I am a recovering germaphobe. I use to be freakishly bad about it. Like I should have gone to therapy. But I have tried really hard over the last year and a half to not think about it ALL the time and I had made some good progress. Then I started blogging. All the time I normally spent sanitizing everything was spent blogging. I use to clean during nap time and after my kids go to bed. Now I check my emails and both blogs. So bad news: my standards have gone waaaaay down when it comes to cleanliness. Good news: I am not a full blown germaphobe anymore. I think it is one of those half full or half empty kind of things. Let me give you an example of how bad it was before. I washed my bathrooms everyday. Top to bottom. The toilets got it 2 times a day sometimes. With bleach. I should have been getting paid by Clorox. I went through Clorox wipes like crazy. Every day ( sometimes twice) I would sanitize the light switches, remotes, phones, door knobs, fridge handle, banister, etc. Anything that got touched a lot. That was on top of every other kind of cleaning. I was a neat freak. I maybe had a little too much pride in how clean my house was all the time. But I really do enjoy cleaning and I LOVE having a clean house. One day I will figure out how to blog and have an sparkling clean home. But for now I am okay with it.... sort of. I promised myself that my time with my kids would not be compromised. I said I would still spend as much time with them as before. So they are not being neglected, but my house is :)
Do you find it hard to get it all done??? Got any tips?
Definitely haven't found the balance yet when it comes to getting it all done. I love a clean house but I'm totally not on your level. Wish I was some days, but as much as I love a clean house, I really don't like cleaning. I'd much rather be doing anything else.
ReplyDeleteI go through spurts..I will clean clean clean and then I will let it slide. I don't have any kids (yet) so I don't have the challenge of keeping the house clean as much. Spending time with the kids is way more special. =) Just think of your house as lived in rather than messy! =)
ReplyDeleteI haven't even come close to a balance yet. I wish I had a little more of your drive. I love a clean house with everything in its place (because that means that everything HAS a place) But between the 2 little one, regular everyday things, school and homework, and of course blogging I'm running low on time and energy. Maybe when it gets warmer out we can all spend a little more time outside, and not as much time inside messing things up! ;)
ReplyDeleteWhen your kids are grown, you will never say, "I wish I had cleaned my house more."
ReplyDeleteThis post sounds like it should have been posted by me :) I don't know where I got it from, but I too am a clean freak. Even since blogging. I can't help myself. The balance for me, is cleaning at least 3 different things in the morning. I let myself relax and do blogging during nap and daddy time with my boys. Then, I usually clean the kitchen after dinner, vaccuum and clean up the living room and pick up any mess from the day while Daddy is giving the boys a bath. It's been a good routine for me...hope this helps a bit.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see that you are not such a germaphobe, as far as a balance, I am not sure any of us has found that, I do as some of the other posters said I clean in spurts, and what really needs to be done, the deep cleaning is sometimes.
ReplyDeleteMy kids are grown and I was always thankful I spend time with them and not the sponge, and mops!
I once heard that the closer to cleaning, the further from God you get. (I hope my english is correct). I loved this one, because I never seem to have enough time to keep everything clean, especially because I work (as a teacher) and I have a baby girl...
ReplyDeleteKeep blogging and clean tomorrow;P
Love
Isa
I agree with the others. You will not regret spending time with your kids (or yourself!) that could have been used for cleaning. I sure don't. Kids grow up WAY too fast. Make sure the obvious stuff is clean (floors, counters) and let yourself relax and enjoy life. :)
ReplyDeleteI love your blog, HOWEVER, I found it during the worst part of my pregnancy nausea. That was only a bad thing because I was physically unable to do something as simple as clean the kitchen without having to run off to... well, you get the idea. So there I was with a 10-month-old, and another on the way, a messy house, and no energy at all. I have to say, reading your posts made me wonder how someone could possible do all the things you do with FOUR kids. I couldn't even take care of myself and one little one. So, I guess I am telling you this because even though you may not be living to your own standards of cleanliness, from an outsider's perspective, you certainly seem to have mastered balance!
ReplyDeleteThe good news is, I am back to my almost-normal self, and I am not napping every time my son does, and I have been able to at least keep the house clean, follow the blog, and try some of the recipes linked up here. That's a step in the right direction, I think!
If you figure it out, let me know! I tend to live in a disorganized and messy house. Do I like it? No! I am slowly trying to put things in their place. But it never seems to be enough.
ReplyDeleteI love the Flylady. Have you heard of her? www.flylady.net. A great quick cleaning schedule with time for everything else. :)
ReplyDeleteI find that doing just a little every day helps. Things that pile up (dishes, laundry, dirt on counter tops and floors) need to be taken care of every day. Then I do one other thing or one room a day for the rest of the week.
ReplyDeleteJennifer B.
What was life like before Clorox wipes? I LOVE them. Baby wipes are good for doors/mouldings too!I am a germophobe too. I still just clean my toilets 1-2 x a week though! I find it helps if I focus on one room I am using that day rotating daily- cleaning the bathroom the few minutes I get a chance to use it, or cleaning the walls/door while I am in a room changing a diaper-- and as long as I keep the kitchen clean, I'm pretty happy. The kids can do the rest. (-:
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