Something is seriously wrong with me.
I'm pretty sure I've said those words here before, but this time it's really and seriously true.
How is it that a 30 year old college graduate, wife and mother of three does not know how to clean her house? What is the DEAL? The girls have been with my parents for a few days, so during the day, it's just been me and the baby. I wanted to take advantage of the time without all the kids here to clean up a bit...you know, without distractions. But guess what? Turns out I AM the distraction.
Yesterday I go to the girls room and I'm cleaning: emptying the toy basket onto the floor and sorting out purses from wigs, Barbie shoes from baby doll clothes...you know, cleaning. I start to notice groups of things that go together. Like these baby dolls.
Look at them. None of them have clothes (except the littlest one upon which I took pity. Is it normal that my girls only UNdress the dolls?) As I continued to clean, I saw another grouping take shape.
I felt like I was doing something, making progress. Grouping like things with like things. Until I realized maybe this isn't really cleaning. Did I change a sheet? No I did not. Did I windex anything? No I did not. Did I vacuum? Of course I did not vacuum.
I sorted. I organized. I rearranged. This is not cleaning, people. It is a component of cleaning, I know. But this is a problem, a compulsion to have all things that match be put together, a disorder of ordering. Instead of changing sheets, I took photos of naked baby dolls in a pile. Worse, after I took the photo, I stuffed all the dolls in a cabinet in disarray to get them out of the way. At least they were all in one place. What is wrong with me? That is what kids do when mom says "clean your room". That is not what mom does when cleaning kids room.
I have another problem. I have heard of people who clean one. room. at. a time. How is this to be done?
I start here and almost get the bed almost made. But then I remember Oh yeah. I need to finish adding towels to this.
Then, I walk right by this.
...and turn my head the other way. On my way back to my room to finish the bed, I see this:
So guess what I did? You're lookin' at it.
Everything I've read about housekeeping talks about routines. What is that word? I think it is important, but I'm not sure how to have one. I did FlyLady for a while. She talks about baby steps and starting with keeping your sink clean and shiny. That worked for a while. Until it didn't anymore (as you can clearly see).
So there you have it. I like to sort. I like to organize. And I really like to have clean clothes and clean dishes but I'm not so crazy about actually cleaning them. I would love to hear from anyone who has a routine and actually follows it. Because truth is, I really do sort of enjoy keeping house...I just want it to work for me and not against me. Any ideas?
Thursday, January 24, 2008
my disorder
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28 comments:
The giant pile of naked baby dolls did me in. I can't stop laughing. And I have no suggestions for you because my house is worse.
Maybe it's a chromosomal abnormality, because I have that problem too. The good thing is, that if everything is organized--you can probably find a place for all of it. You know "a place for everything, and everything in its place"?! Then at least it's easy to clean up your house quickly and make it LOOK tidy (just hoping no one inspects the layer of dust or the insect graveyard in your windowsills. I'm now talking about my own house!).
If your girls ever get tired of it, you can sent that kitty cat purse my way. That's pretty cute :)!
i'm the same way. especially when i go in the girls' room. i have to sort. i can't stand the toys all jumbled together. so cleaning their room takes half a day. that's why i make them do it. they can put the stuff under the beds and in the closet and fool me for a little while.
gotta go, brownies are done!
I haven't mastered this yet either. What I've learned is to tackle hot spots. I have collections of clutter and I try to get rid of one each day...nevermind that I probably create 3 a day! lol Good luck says the woman who also was pulled to her computer by an invisible force. :)
Mere
I am a WHIRLWIND of clutter. I think some part of my body manufactures paper and leaves it in piles behind me as I walk.
What I've done to cure this: chalked it up to my "creative nature" and let the piles lie. Sometimes I'll do my best to get rid of them, but they just never. quite. go. away. This especially bugs my mother, who is a neat freak. She will literally get up from the table and start doing the dinner dishes while she has guests over.
Wow, you guys are awesome. Way to make a girl feel like she's on a team! Minnesota, I love that your body makes paper and leaves it behind. That has me laughing out loud...I also love that Chickadee makes brownies at 10 pm. I have great respect for a girl that does anything after 10, especially baking.
That was a great read. I never knew that was the wrong way to clean. I thought all of my organizing playmobil was cleaning. And moving furniture, isn't THAT cleaning? Help! Good golly woman, you are right! We are clueless!
Mom always says if the floors are clean the house feels clean. I never even get to the floors.
I sit and type and read people's blogs.... as I just have one child at home right now, a half painted dining room and the messiest house ever.
I forgot to say how pretty your bedroom looks. Even when it is messy.
Found your blog through Marshall Benbow's. Been reading for a while. Had to comment. Been there and done the Fly Lady thing. No success! Can't seem to get Frank to pick up "his stuff." I think organizing is amazing! It kinda looks clean then right? Check out www.motivatedmoms.com. Less aggravating than Fly Lady, at leat two days into it :)
Your too funny. And, I must say, I really like the plates on the wall of you room. Nice touch! :)
I am the same way--but I wish my house looked that nice behind the junk. My daughter undresses all her dolls too. I'll never understand. My favorite of her's is the naked Barbie that sings when you press her necklace and she has a big speaker covering her stomach. If they wanted it to look realistic (which they probably didn't so our little girls will want to grow up and get older), they should have made the speaker holes look like stretch marks.
Sweet! I'm the token dude on your comments!!! Can I just tell you how hilarious I find all of this...I mean, just the fact that you thought to take pictures of your disorder and explain it so eloquently just astounds me! I have a different problem...Katie cleans Nathan's room and then I get home and after the evening routine try to figure out how to get him down. Naturally, I can't find a blanket big enough for a masterful swaddle, so I pull out about fifty of them on the floor of the closet. Kate just reminded me that they are still there... Looks like we balance each other out! You group and I un-group... Too much fun! See ya on Monday!!!
My house is always perfectly clean. No clutter. No dirt. No kids. Oh, wait... maybe that's my secret.
Kidding about all of that... except the no kids. I think that makes me worse. I have no excuse.
Aubrey, LOVE the barbie with stretch marks idea...we have astronaut barbie and mermaid barbie...why not life after 3 kids barbie?
And Chad, congrats on being the token guy commenter. You may be the 2nd guy EVER.
Nan...welcome! I will for sure be checking out that website. Thanks for the tip. I'm so glad I'm not alone in my disorder...I feel so free.
Oh my gosh you just described my "but first" ADD issue to a T ! LOL!
I can "but first" myself through the day, and be busy ALL day - organizing and in my mind cleaning like a powerhorse... and the end of the day nothing is actually DONE!
LOL @ the pile of neked babies! We don't have one dressed baby in the house either! Thought my girls were just weird! haha! Hang in there mama! :D Pretty soon it will be piles of makeup in the bathroom!!!
I can't tell you how affirming it is to hear that someone else out there gave up on Flylady. Seriously. I'm way too ADHD when it comes to cleaning to follow a routine. If I HAVE to make myself clean, then I do think it helps to start in one room and work from left to right.
you know, i think it's funny that the pile of naked baby dolls was so normal looking that i didn't even bat an eye. i mean, doesn't everyone have a pile of dolls like that? ;) great post, friend.
I cannot comment because I do not have a routine and I do follow it, the not having one part, what's what I follow. So I won't comment. Not today, anyway.
Love the plates above your bed! Gotta go redecorate! :)
For a second I wondered if you somehow became a fly on the wall at my house one day while I was "cleaning"! My practice is to just continuously clean the rooms that never get used so that at the end of the day it still looks like I actually accomplished something!
Love the naked baby pile~impressed by the size of the collection!!!! Don't worry about the abnormality of naked babies...I once sorted 28 barbie heads! The sink photo made me cry! It was a sweet reminder of how quickly they grow! How I miss avent bottles, sippy cups and rubbery eating utensils! My girls, now 6 & 8 still undress their babies and stuff them under their beds (a graduation from barbie heads in my opinion!) but, they are off to school now, and I have more than enough time to sort and even sweep! Maybe I should be homeschooling!!!
I'm glad I'm not the only one who does this. Every day. Fly lady has helped me, and I like Motivated Moms, too. But even if I have someone else telling me what my cleaning schedule is, I have to fight getting distracted.
Love your site! You're a great writer, and I especially enjoyed this post. I think you could be a clone of me, because I am exactly the same way....I am the distraction. I never feel like I am accomplishing anything. I'm sorry that I can't give you any tips, but perhaps knowing that so many our there are like you will at least be somewhat of an encouragement. Blessings!
I am exactly the same way. I always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, but it took me many many months to realize that a great big huge part of that job is being the family housekeeper! I love to sort, organize, containerize, label, create lists, make spreadsheets... I just don't actually like the scrubbing and stuff.
I just got a book a couple of weeks ago that I highly recommend called Totally Organized by Bonnie McCullough, which I highly recommend. It's super old (I got it on ebay) and I don't recommend her other title because it contains a lot of the same info. It's dated but it is very very practical and helps set up the routines one needs to keep a house clean in a logical and motivational way.
i came across your blog via your dad's on newlife919.com (im sure im not the first) and i have to say you've got a gift! i just read all of feb's blogs, and could relate to and loved every one. pregnant with my first, i truly enjoyed the entries about your twin daughters. thank you for your honesty and transparency - it really gives me hope! in Him, mandy
Oh my goodness! I don't remember how I came across your blog - and it has been on my computer for weeks, waiting for me to read all of it. And I am trying to turn off the computer tonight, but I have just way too many wonderful blog posts to read. Anyway - I LOVED your post here about cleaning vs organizing! That is so me, except my kids are older! You did a wonderful job of explaining it! I always wonder if it is a little ADD, and then try and convince myself that I am just trying to multi-task - ha ha. Anyway, I just copied and pasted this blog and comments, that I just have to read sometime soon in entirety (?)and I think it came out to fourteen pages, but I will read it all, it is great! Can't wait to read the rest! I love your "world view" (isn't that weltenschaung or something like that?), but wasn't able to see your flickr pictures - oh well!
Have a great day - Diane from Michigan
I know this is an OLD post but I try, at least in the school year, to have sheets day, vacuuming day, floors day, etc. That way I can remember what I did already! Cleaning ADD I tell ya!
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