That thing is cleaning. It isn't just the physical act, there is this whole mental and emotional demoralization going on. Cleaning is constantly necessary, and is the one thing I can never get a complete handle on. The house is constantly in a state of decay, and I feel like I'm just barely holding back the tide. When I make dinner, I am creating a mess that will need to be cleaned. While my kids are eating they are dropping little bits here and there that will need to be picked up. While I'm washing my clothes there are six people wearing outfits that will need to be washed. That's almost a full load of laundry there. When my daughter is looking for a "lost" shoe, she is throwing four pairs onto the floor. While I'm putting groceries away the kids are dumping crackers on the floor. While I'm reading to the kids, the baby is pulling all the books on the shelf. And even if the whole house is picked up (which is never) somewhere in a corner somewhere a child is pulling socks off and shoving them into a toy bin. The kids actually are amazingly helpful. They will pick up toys. They love to vacuum, dust, and clean windows. They will reluctantly clean toilets, and for the most part they remember to clear the table after themselves. Their hearts are definitely in the right spot, but they are children, and their hands are often up mischief, and their mere existence is slightly messy. Don't believe me, you should see what they do with hand soap, or for that matter the state of the bathroom after they bathe themselves :) So for now I'm just tired, and when I'm not tired from doing the cleaning, I'm tired from thinking about it. Getting up to get started is usually the biggest part of my battle. Here are some cleaning tidbits from today:
Gigi covered the floor with five slices of bread broken up into tidbits so that Cheetah could get a "snack" when she wanted one, because nothing says delicious like bread crumbs laced with dirt and toothpicks :)
I constantly have a collection of clothes at the foot of my stairs that I find and throw there throughout the day as my children strip off pieces of clothing and leave them where they fell. Socks are the worst. I find them hidden in the toy box, stuffed in shoes, under the couch, behind the TV, in kitchen cabinets, under the table, behind the garbage can in the bathroom, in the backyard. Captain E will say, "Mom I don't have any clean socks." "How is this possible," I'll ask, "You have 36 pairs?" Well I'll tell you how it is possible, they are all hiding in various corners of my house!
I guess I could just give up on cleaning all together but that makes me tired to think about as well. So I guess I'll just keep slogging through, so I'd better cut this short, because last time I checked I still had a pile of dishes that needed washing!
I can't remember if I've commented on your blog before or not. I found you through Bridget's blog and have been following since you had your sweet Cheetah. I had to comment on this post because the first picture of the breadcrumbs had me in tears! I love the way kids think sometimes, but also hate that it often results in more work for moms. As for the clothes, I started keeping a laundry basket downstairs (that's where my laundry is - this may be less practical if your laundry is upstairs). It started when I was potty training my son (which lasted a whole year, by the way - talk about added laundry!). Anyway, if it works in your house, it may help that little problem. It's nice to know that others struggle with the cleaning thing.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you and cleaning - you said it so well. It's NEVER done; always, always, always more to do. There are so many other ways I would prefer to spend my time, but I do enjoy a clean (even moderately) house.
ReplyDeleteKeep plugging away!