Friday, April 29, 2011

The Hope of Friday

I just love Fridays. Not because of the old TGIF....or even the hope of the weekend. No, it's more like "school is wrapping up and I can finally get a grip on this house!" Not that it ever really happens the way it plays out in my head on Friday mornings, but I am ever hopeful on Fridays.

This particular Friday calls for a major shopping trip. We are out of everything. Payday finally came and I will be stocking the house up. That feels very good. I love it when we are freshly stocked up.

As for the house, I realized the other day if I could wish for anything (well, anything house related) it would be this:

For all the rooms in my house to be clean at the same time!!!

Some of you organized, non-cluttery types are like, what? Folks, I'm not talking about "oh I haven't dusted that shelf in AGES!" I'm talking about I want to not have to close doors on several rooms of my house when company comes over. Or pray that no one needs to use our second bathroom.

And every Saturday evening we have folks over for Bible study. I also teach sewing classes to a friend's little girl on Saturday afternoons. So the Friday cleaning spree is very necessary. But I never, EVER have all the rooms clean.

It's getting better though. The girls are 500% more helpful than they used to be. I can send them to do whole jobs and they will do them quite well. So perhaps there is hope as they grown into young ladies that we will all be able to tackle the house together? But, to quote Violet Beauregard, "I want it now!"

So even though it's terribly discouraging looking around my house, I can't help but feel optimistic on Friday mornings. Probably foolishly so. I nearly always end up focusing on the "main parts" of the house and never get to those rooms I will end up shutting the door on.

I used to have a clean house. Really, I did. It was back when Sweetheart was 1 or 2 years old. I have pictures to prove it. When little Bit came along, all bets were off and it went downhill rapidly from there. I KNOW! I ONLY have 2 kids!! What is wrong with me? We found the calendars I kept from 2003-2004 (Little Bit's first year) the other day and I was reading them. Sweetheart said, "Man! We were BUSY!" She wasn't kidding. I was tired just reading them. It was ridiculous. I was balancing work, doctor's appointments, a newborn, a preschooler and all the activites that entails, the house, church, etc. It was crazy. No wonder that whole time period is kind of fuzzy.

And I was just sure that when I quit work all would be made right.

So why isn't that working? Huh? I feel very cheated. First I was sold a lie that I could work and raise children and keep the home and then I was sold the lie that if I just stayed home, I would be able to keep up with everything. Neither one has panned out.

What room do you always have to shut the door on?

(And if you don't know what I'm talking about, you are invited over for a work party today!)

8 comments:

  1. Chaos. The door to Chaos is ALWAYS closed unless I'm in there working. Sewing stuff EVERYTWHERE, and now there's the fall out from making prayer journals for some friends all over the cutting table. It looks like a craft bomb went off.

    Don't call it, "Chaos" for nothing! :)

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  2. Can I name whole house "chaos" and close the door? No? Shoot.

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  3. You make me feel better about my house - or at least glad to know I'm not alone. ALWAYS close the door to my room and the office. Last night I was thinking - good grief, this is MY OWN ROOM, why don't I clean it up???!!!! Well, because I can shut the door! And the ones I can't shut off always come first, don't they!!!
    Kathy

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  4. I always have great plans for cleaning on Fridays and Saturdays as well, but not very often do I actually follow through!

    Our biggest issue here is my 12 year old's room. My husband and I have different philosophies about it. In his thinking, it's her space and if she wants to have her space a disaster area, that's her choice. Let's just say that my perspective is a little different. However, since I'm trying to be a godly wife, I'm following his lead. SO, she can keep her room as messy as she wants, but she must keep her door closed so the rest of us don't have to look at it!

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  5. We don't have whole messy rooms, we have messy areas in EVERY room, which of course, makes the house look, well, messy! I really need to pare down and get rid of stuff (but I am ALWAYS doing that!! We just have too much.)

    You know? You can start your cleaning with the rooms you close off. Do those first, then you'll still have to get to the "public" areas, so then your whole house is clean. Hmmm... maybe I'll try that this weekend. :)

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  6. Brenda,
    Although I can be a bit obsessive in the cleaning area (dusting, sanitizing, etc), the truth is, if we are home (especially w/ children or a husband for that matter) then there will be clutter laying about... why? because it is a home, not just a house...which means someone actually lives there. and if someone lives there, the home will show signs of "life". At best, create a routine, and then 'just do it'.
    ~Sheri

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  7. We just lock the front and back door and hide in the closets!LucyT

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  8. I like Lucy's idea! lol! Got my bedroom cleaned yesterday, and it feels good! :)
    Kathy

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I don't get to talk to a lot of actual grown-ups during the day, so your comments make me really happy! :)