How to Have a Clean House
without Losing Your Mind. (Part 1)
Living in the parsonage means that we have a lot of guests. We
love opening our home to people, but that also means that we need to be
ready to do that at a moment's notice. Knowing that, and having a
sometimes crazy schedule, it can be a little overwhelming to keep a
"company ready" house with two "creative" little girls and a dog. After
7 yrs of parsonage living, I've learned a couple of things that have
helped me keep my sanity.
1. ESTABLISH your standard for
being "company ready". At my house that means that I am not mortified if
someone drops by unannounced and my house is not perfect. We live here
and living is sometimes messy. As long as they can use our guest bath
(which also happens to be our girls bathroom) without worrying about
them finding toothpaste smeared on the sink, faucet,mirror, guest towel,
light switch...(does anyone else have this problem?) and dirty
'unawares' on the floor, I'm good.
I would also like for them
to be able to sit down somewhere without fear of being assaulted by a
misplaced Lego creation and I would like to have a clean glass to offer
them a drink. That's all. That, to me, is realistic for this season of our lives.
I mean, it would also be nice if a spontaneous
visitor was not greeted at the door by a five year old who believes
that the term 'put on your comfy clothes' refers to stripping down to
only your underwear, but sometimes spontaneity comes at a price, and at
our house, that's the price you pay.
2. THE CLEANING LIST. I keep a
detailed cleaning list and I have been known to receive a little
teasing for it, but I am not deterred by that, because it works!! I love
having a list because whatever is on paper, is one less thing I have to
store in my brain- which leaves more room for the important things like
where I left my keys, remembering to charge my cell phone, and what
Pintrest project I want to work on next.(Okay so the last one isn't that
important, but still, it's way more fun to think about than cleaning)
Over
the years, as my family has grown, and our lives have changed, and so has
my list. The cleaning list has helped me switch from an
overwhelming all-day-cleaning event to manageable daily maintenance.
This has been very beneficial because I can admittedly be a bit of a neat
freak, maybe more than a bit. At times I can even be a Neat Hulk (at the
sight of a huge mess, my blood pressure raises and my ahem' attitude
changes). If the house gets too messy, the Neat Hulk emerges and goes
through the house in a cleaning rampage, then sits back and dares anyone
to drop a crumb. It's UGLY.
Having a list and maintaining daily keeps the Neat Hulk at bay and my family is not so scared of me!
Next
week, in Part 2 of this series, we'll discuss how to create a sensible
realistic cleaning list and actually follow it. I hope you'll join me!
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