a clean house.

It makes me feel relaxed and peaceful and happy. That is what I want my home to be, a place of relaxation.

The last time it felt like that was when it was on the market, but even then, there was a stress element of not really being able to "live" in our house comfortably. Nevermind, it wasn't peaceful then either.

I remember in the earlier days of our marriage and even when we had a couple of kids being able to clean the whole house and have ALL clean at once.

That was so nice. That is my dream these days.

I am realizing that is impossible in my current situation.

I can work all day long, but while I am working there is a combination of 2-6 children somewhere else in the house messing it up.

I tell Rick they are sabotaging me. He reminds me that they are just being kids. Yeah, right, whatever!

For the last 2 weeks, I have been very diligent and purposeful in staying home, working on our house, spending time with my kids, and cooking.

Even though I have put in all this effort, I find myself constantly frustrated with the condition of our house.

As a result, I end my day feeling defeated and like all of my efforts are in vain.

I feel guilty for not doing enough. I feel discouraged that it is never done. I feel like a failure.

Enough of that!! That is no way to live. I am refusing to go there. If I go there without realizing it, I am not going to stay long.

I have a lot on my plate. I never give myself credit for what I accomplished or even take the time to enjoy my accomplishments.

It is always, "That is done, but look at all the other stuff I didn't do."

Remember that phrase I am saying each day, "What HAS to be done today?" Anything else should be a bonus that I feel proud for accomplishing.

Today my focus is Rick's and my bedroom and bathroom. I think it will take me most of the day to do it well.

When it is all done, I am going to bask in the cleanliness of it. Maybe I should just stay in there the rest of the day without any interruptions.

Then, I will not be bombarded with the messes around the rest of my house and the message they speak telling me I am not good enough.

Can anyone out there relate?

4 comments:

  1. YES! and i only have 3 kids :)

    if the bathrooms are clean then there are crumbs and dust everywhere.

    if the house is freshly dusted and vaccumed the bathrooms are a mess....(sigh)

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  2. Hey, I only have 2 and things get pretty bad pretty fast. Just this morning I was amazed at the damage in only 24 hours from my freshly cleaned bathroom yesterday. I have a coping thing. My bedroom stays clean. No toys. No playing in there. My living room stays clean. The occasional toy creeps in, but not too often. The rest....well...it's the rest. :)

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  3. YES YES YES! i was JUST Telling myself this afternoon {silently, in my head} that i should write down everything i DO get done...instead of constantly looking around and at my list of the things that still NEED to be done and letting that determine my mood. i TOTALLY relate!

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  4. I agree. It can be quite relaxing if one's house is immaculately clean. However, it is also challenging, especially if you have a busy schedule. That’s why it is sometimes convenient to hire a cleaning service to do the task for you.

    Apple Volpe @ MaidPro

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