Ok, so I've been a domestic engineer (AKA stay-at-home-mom/housewife) for close to a year now. You'd think I'd develop a system already. I love a clean, spotless, uncluttered home, but how do I achieve it? Does anyone else have the following problems?
- Dust bunnies multiplying before your eyes (is that why they're called that?)
- Paper piles (mail, newspaper, documents, flyers, notes) that grow overnight and consume every inch of surface space you have
- Dust on shelves so thick it looks like you've been gone a whole season, even though you just dusted the other day
If anyone's been a new mother recently, you may understand that I do well enough to pick up after Andersen, make sure the dirty dishes are kept at bay, and the laundry gets done. And if you REALLY know me, dusting, sweeping, and mopping are like major Spring Cleaning duties to me. Do I need motivation? Am I lazy? Is this normal? I suppose I need some feedback on what other people's thoughts are on this tedious headache called Housekeeping.
1 comment:
Yes Yoko, you are just like me... the paper piles, the clutter, the feeling that you must be lazy... totally normal!!! You should see the dust bunnies multiply with 2 dogs and 2 cats!! When you write,
"I do well enough to pick up after Andersen, make sure the dirty dishes are kept at bay, and the laundry gets done." You could substitute Ben for Andersen and that would be MY LIFE!!! Here's what Brian and I try to remember: your job is JUST AS MUCH OR EVEN MORE stay at home MOM than domestic engineer... Playing with Andersen counts as accomplishing something!!! Teaching him things, making him laugh, giving him new experiences and snuggling with him (if he'll let you!) are more important than getting rid of some lousy dust!! In the end, the dust just comes back, but Andersen will grow into a permanent display of your hard work!! It's not the 1950s anymore... pick 1 non-routine job to do per day, and when it's done, stop worrying about that! If you clean out the fridge during Andersen's nap, DONE! If you clean one bathroom, DONE! If you eliminate 1 room's stack of papers, DONE! Then don't feel guilty if you only do ordinary stuff and then just play the rest of the time! THAT's your job!! And don't forget you should get some time off for yourself! Playing with Andersen's toys is not the same as playing with your toys. Chill out during his nap and get your 1 job done while Andersen plays with Hendrik in the evening. Get up early and get some "work" over with so you can relax all day with the feeling that you accomplished something. Good luck!!
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