So how often do you look at your house and despair? What a mess! Toys on the floor if you have kids, yesterdays newspaper still on the arm of the couch, dishes in the sink and you are afraid to see what is on the bottom of your hamper; you know you haven't seen the bottom in a few weeks. I know I have felt that way.
You look around your friends houses and wonder; they can do it? Why can't I? Those thoughts have often run through my head. What is the matter with me?
Then I became a maid. I see what people's houses are like. I see how they are before I do my clean sweep, and what they look like a couple of days later.
Note: the women I clean for are very neat. They don't leave me humongous messes to take of; the houses are fairly orderly.
But they aren't perfect.
They have piles. They leave their dirty dishes in the sink. They have lost socks under the beds. They have their rooms that hold all the stuff that needs to be sorted. And that is with me coming once or twice a week to clean. They aren't poor homemakers; they are busy people. They have kids to tend and people to see, and life to live.
I wonder whether it really is possible for one woman to keep up a house when there is more than two people living in it; and she wants to do more than dust and mop. All right, possible is too strong a word; there are people I know whose homes often look like they are expecting a visit from House Beautiful. But most of us I think, have to accept a less than perfect place. Dishes in the sink aren't a sin, and so you never get to that red shirt ---it probably doesn't fit anyone anymore anyway! Like my friend Beth says; you have to prioritize!
So listen, this maid says; "Stop beating yourself up over your messes and imperfections." I know being a maid has helped me look at my lack of a clean gene in a whole new light. Maybe I'm not really as bad as I thought.
Posted by Rachel Ann at October 16, 2004 07:06 PMA friend of mine cleans her home BEFORE the weekly maid visit. When I asked her why she does this she claimed that she would hate to have anyone see her home dirty. So the purpose of the maid? To do a "real" cleaning above and beyond my friend's getting ready for the maid cleaning.
It is all very silly.
Now I think I have to go dust something.
Great Post!!
Posted by: michele at October 16, 2004 08:54 PMI needed that. After all the birthday mess I didn't want to clean up tonight before I actually worked on my Sunday School lesson. I left it there and it is still there and I feel guilty and tired at the same time!
Posted by: Angie at October 16, 2004 09:32 PMHi,
Liked your post. Me and my boyfriend have just moved into a flat. We always go one about the fact that we seem to spend all our weekend doing housework. And we are just two people! well, and two cats, who make mess but don't help to clean it (except any crumbs or dirty plates). Actually, talking of cats, they always show us up, going into a dark corner and coming out with something we have lost or threw there, or going under the bed and coming out with my dirty knickers in their mouths. But what is worse... trying to keep my classroom full of 6 year olds tidy :))
Posted by: miaxu at October 17, 2004 03:10 PMWonderful. I'd love to quote you on the Israeli flylady list. We're all so insecure about our homes and cleaning skills.
Posted by: muse at October 17, 2004 05:43 PMMy husband and I have spent the last year or so forcing ourselves to become tidier people. Some of it has been forced upon us by our daughter getting into one thing after another, but it is also something we've wanted to do, but never really did. So our house is neater than ever in the past -- even before kids -- but it is only neater. We still don't get things dusted or swept or mopped all that often. I feel saner when things are tidy, but I've found I can live with a lot of dirt.
Posted by: Jordana at October 17, 2004 11:39 PMWhat a sensible post :-). I used to be or tried to be a pretty fastidious .but believe me no matter how hard i try..the work never gets done ! Me n hubby dearest seem to spend all of our weekends..just cleaning, cleaning and cleaning ! Its a tad more easier now, now that I dont work anymore and am at home..but still it seems to overtake every other aspect of 'living' but what the hell..if it cant get done..so be it ! lol !Might as well enjoy the mess..!
Posted by: pincushion at October 18, 2004 08:00 PMWhat a sensible post :-). I used to be or tried to be a pretty fastidious .but believe me no matter how hard i try..the work never gets done ! Me n hubby dearest seem to spend all of our weekends..just cleaning, cleaning and cleaning ! Its a tad more easier now, now that I dont work anymore and am at home..but still it seems to overtake every other aspect of 'living' but what the hell..if it cant get done..so be it ! lol !Might as well enjoy the mess..!
Posted by: pincushion at October 18, 2004 08:01 PMWhat a sensible post :-). I used to be or tried to be a pretty fastidious .but believe me no matter how hard i try..the work never gets done ! Me n hubby dearest seem to spend all of our weekends..just cleaning, cleaning and cleaning ! Its a tad more easier now, now that I dont work anymore and am at home..but still it seems to overtake every other aspect of 'living' but what the hell..if it cant get done..so be it ! lol !Might as well enjoy the mess..!
Posted by: pincushion at October 18, 2004 08:01 PMBravo! Thanks for sharing about something most of us have to deal with. I know this in my head but I still beat myself up about my untidy house more often than I probably should. I always figure that by the time the boys leave home I'll be a perfect housekeeper because I'm in boot camp right now. Surely the training will pay off one day :-)
Posted by: Andrea at October 18, 2004 11:35 PM