This place is a mess.
Although I am lucky enough to have a “house husband,” who keeps up with most of the chores around our (almost) tiny home these days, we still manage to collect a lot of clutter!.
I am banned from vacuuming or any household chore that raises dust (one of my allergies). I don’t really have the stamina for much anyway these days.
So poor Jack gets the brunt of the work around here and all of the laundry, while I try to help a bit here and there when I am up to it. Just cleaning up the counter in the kitchen area could be a full-time job since that is where everything lands somehow.
We used to have a cleaning lady who came once a month. I wish we could still have one – once a week would be better actually, then we would have a neat house for at least a couple of days a week.
I am still working…not as many hours anymore but usually 2-3 days at least part-time in here on the computer. My office/guest room/sewing room/pantry is my responsibility – and it is usually a terrible mess.
Suzy Homemaker I’m not.
It is even worse lately. I’ve had loads to do for work and not much time for sewing or much of anything else. That doesn’t leave much spare time to do the “picking up.” Lately I would get a D- on my efforts and that is generous.
When I was a bit younger it seemed to be a lot easier. I worked back then too, sometimes incredibly long hours and still managed to keep the place presentable and the dishes done. Jack, (bless him) took care of the laundry). Plus, I was raising three youngsters at the time…
These days when the work week is done, I don’t have the energy left for the house, let alone yard work Jack gets stuck with it all.
Gotta love getting old!
So, I usually fall back on some tips from the family on keeping things presentable, at least inside the house.
My sister-in-law Marlene was a genius. She always left her vacuum sitting in the living room.
I asked her about it one time and she said, “It’s in case someone comes over. I’ll tell them “I was just cleaning.”
Maybe it’s because I grew up in the happy homemaker era of the 50s and 60s, but I understand her reasoning completely.
Remember “Leave it to Beaver”? If you do, you are close to our age and know exactly what I mean. Not only was that house “open house clean,” but Mom (June) did it all in a dress and high heels and still had a healthy, balanced dinner ready at 6 p.m. (Like that every really happened…anywhere!)
We have never lived like that. There’s always clutter on the counter, fuzz on the carpet and often dishes in the sink. And despite some efforts at healthy meals, we still eat fast food sometimes — usually pizza and burgers…(Burger King has a great fish sandwich).
Back in the days of “Father Knows Best,” most Moms didn’t work outside the home. Mine did, but then that is another story. Somehow she still managed to keep our place looking fairly neat – but then we had lots of junk drawers. Mom was a genius too.
I am a firm believer in junk drawers. We have a few in this house – usually the top drawer of desks and dressers – and they certainly are handy. If someone calls to say they are on their way over, you just open the drawer and sweep everything off into there – instant neatness.
Since this is the method to our madness, of course you know the bench in the living room is full of junk. Just don’t open it.
Another “must have” cleaning tool is the laundry basket. Carry it through each room and throw everything in there that doesn’t belong. Then hide the basket.
And of course, drag the vacuum out into the living room, unwrap the cord and plug it in. Now you are ready for company.
Guess I really should clean out some of those junk drawers and find the hidden laundry baskets, so I have a place to put stuff when company is on the way again…
Because Marlene is coming for a few days next week!
