When I saw that the Parent Bloggers Network was having a Blog Blast sweepstakes on the subject of housecleaning, I had a nice little chuckle at my own expense. Seriously, this is one of my terrible life failures. I am messy. I have never kept a clean bedroom. My husband calls my car “the rolling trash bin” because it is always full of stuff. And I hate, hate, HATE housecleaning. I am 31 years old (shut up Emily), can I really change NOW??
I like to keep a clean house – I just don’t like to be the one who keeps it that way! I don’t really have any cleaning methods or a cleaning routine. I do the dishes when we don’t have any more utensils, do the laundry when no one has clothes to wear, and sweep the floors when cat hair dust bunnies start flying through the air. Or, when I have company coming over. Then, and only then, I panic and clean like a banshee!!
I am not exactly the world’s best housewife!
It’s not that I’m lazy – I swear. I just HATE cleaning. Hate hate hate it. I am definitely lacking in the motivation department.
Just so I can lay my shame wide open for you all, please enjoy the current state of my dining room table:
What?? Don’t judge me!
The person in my house who is actually good at cleaning is my hubby. He is very meticulous. Too bad he works 55 hours a week so I can live a life of leisure and doesn’t have time to do all the housework too! Seriously, though, he really helps me out a lot, especially with the dishes and the laundry on weekends. And when we have a birthday party or company to clean for, we always clean together, and that make it more fun! One of the cleaning products that we use when we clean is Pledge Multi-Surface, and I have to give my hubby credit for discovering it! He started out using it for his electronics, and then we started using it everywhere in the house. It works great on all surfaces.
To help those who need a little cleaning intervention, Pledge Multi-Surface has a new site coming in May! Go there now to download a $2 off coupon (did someone say COUPON? Holla!), and when the site launches in May, you’ll get to see five bloggers (not me, oh how I wish!) get a cleaning intervention!
In the meantime, if any of you want to get together and do a cleaning intervention on ME, my door is always open. When there isn’t a huge pile of hot wheels and train track blocking the entry way, that is.
You are in good company. I think you and I both are much, much better than we were as teenagers though. I’ve even gotten a lot better about cleaning more since B was born. I’m still no neat freak and I never will be. My house is small and so cluttered most of the time. At least its not really dirty. Your house isn’t really dirty either – just cluttered at times.
I am a mess too! I have issues with clutter. I HATE deep cleaning! My husband will be bothered by the mess before I will. I am trying to train myself to keep my bedroom clean. So far, I’m doing okay, but how do I get the clean laundry actually put away instead of sitting in baskets in my room? I haven’t found a solution yet…
I knew I liked you for some reason. 🙂 I despise cleaning…absolutely despise it. Yet I can’t stand for it to be dirty. Good think I married “a cleaner”.
I am exactly the same way, right down to cleaning like a banchy when company is coming over. Sad but o so true 🙂
I have an idea. You could schedule a cleaning date with one of your friends. One week you go to her house to clean together, the next you meet at yours. It might make it more fun and you’d get things done faster. I’m messy, too, and try to set little goals. I set the goal for putting all of my crap away in the bathroom after getting ready, rather than just letting it sit out. I’ve managed to do that for almost six months now, which makes me feel good and gives motivation to try to set and achieve another goal. I set the goal of going through the mail as soon as I get it out of the mailbox, which has helped a lot with clutter. My next goal is bringing stuff in the house from my car and putting it away.
i will come over!!!!!
Oh, Jenny how I love thee. LOL
Your dining room table looks like my dining room table. I’m with you, I hate cleaning!!!
It’s ok- our dining room table is always a mess and I’m a clean freak. I just happens. Tables attract clutter.
But, you’re fine- you’ve got a cute purse and diet sunkist. What else matters? 😉
Wow, your house looks just like mine. I hate to clean. One of the many reasons I went back to work was so I could hire a cleaning lady to come every two weeks. This forces us to put everything away before she gets there. So our house is clean, though still cluttered, at least two days a month! My husband and I also clean like banshees when company is coming over. I have gotten better over time. Now when I move around the house, I automatically pick something up that I can drop off the correct place on the way. Now, if I could only get my kids trained to put their socks in the laundry instead of the living room floor!
dude I totally HATE cleaning too, I can usually keep the clutter at bay (except for my kitchen island which looks exactly like your table) but actually scrubbing and cleaning – ughhh – not so much. If you figure out a solution please please let me in on it. I expect as I transition to SAHM I’m going to be expected to give up my cleaning lady – ack!
I can SO totally identify with you! As in you totally described my philosophies on cleaning (or lack thereof).
I think my dining room table actually looks worse. It’s used as a craft table too…and we have some glue that’s been stuck on there for about 4 years now.
Amy
Oh, friend, I am WITH YOU. I hate cleaning. And sometimes…don’t judge me…I kind of hate my friends who DO CLEAN. I mean, seriously, who DOES THAT? Oh yeah, most everyone else. But yay, not you! Sorry. I know I should maybe not be so happy to find someone else who hates to clean. But I am. Ever since Mark paid a company to deep clean our house for my Christmas present, I’ve been begging him to make it a regular thing.
I’m with you. HATE hate hate it. I do vacuum more often now because I got a Dyson and am in love with it. But people are not allowed to drop by – I need several hours to hide at least some of the evidence of my slovenly ways.
Your purse is fabulous! Love the lemony yellow color!
Once upon a time there were two girls who went to church together. After church, they concocted a plan that one of them, let’s call her Lori, would go over to the others, and let’s call her Jenny. However, there was a snag in the plan. Jenny’s room was a MESS! Jenny’s mom said that Lori could not come over because of the state of Jenny’s room. After more scheming, the girls came up with another idea. Lori would HELP Jenny clean her room while she was over!
To make a long story short, I’m certain that Jenny’s room ended up much worse than when the girls started, but they had fun pretending that they were princesses forced to be cleaning slaves (much like Cinderella).
I don’t know if you remember this, Jenny, since your brain has been mommified more recently and have not had a chance to recover as much as I have.
BTW – cute purse on the table! And, I think my table wins the messiest award… I currently have a half put together strawberry shortcake scooter on mine, among other things. Beat that Rapson!
I’ve so got issue too! But we are NOT failures girl! We’ve just not been very good at it. 🙂 I’d like to think I’m getting a little better with each passing day.
I can’t see anything but that bag. Where did you get that bag? I think I need a lemon yellow bag. NOW.
Wait?! You’re supposed to be able to see your dining room table? Mine has been covered for far too long. In fact last night was the first night in a long time that we sat at the table and the girls said it just felt weird. Well, get used to the weirdness girls. :O)
Aunt Diane fired the cleaning lady “because she wasn’t doing a good enough job”…my response of “at least someone was trying” was not well received. HA!
Oh girl I hear ya. I was just telling my neighbor today that when my youngest is outta daycare (the money suck right now) that I may splurge and actually pay someone to clean my house!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
It’s nice to know that I’m not alone!
You know I am starting to think this may be a disease….maybe we can get some kind of state help haha and get a housekeeper paid for.
Where’s the ‘Dew, girl??? Is it in the Wendy’s cup?! Lol 🙂
Ya can’t worry about everything. You are a good wife and mom, regardless of your cleaning skillz.
That table shows you have better things to do like, blog, sleep, play with your kiddos.
And, like everyone else says, SA-WEEEEET purse!
All I have to say is THANK YOU!!!! I too, hate to clean. I do it…very begrudgingly… I wish I could post a picture here of the current state of one of my kitchen counters….! YIKES!!
And hey, how about this…everytime I clean…and I mean CLEAN…my hubby and son mess it up..so truly, I feel like…WHY BOTHER???
And yes, I LOVE that purse…is that 9 West??
A girl after my own heart. My husband calls my van the “rolling garbage can”. My dining table looked the same way until yesterday when I cleaned it up for the first time in over a week. I am not a good housekeeper and my hubs knows it. But I too like you WISH I was. I want a clean house I just can’t seem to accomplish it and keep it that way. But couponing, that I can do! I love it.
ok. That isn’t so bad. You can at least see the surface. Mine is just a mess and there is a table under there somewhere, I swear. I love your purse, though. Very cute, nice spring color!
Check out the flylady website. She is a godsend!!!