Mastering the Art of Zee Clean…
It’s ironic that Parent Bloggers Network has challenged its blog reviewers to share tips on how they clean with their blog readers. Ironic, for me that is. Because, cleaning is something I can be a bit spastic about, to be quite honest. I grew up in a hope that was not tidy or even clean very much. I love my mom, but this was not her strong area and she was totally comfortable with that.
I, however, was not. So, as an adult, I have found myself on a quest to learn not HOW to clean my house, but how to KEEP my house clean. And, friends, let me just say that it’s a goal of mine that feels so very far out of reach!
I’ve tried FlyLady.com, I’ve kept organizing lists and books, and much, much more. Keeping things clean is just hard for me. Case in point, I sit here writing this with my desk cluttered with papers of all sorts, the gameroom floor strewn with blankets, a few bags of Easter stuff still sitting waiting to go in their box in the attic. We won’t even go INTO the state of my closet!
One of my greatest joys was finally being to a point that we could afford a maid. And, I’ll admit, I semi-stalked her a little bit at first, finding reasons to come in the room she was in. I wanted to know all her secrets. It was wonderful once every 2 weeks to have my house completely clean from top to bottom! She recently quit because she was about to have a baby (the nerve of some people, I mean HONESTLY!), and I thought I was so good with it.
“This will be great,” I told my husband. I’ll plan it on the calendar as if the maid was coming and once every two weeks I’ll take 1 day to clean the upstairs and the next day to clean the downstairs. Easy, breezy, right? I even gave myself 2 days to do what it took her to do in less than a day.
Yeah, it is so not happening. I spent hours one day, cleaning just my kids bathrooms. People, these are TINY rooms! I don’t know if I’m too picky or what, but this cleaning thing does not come easy to me. So, I look forward to participating in this blog blast to learn what all YOUR secrets are in cleaning over here and here and those of you who stop by and read this, throw me a bone in comments and give me some helpful tips. Trust me, I really need them!
This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as a part of one of their weekly blog blasts. I was not paid for posting this content, but I could win some really nifty prizes!
Tags: Parent Bloggers Network, PBN, reviews
In some ways, I'm a walking cliche--a suburban mommy blogger of two kids just trying to keep my crazy yet wonderful life in balance. But, I'm also a career writer who has just returned to fulltime work in the software industry, I'm a wife going through a divorce after almost 20 years of marriage, and I'm discovering that life is full of surprises. But, mostly I am learning to look at the world through funny glasses with my tongue sticking out. Pfffftttt!
4.30.09 at 8:35 am
Zane comments:
Getting the whole family involved will take some of the burden off of you. There are obviously some things that children can’t handle but there are plenty that they can. The general clutter, usually of their stuff, should be their responsibility, as well as their rooms.
My 9 yr old son cleans the toilets- not always spotless but he is learning.
The 13 yr old handles the vanities, mirrors and does some vacuuming, with the usual huffs and puffs of a teenager, but she will know how to do it when she moves out.
My 7 yr old loves to clean. She wipes fingerprints off of doors, dusts, picks up clutter, folds throws, arranges pillows- a natural organizer. She will be in charge of the house one day.
The things they can handle give you more time to focus on the details they can’t so you aren’t so overwhelmed with it all. Plus it teaches them good habits for when they’re adults.
Zane’s last blog post..Making your bed.