The Most Realistic And Pinterest Worthy Cleaning Tip Ever

I do not enjoy cleaning. But do you know what I hate even more? Having a messy house. Or more accurately, having a messy house that always seems to be cluttered no matter how much time I spend cleaning it.

I'm convinced that many of you feel the same way. When warmer weather arrives, we are all so ecstatic to be free of the sick days and winter claustrophobia that we begin to see our Pinterest boards fill up with cleaning schedules and de-cluttering tactics promising to enhance our spring cleaning experience and make our home look like a spread in Southern Living.

However, I have yet to find such a schedule that actually seems realistic to me. Yes, ideally I'd like to do a load of laundry a day or choose one room to deep clean each day of the week, but I'm not going to kid myself – life gets in the way of schedules. Although many of these lists have some good tips, some of the suggestions are just downright ridiculous. One of them actually lists steam cleaning grout as a weekly task. Um, no. “Ain't nobody got time for that!”

This is probably a more accurate representation of what a mother – especially one with small children – does to keep the house clean:

1) Wake up determined. Clean like a mad woman all morning, only to arrive at bedtime wondering why the house looks exactly like it did when she first woke up.

2) Rewash yesterday's mildewed load of laundry that she forgot about while she was busy making sure the toddler did not eat caterpillars or hurl himself from the trampoline.

3) Decide that the piles of toys strewn across the living room actually add to the décor.

4) Spend entirely too much time in the kitchen fixing snack after blessed snack, scraping dried food off all the heavily trafficked kid zones, and wishing it was more environmentally friendly/socially acceptable to use disposable dinnerware at all meals.

And, you know, various other things that don't end up on these beautiful Pinterest lists...but don't get me wrong – I still enjoy reading them and dreaming about becoming a superhuman organizing machine. It could totally happen, I suppose. I'm just not holding my breath.

Most of the time, I have a pretty good attitude about the clutter. It frustrates me that I can't always keep up with everything, but then I just remind myself that it's all about priorities. I do what I can during the day, but just like everything else in life, I have to decide what's most important. I can't do it all – no matter how many times I read “20 Steps To Becoming The World's Most Awesome Human Being” or whatever the latest pin might be.

So that's my cleaning tip – do what you CAN. Don't be lazy, but don't be overwhelmed either.

Perhaps I'm just too much of a skeptic, but I just don't think there are any magical tips that are going to keep me from having to do the SAME BLASTED THINGS every single day. That's just a part of life. And occasionally I'm going to find better things to do with my life.

 

 

Like dust the fan blades. Uh huh, about once a year...

No Words, Just Pics: A Typical Day {It's A Dog's Life}

6:45 a.m.

 

 

7:01 a.m.

 

8:00 a.m.

 

 

8:15 a.m.

 

 

8:45 a.m.

 

 

 

8:47 a.m.

 

 

 

 

9:00 a.m.

 

 

 

10:00 a.m.

 

 

 

11:00 a.m.

 

 

 12:00 p.m.

 

 

 

 

12:30 p.m.

 

 

 

1:30 p.m.

 

 

 

2:00 p.m.

 

4:00 p.m.

 

 

5:15 p.m.

 

 

 

 

6:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

 

 

9:30 p.m.

 

 

 

 Awesome, isn't it?

 

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Life Lately

Life has been a little crazy around here lately.

I know; everyone says that too often. How are you? Oh, it’s been crazy.

But seriously – it’s been crazy.

When we went on vacation last month to visit family, everyone commented on how good-natured Abram was, how he was just so pleasant of a baby.

Little faker.

I think he’s going through a separation anxiety phase. I never dealt with that with my independent little girl, so I’m just not used to having a seven-month-old who’s this fussy. He’s also still waking 2-3 times a night, but Hannah did the same at this age, and I’ve accepted that I just don’t have children who sleep through the night. At least he’s generally easy to get back to sleep.

Hannah has been attempting to give up naps lately, which I attribute to me finally getting brave and taking the “sucky” away just before we left for vacation. Sometimes, however, I can still get her to comply. Right now she’s peacefully snoozing away in our bed (I put her there so she wouldn’t disturb her brother’s nap), but I optimistically didn’t put a pull-up on her. I just checked – looks like I’ll be changing sheets soon.

As for me, I’ve been lacking in the motivation department and feeling like I can’t keep up with everything. Our vacation made me realize how nice it would be to have more of a family unit around. I’d love to have more time alone with my husband, more time to myself, and just more time to take care of things without squawking and shrieking in the background.

But, you know, if that’s the worst of my problems – I’ve got it pretty good. So I just try to maintain that perspective. I’ll admit, though – Abram’s not the only one who has had a couple of mini meltdowns.

Gotta love 'em, though.

The Life Of A SAHM: Yes, I Eat Bonbons And Watch Soap Operas All Day

That is, if by eating bonbons you mean devouring some indulgent moments with my little sweeties, and by watching soap operas you mean observing the daily drama that unfolds with a baby and a toddler, then yeah, I do those things.

There are probably a gazillion and one posts on the Internet in which dumbfounded stay-at-home-moms vent about getting asked, “So what do you do all day?” Thankfully, I never get asked that (though that probably has more to do with the fact that I rarely see any human beings other than my hubby and little ones), and I’m glad because I’m not sure how I’d answer.

Because that question has already been answered quite eloquently here.

And also because sometimes I do get to the end of the day and think, “What did I do today? Was I productive enough? Did I accomplish all of my goals?”

But, you know, I did that when I worked at an office too. Think about your own job. Is it easy to explain what you do to others who have never done it? Can you even remember every little thing you did all day?

That’s why I just can’t understand why the question keeps getting asked. It’s as though, despite the fact that there are people who get paid money to do it, taking care of children isn’t considered work.

I can tell you with great certainty that I am far more tired at the end of the day now than when I was working a desk job. And it’s not because being a SAHM is harder – I’m not trying to argue that.

In fact I think the bizarre competition that exists between working parents and stay-at-home parents is simply ridiculous. There are pros and cons to each choice and sacrifices that have to be made no matter what situation you’re in.

Neither is easier than the other; they’re just different.

Tiny Little Hands

But what I have learned from being a SAHM is that constant childcare can be exhausting, just as any job can be exhausting when IT NEVER ENDS. Full time 'mommying' can make you a little stir crazy and a little overwhelmed by the lack of adult interaction and mental stimulation, and being your own boss is not always easy because you run the risk of being far too hard on yourself far too often.

It’s particularly difficult at times because there are no immediate rewards, no plaques or certificates to show for all your hard work. No one sends an email to your boss telling him what a great job you did on a project, and there are no raises. No one even observes what you do most of the time. So for someone who has always been as achievement oriented as I am, that was quite an adjustment.

Tiny Little Feet

It’s rewarding, yes. But the rewards come in much different packaging, and often you are the only one who ever knows about them.

But I wouldn’t trade what I’ve got now. And maybe that’s the key difference for me. Jobs come and go, but this is the one that I am most devoted to and most thankful for.

I’m thankful to have the opportunity to do it, to get to spend as much of this precious time as I can with my little sweets…my little “bonbons”.

The truth is I don’t really care if anyone else thinks I have it easy or that my job isn’t important. I don’t care if some people don’t respect what I do. I know how hard it is, I know its value, and I know I give it my all. More than anything, I know I’m going to miss it when it’s gone.

And I know my own little soap opera is far more interesting than any I'd ever see on TV.

Good Days, Bad Days

The morning starts off great. Do dishes, wash laundry, baby takes first nap, toddler entertains herself…   

Baby gets fussy. Toddler keeps sniffing. Go into denial about the green goo leaking from her nose.

Scarf down lunch while the baby squawks grouchily from his papasan. Feed baby while toddler attempts precarious acrobatics. Burp baby and think he’s happy. Get squawked at again moments later. Toddler begins to feel effects of illness and eagerly accepts nap suggestion.

Attempt to put baby down for nap. Baby angrily protests. Try rocking. Baby continues protests. Give in and feed baby again. Baby slowly begins to drift off…

Toddler wails. Set down wide-awake baby. Spend ten minutes consoling sick toddler while baby cries.

Repeat past six steps.

Toddler gives up on nap. Baby finally naps an hour and a half later. For forty minutes. Squawking continues. Snot drips profusely.

Collapse on couch and pray for daddy to get home early.

In the beginning, this is pretty much how I thought all the days would go, for a while at least. I was sure that having two was going to wreak havoc on my life until I adjusted, and I wasn’t sure how long that would take.

But you know what? Days like these are rare. Surprisingly, the littlest munchkin has kept nearly the same routine since he was born, and my adjustment to two has gone quite smoothly.  So I didn’t mind when this day showed up. I’ve been expecting it.

Even the most consistent babies have their off days, even the sweetest toddlers get cranky, and even the best mamas get worn out. That’s what makes those good days so special.

Even little birds can’t squawk forever.