I’ve seen some inspiring posts where female bloggers challenge their readers to “get real” by showing a picture of themselves first thing in the morning, before shower, hair, makeup, and all the other magic tricks we use to put ourselves together.
Well. This is not one of those posts, per se. No way in h-e-doublehockeysticks are y’all ever seeing me without makeup. But here is something else I am ashamed of, that I’d like you to take a look at. It’s my living room (complete with two pajama-clad TV watching zombie children):
and my dining room:
These photos are a very good representation of what my house looks like every day (except for the living room usually has a bunch of train track on the floor also.) Now before you get the idea that I am a lazy piece of crap, let me tell you that I do try. I make a to-do list every day and it almost always includes cleaning and sweeping these rooms. And you know what? Almost every day, I DO IT!! But by the next morning, it looks like the above pictures.
Sometimes it kills me when I am cleaning those rooms, because I already know what it will look like 15 seconds minutes after I am done.
I hate housework. I really am the world’s worst housekeeper. It is something that I struggle with every day and sometimes I only do it because I don’t want to live in filth. I never do it because it is my “job” or I want to or I want to be a good steward of the wonderful home God has given me. I do it because it has to be done. But do I put everything in its place after the kids go to bed? Do I follow them around all day picking up every toy after they have used it? Do I make them pick up before bed?
No.
I am the world’s worst housekeeper.
And I am trying to make myself believe that it’s ok. Because people, I am just never gonna be Suzy Homemaker. If I try to aspire to that, I will just fail again and again and again. Imperfection just fits me a little more comfortably than my Suzy H. costume.
So I guess by posting about my shame, I’m hoping to help myself feel better about it. Does that make any sense at all?
So my friends, I showed you mine, now will you show me yours?
Let’s decide together that it’s ok to do the best we can. Let’s decide that posting pictures of our messy houses is the NEW BLACK! Solidarity, sisters! Go take a picture of your mess, post it on your blog, and leave your link in the comments.
Or just leave me a comment and tell me I am totally awesome despite my myriad imperfections.
Either way. š
Thank you for posting this! Cleaning stresses me out more than anything. I don’t mind it but I just never feel as though I have the time to do it “right” (I have 2 boys ages 2 and 1). And I too get so frustrated that I even when I do clean, the way my house looks does NOT reflect my efforts.
I hope this was a freeing experience for you because reading this was so reassuring for me. I am just checking out this blog for the first time and this post alone means I now need to add you to my “favorites”. Thank you for keeping it real š
haahhhaaa this is great.. okay I was laid off in April.. I had this dream that I would wake up every day, apply for great jobs, exercise for at least an hour a day, take my dog for long walks, clean the house spotless every day, do school work every day (medical transcription classes I paid for almost 6 months ago), umm what else…. yes anyway.. I finished half my class the Friday before Memorial Day and right after that got into couponing.. other than cleaning my cat litter box every week (that is usually my husbands job) I’ve been doing various other things.. mostly reading other blogs and learning couponing. My house is always a wreck because something has to give and really to tell you the truth I could care less about the house looking perfect.. and putting stuff away? WHY? I just need it again in 8 hours or less normally.. why put it away.. it just a waste of time to put it away.. but of course my husband came down on me recently because he expects that I’m home doing nothing but watching tv (the only time the tv comes on is when he gets home I sometimes will watch tv while I eat breakfast but that is even rare) so we had this huge fight and finally I just said I really don’t care and just because I’m unemployed doesn’t mean that as usual he only has to work and come home and do nothing.. he still is obligated to help me with things because I DO EVERYTHING ELSE! WE live in a townhome so he has no grass to mow, no snow to shovel, the garbage is in the bin and he has to push them to the curb on Tuesday night and bring them in (if I didn’t) when he gets home from work. He only works 32 hours a week and a majority of my time recently has been spent helping his friends wife who is ill! So guess what, I don’t care! lol!
If my DH hadn’t just cleaned our entire house top to bottom (which included him cleaning out our computer room which is his one responsiblity in our house because I believe it forces to at least look at our bills and finances and figure out what is what) anyway.. if he hadn’t just cleaned the house I would gladly take pictures of my pit. The only area you would have found a week ago that was clean/organized was my stockpile areas. So give me a week to trash the house again and I’ll take pics and post them.. because really I don’t care! lol!
I am just amazed that you posted those pics! You are brave. Maybe I will be so brave and do the same. I hate housekeeping, yet I love a clean home! I used to be a total neat freak, and in some ways I still am. I just get that I-don’t-care-attitute-because-in-ten-minutes-or-less-it-will-be-worse-than-before. We live in a tiny home right now and it some ways I think its harder because we are always in each other’s way. Anywho, if I decide to step out of my comfort zone, I will post a pic, and let the world know I’m not so perfect either. Maybe you should do a Mr. Linky?!
Yeah, you still rock!
Wonderful! Thank you so much for posting this. I do the same things as you. Make a to do list, which usually includes cleaning. I could clean every room of the house and it WILL be destroyed with in 12 hours. My house usually looks like yours in the morning. Although, yours looks much better than mine does. LOL I am glad I am not the only one who goes through this! š
Do we have the same mother? We must be sisters!
Despite the fact that my MIL is semi crazy, she has this needlework hanging above her stove. It reads: Dull women keep immaculate houses. If that’s true, then I must be the life of the party!
Wow! Thank you for being willing to share your “guts” with us! I’m inspired that you tell it like it is. I loathe cleaning..although I do it. I will never be that perfect homemaker, but I give it my best! Your blog is a delight to read!
Well, don’t I get a mulligan? I mean, I’m moving. So my house is stacks of moving boxes and things to be packed. But….Ok. I’ll do it. Why not? I need the material. š
Can totally relate to your post. My house is a MESS! Would post pictures but am away at my mother-in-law’s house where my tornado children are messing up her house š Thank God she is patient. I thought about cleaning my house before we left, and even started to….so when we got back it would be BEAUTIFUL…but? alas, with the packing and all else we mommies do, it never did get done…(maybe the cleaning fairy visited while we were away ;)–yeah, right!)
I am in the middle of attempting to clean up the play room and reorganize because it has not been cleaned in probably 6 months. It looks like Toys R Us exploded in there and it just constantly gets trashed so I threw up my hands. But I have decided enough is enough. I wish I would have taken a “before” shot so for 5 minutes I can have perfection in an “after” shot. Until they trash it again and I realize my new system hasn’t accomplished squat š
Cleaning sucks. Anyone who loves it is not a friend of mine š
Ok, I played along. My pictures are posted. š
I AM RIGHT THERE….. i am trying to not freak over the house and what HAS to be done to try to enjoy my children because they are growing up TOOOOOOO fast…
I know exactly how you feel! I would post a picture but we just cleaned up (enough) for my mom to come over for the holiday. My kids can destroy a perfectly cleaned room in five minutes (and it will take three hours of harassment for them to clean it up). I took a year off from work for my last child after she was born. All I did was clean, feed and change diapers. I had at the time a 5-, 2-year-old and newborn. The house was always a disaster. It drove me crazy. I was never so happy to go back to work! It was a whole lot easier (kuddos to stay at home moms-its a tough job) and I could afford to have a cleaning lady once every two weeks! Now I at least can come home twice a month to a nearly neat and tidy house. I hate spending the money, but it is so worth it.
My dear, that is not bad at all. I used to get a complex about my house because my husband was complaining all the time about how filthy it was (which in reality it was not all that bad). I just preferred spending time doing things with my kids rather than cleaning. What changed his mind was us visiting both of my sisters in law and his seeing that their houses were way nastier then ours. He has backed off a lot since then. Another thing that has helped is that I have the kids clean up something before getting something else out. Nine times out of ten they forget about the thing they wanted to play with and wander off after picking up a few toys.
My pics are posted too. My house used to be neat and clean every day. And then I had kids.
I’ll just say this looks pretty normal to me! : )
Steph
Clean enough to be healthy; dirty enough to be happy.
Are you sure you are the world’s worst? Because I thought it was me! I am sure I have posted pictures of my house with toys everywhere.
Please read my dad’s comment, it is two above this one. See why i love my dad so much??
I don’t think it is that bad :). We have the same problem here. My home is clean late at night while everyone is sleeping. It is messy as soon as we start breakfast. So depressing!
Give yourself a break. Your children are quite young and in the home. Once the children are in school for a full day you will find that you have the time to do major clearouts of stuff. My youngest started kindergarten last Monday. I am astounded by the amount of trash that I put out on Friday.
Also, children not at home during the day make less mess…woohoo!
I have made a pact with myself to remove all nonessential furniture from all rooms in my house. By this I mean I will leave couches, end tables, beds, dressers, and bookshelves. I will remove occasional chairs, mismatched tables, and any other receptacle that do not have a purpose and/or become a resting places for cups, mail, newspapers, bags, etc. I am tired of backpacks, shoes on the floor. I plan to make a “home” for everything. I am also requiring my children to pick up clothes and toys from their bedroom floors and make their beds each day.
I hope I can live up to the above mission statement!
We have two degrees of housekeeping here – a mess and healthcode bad. My main goals are to feed everyone, have cleanish dishes to eat off of, and make sure that everyone has clean underwear.
Awww. That’s just how my house used to look when my kids were that age. **sniff** Now they are 9 and 12 and we all run around the house at the end of the day and pick up the stuff we dropped. The kids do the dishes, I put in a load of landry, and it takes two weeks before my house starts to look like that again. (When I pay one of the kids to vacuum it.)
This isn’t you. It’s those two cute chaos engines you spawned. Enjoy them–and their live-in-the-moment, drop-it-where-I-stand mentality for another few years. They are cute!
Mine are cute at 9 and 12 too and I don’t miss all that picking up. But this messy thing is a phase.
My son (12) cleaned his room this weekend and gave all his train track to Goodwill. (And yes, he dusts and vacuums, too. I ain’t raising no boy to grow up and drive his wife nuts.) He used to live for those trains. I remembered that sadly while reading your train track post. He agonized for about two minutes before he dumped it all in a box and carted it out to the car.
Your dad’s comment is my favorite. I think I’m going to make that my mantra for life.
well i finally did it. i joined the bloggy world……. here is my dirty kitchen.. http://mymommabrain.blogspot.com/
So it must be normal, because my 3 year old, sitting on my lap while I read this, said “hey, that’s our house!” My house is only clean 1) if company is coming, or 2) at 2 am, because I clean once the kids and husband are in bed! I’d post a pic, but the camera is buried in this mess somewhere!
I just clicked on your site from one of the “money saving” links and scrolled down to this post. The only thing I noticed is the Fiesta ware on your table and in the cabinet on the wall. I collect the Original and use the new for our everyday tableware.
Mess?? You have two little kids. Don’t worry about it!
Wow! You call that a mess? Your house is clean. There might be toys around, but it’s not really messy! It looks perfectly lived-in. I should take a picture of my tv before I clean it, and about 15 minutes later. It looks like I haven’t cleaned it in a month. the baby loves to kiss the tv and poke the screen. Funny thing, we rarely watch tv during the day. He must think it’s a big mirror. {lol}
As my Dad once told me when I was apologizing for our two sink-full of dishes {hey, with 7 kids, two sinks are one day’s meals}: “Huney, I don’t come here because it’s a museum, I come to visit you.”
I think that was about the sweetest thing he had ever told me, besides :”I love you.”
PS My family is French, so if my translation doesn’t make much sense, I apologize. It was very sweet in French. š