Mind those corners, now(I think FlyLady has a similar philosophy about shining the kitchen sink every morning. I’d do that too, if only I could find my sink .)
Extra credit (but only a little) for identifying and completing this post’s title.
Extra credit (a lot) for identifying and sustaining other islands of sanity amid the swirling currents of household chaos.
8 comments:
I only do beds in the winter; in summer we just have sheets on them and I don't have time for the amount of pulling and tucking it would take to make them look decent. I close the doors. :P
Totally agree on the sink--mine is IN USE all day??? I can't figure out in whose house this might work.
Nothin' on the title. I did finally get my kitchen counter mostly cleared a couple of days ago and that's been a big morale booster. Even the kids noticed.
There's only one bed in the house that I make (not counting the crib); the kids are on their own :) Some days they do a better job than others...
Kitchen counter = A Problem. No sooner is ours cleared than new junk magically appears.
I had to Google the title, but in doing so was reminded that I've been meaning to reread that book. :)
We do the sheet thing in the summer, too, to make me feel a bit better about myself. In the winter, my bed looks like an unloved dog's kennel.
But I do fight to keep the table cleared of crumbs and general debris. Resistance may be futile, but it gives life such spark.
One of my favorite reads...but my pregnant brain is mush...I cannot complete the sentence and I am too lazy to go up to the bookshelf in the living room (note to self, move computer to main floor before baby arrives).
I hate making beds. Mom and grandma were nurses, hospital corners growing up...enough said...I use comforters and a bottom sheet. I think a pretty master bed would be nice though, perhaps some day I'll invest the time and money...until then we close doors!
As for the sink...I make the ten year old shine it. But then it fills up...such a shame...at least he learns disappointment early:) I think the Flylady's response was to keep a dish bin under the sink for dirty dishes or load into the dishwasher (which would mean it would have to be unlaoded of clean dishes!
A favorite homekeeping book that I like to read and dream of being organized enough to utilize is Home Comforts. In it she states that the sink is for food prep only...not for washing hands, hair or Ick...faces (when we were dating my dh would stop by my apartment after a run and rinse his sweaty face in my sink...I broke him of that habit.) Of course she also discusses how to hire house help and admits that she keeps house in a 750 square foot Manhattan apartment with one 8 year old girl child...so I cut myself some slack. Someday I will keep a clean and tidy home...I really will...maybe in heaven!
"There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired."
When I am in charge of childcare my island of sanity is a 3'x3' square of counter space. I imagine that if I can keep that little area clean I will have scored a great and mighty victory over the forces of chaos that ever hem me in and threaten to turn the sink into a beachhead.
Um, I'm not sure why this took me 3 years to figure out, but it's been my latest kick: keep the kids strapped in the highchairs until their hands, faces, and the floor is clean! If they don't like waiting, then they can be more careful about the mess! Many, many less sticky fingerprints all over the house=)
Any tips from anyone else that I should have been implementing years ago?
My obsession is the kitchen table...it is the dropping point for everything one is holding when we walk through the door and of course, the slobber point for eating children. So lately I've taken pride in clearing it and wiping it down before and after every meal and even placing some decorative things in the center. It's amazing how that large clean kitchen table can make the room feel. The counters are second on my list and the beds? I have ds' comforter so tightly tucked in between the rails on his bunkbed that it nearly stays made and my bed stays made...until nap time :)
I'm also ocd about picking up toys and recently moved ALL toys to a large open room in the basement. This helps my upstairs stay very tidy for unexpected church "guest" drop ins. Oh yes, and I keep my vaccum right in a convenient corner of the living room...with two boys, a husband, and 2 dogs I have to keep up. My mom also recently introduced me to this little tiny vaccum called the Dirt Devil Broom Vac you can get it at Target for $45 and it comes in tons of adorable colors. She keeps hers handy in the corner and loves it.
wow, didn't mean to ramble so...I'm slightly obsessive about cleanliness when pregnant :)
Melrose...come on over to my house!
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