Take a picture... It'll last longer

Sometimes I think not being able to keep a spic and span (read perfect) house is genetic.

OH YES I BLAME MY MOTHER/ANCESTORS

I really do think some people just have the knack for squeaky cleanliness and others don't.

I'm in the don't pile.

Even though I wash clothes everyday, sweep everyday, bake food everyday, bathe my kids everyday (2 of them several times a day),wash dishes everyday, wipe the kitchen benches 10 times a day - My house is never clean! Other people seem to have a home you could drop by anytime and it will be clean. If you drop by here (you'll be welcome, but you won't catch it clean!)


I feel sad sometimes seeing pictures online of perfect, clean, white, glowing, huge, gorgeously decorated houses with clean kids and pale carpets.

How does one accomplish that?

I've yet to learn the trick obviously.

(bigger house? smaller house? Remove clutter? Hire a cleaner? Get a job so I/we aren't here to mess it up? After school activities to keep the kids out? Take out, so I don't mess the kitchen numerous times a day? PLEASE SOMEONE TELL ME!)

Though I'm happy to go with the : you've either got it, or you don't, gene theory.

I had super stress this week over a house inspection (apologies to my facebook friends. There was an unusual amount of facebook venting (known as FBV) this week) as the debarcle ended up going on for four days! I like to use inspections as an excuse to really deep clean atleast every 6 months, They take photos of every room and I would die for the owner to see dirty dishes/clutter/clothes on the floor in the bedroom/kids craft projects/ toothpaste splatter on the mirror/soap scum/dust/kids toys littering the deck,yard,floor/basically for them to see how we live ;)

Lucky for me we must be fairly clean as it only took one whole entire day (excluding mowing, pruning, hedges that was another day) for me to accomplish this. But alas I don't have an entire spare day EVERY DAY.

It's amazing what one can do if I don't go out, allow my child to watch  TV ALL day, use the dryer and DO NOT hang out all our clothes, follow the children around so closely and pick everything up behind them, not invite ANYONE over, not cook anything, ban on all games, crafts etc, stay up late mopping, folding and putting everything perfect before I retire to bed.

This equals a clean house! A house devoid of all signs that someone lives in it!


I do belive the funniest line out of my mouth these last few days was to the MR:

While in the shower I said to him 'DO NOT stand on that bathmat when you get out. Shake and dry yourself IN the SHOWER. If you do dare,  put it in the dryer to fluff it up again.'

whhhaattt?

Yes I had washed and fluffed them and if he stood on it, it wouldn't stay that way would it? I just needed everything in place for ONE DAY! (which turned into four days)

Impossible


Now asthetically speaking, I loved this week. What a joy to look around at a clutter free, everything in place, perfectly clean home. Oh it made me HAPPY!

But on the other hand, it was a stressful, boring, lonely, week. One that led to several disagreements with my children. (they could feel the stress I tell ya)

Why oh why can't we have both ?!?!

Why?

Why?



* I promise this will be my last housecleaning post. I promise never to talk of it again. You all know it. I'm a mess. See above. I blame genetics. You'll just have to love me. Mess and All.

and I just had another thought about maybe we should be taught cleaning at school. WE all might end up in different professions, but we ALL - male and female end up living in a house.