I feel I've grown in some aspects, like cooking. The other night my husband was oohing and ahhing over something I whipped up (especially when he heard I didn't use a recipe) and I blushed and beamed my thanks. You see, when we were first married I knew how to bake cookies and cake, make scrambled eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches, and boil water. You laugh but I'm not exaggerating...much.
So I freely confess that in the beginning, my household management (cooking, cleaning, maintaining) as a whole was at best haphazard. Nine years later and things have definately improved, but I still feel I have much room to grow.
I've become a planner, and my detail-orientedness is a blessing (if I don't get too rigid), but I find I strive harder in the areas I like, and in the areas I don't prefer, I get lazy. Like cleaning. (Oh, to have inherited my mother's love-to-clean gene!)
A few weeks ago I began looking ahead to my Fall and started mapping out my weekly schedule as I do every year at this time. This planning session also helps me get back into a regular routine again, which I like and summer always seems to debunk. As I'm doing this I also identify one or two areas in which I want to grow. Last year it was meal-planning and using the cash-only method for grocery shopping. This year I hope to take a more intentional approach towards the non-weekly cleaning in my home.
I know there are websites devoted to such things as this, like Fly Lady for instance, as well as decluttering and removing the look of chaos from your house. I never liked clutter, so that's not necessarily one of my weak points. MY thing is that whenever we're having guests over I see every little smudge on my light switch plates, dust on the ceiling fans, cobwebs on the baseboards, and I launch into psycho mode. Ya got me?
Now, in the midst of all of this planning I'm asking myself, "Where is the balance? Where am I too uptight and rigid? Too lazy and nonchalant? Are my priorities in line? Am I exchanging what is good for what would be best?"
Still...I need a plan.
Any ideas?
How often do you "deep clean"?
Do you routinely go through closets, pantry shelves, and storage spaces?
Are your deep cleaning sessions short and spread out over the year, or sporadic and intense?
How do you manage those countless "little" tasks that are easily overlooked? (Like wiping out the silverware tray.)
4 comments:
Um, maybe we aren't twins after all.
I shamefully hang my head thinking that I have probably never deep cleaned. We have lived here over a year and I haven't taken the curtains down, haven't wiped the baseboards or light switches again (other than when we moved in). And I don't plan to any time soon. HOwever, I do clean out my pantry every two months or so. Closets...well, the doors get shut.
Maybe we can plan a gettogether...cleaning my house! (But then again, I will be too ashamed to ask you to come in...)
Okay, I don't worry that much, but I DO NOT pay attention to detail when cleaning.
I'm definitely sporadic when it comes to that kind of stuff. I just do it as it needs it, I guess. I kind of clean as I go. For instance, yesterday I cleaned and reorganized one of my shelves. I just felt like it needed it. I would say I wash the windows/blinds twice a year though, spring and fall. Mostly because I can't stand the thought of shutting everything up dirty. Now remember, my house is one level, so I can get it all done in a couple of hours easy.
My question is how many go "psycho" when having guests over, and exactly WHAT does that look and sound like in your house? I have grown in this area. I used to snap at my family something fierce the day of a guest's arrival, esp 2 hours beforehand. I have learned more how to keep quiet about it than how to eradicate the feelings, mostly because if I start "whining" or "barking, " Paul say, "That's it. I'm not helping. I won't let you take it out on us the fact that you've had two weeks to take of this (cobwebs on the light fixtures, books atumble on the shelves, or "crap" in general (pardon me, you gentle readers). I like to "spring clean" because it feels good to open windows, freshen it all up, etc. But I tucker out on my best intentions long before it's "all" done. I go thru stages of ardent list-making, but mostly I married a man who is more than happy to crack the cleaning whip! He didn't learn it at home, but he's had janitorial jobs and it's just his nature to "see" things I don't see, and to finish what he starts (also not a gene of mine).
You're in good stead. Congrats on the cooking. I've grown in that, too!
www.motivatedmoms.com
The Fly Lady is nuts. Check out this site. If you want to read more of my opinions on it, click on "tips" in my sidebar. I did a post about how great this site is.
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