cleaning blueprints

[greenbeanbanshee]

Ok, so I just read Rebecca's article about her fond memories of her mother's clean counters underneath piles of clutter. That is too funny.

I am thinking back to my mom and the way she cleaned our house growing up. She was such a neat freak. The carpet always had lines in it. The dishes were always done, beds always made, laundry always done. I am just about the opposite as one could get. I practically couldn't care less what the neighbors think of my yard or of what my friends think about my living room. I clean it when it is dirty and that's that.

I often wonder if I'm abnormal since most of my friends are what I would consider pretty anal about their homes. But the truth is, my closets are messy. Just like mine was when I was a kid, just like I got harassed about by my parents every single day of my life. I didn't "grow out of it" at all.

Although I will say, that despite my past (and current) trouble with closets, I do have a fondness for drawers. To this very day, all of my drawers are beautifully organized. My socks are folded and it looks so great! Even the spoon drawer has no crumbs! But, even if it did, I don't think I'd be too worried.

So I guess my question is: did I turn out the opposite because my mom was such a neat freak? Like I'm subconsciously breaking all the rules? I don't know. And will my kids turn out the opposite of the way I'm parenting them? Will all their closets be perfectly organized at all times?

Hmmm...this is really a matter of deep thought for me today. I want to give my kids balance. Any ideas out there on how to achieve that?

~Bethany

[shirley]

Bethany,

I had to laugh at this because anyone who can keep impeccable drawers with nicely folded socks has got a lot going for themselves. Now the closet is another thing. I have the same issue and for the life of me I cannot keep it organized. I have always heard that cluttered drawers and closets are a sign of a cluttered mind. Well my dear, that cannot be true in your case because you have such perfect drawers. For me it must be true!

My grandmother lived with us and she did all the cleaning as my mom was always sick. I can't say I remember it being spotless due to about 13 - 16 people living in our home at one time. I do remember very vividly my brothers having to sweep the floors (no vaccuums_) and they would sweep the dirt right under the throw carpets. The one that did it the most has a very spotless home today. I am a firm believer that kids should clean but they need to learn to do it correctly so it will stay with them. Austin wanted to cook tonight and before I knew it he had pasta on the stove and sauce cooking also baked beans, string beans, cake and peaches for the top. This was all his idea. When this child is regulated he can really clean fast, cook and be a great artist. I just have to get him out of the emotional age from time to time, two year olds do not cook well ...

I can keep my house clean or should I say, I used to before these two came along, but I have always had trouble keeping my bedroom picked up and clean. A therapist once told me not to worry about it when I was ready I would clean it, she said that I have it that way as a protection..........mmmm that may have been true years ago, but now I think it is just a habit and it's one of those things that you get comfortable with. Almost like having on rose colored glasses and not seeing the real mess..........I just had an Aha moment. Maybe the boys keep things all over their floors as a protection also. Think about it, if there is A LOT of junk on the floors and someone was trying to get to you, they would kill themselves before they could reach you !!
or at least that is a very young emotional age thinking it could protect them.

I think as we age we really do become our mothers. I find that I am doing things my mother use to do that would drive me crazy and yet I find its not a problem to do these things now. I think also as I have gotten older, I understand my mother finally. Its just a shame she is not here to share it with her.

Bethany darn it, now I feel like I need to run and clean my room. Almost like the little girl who is having a friend spend the night and wanting her room clean. I think I'll pass on it for now...............:rolleyes:

shirley
:wave

[greenbeanbanshee]

No, I am right there with you Shirley. I have messy closets. And yes, a messy mind. I'm definitely bordering on the ADD spectrum -- for sure! It's one thing after another over here in my head. I have all kinds of great ideas. I really, really do. One of which is cleaning my closets. But it's that darned follow through that gets to me.

I think the thing about the drawers is that I have very fond memories of my mother's kitchen drawers. I LOVED looking through them and helping mom find stuff for cooking. I also used the handles as a ladder to climb up on top of the counters to dig through the snacks. Also, drawers are small. I can clean them out in like 5 minutes. A closet is big and scary and so overwhelming! :dizzy

I can tell you one thing, I am relieved to read all that you wrote. It makes me feel better for sure.

[Lianne]

I don't think there are any "rules" with this. Some of us adopt similar habits from our parents, and others of us buck the system and go the opposite direction.

I grew up in a clean house (hi mom, if you're reading :lol) and my parents wanted us to do regular chores and things. Mostly our rooms were ours and mine was a DISASTER. My mom would ask me a million times to clean it up and the only motivation that really worked was telling me the exterminator was coming and that my room wouldn't be sprayed if there was stuff everywhere, and then all the bugs would run to my room. So, naturally, I'd pick all the stuff up off the floor (I usually had a path to the bed) and pile it all in the closet or on the bed so my room could be sprayed. Not exactly a problem solved :lol Then once a year or so I'd get motivated and clean out my closet - which, to me, means I have to COMPLETELY EMPTY IT and do it "right" - see, that is my personality - if I can't do it RIGHT, then I just don't bother.

Well I have changed a lot, and I'm proud to say that mostly my stuff is in decent shape. I have an office in our house that is too cluttered to really do anything in, so it's more of a storage room for my projects and business things. My closet is in good shape though, and the rest of the house is too. I think the "balance" that my parents found, with wanting the communal areas clean, setting the example of their own room clean/bed made, etc. and then letting us have freedom in our own rooms was a good choice.

I also have a lot going on in my brain, and sometimes just the things you see lying around my house will explain what's in my brain :lol I start one thing, get distracted, then go back to the first to finish, etc. Lots of unfinished things though, both physical and still in idea-form.

My mom grew up in a house with parents who never cared about cleaning, and she hated it. She would vacuum and dust and whatever, b/c she hated living in it but no one else cared to do anything. So I'd say she came out totally opposite of her parents. Very interesting...

[kmjjer2911]

This is a funny story. I was the very neat one growing up. Another sibling was the "messy" one. I loved to clean and organize. Now I don't have time to clean - just the bare minimum. However, I do keep the home fairly picked up. I do let my children often keep a huge fort of tables and blankets set up in our family room since we don't have a bonus playroom. The living room is for family game time, company and relax time for adults and/or children since I like to keep it clean and organized ...as a peaceul retreat! But even though it is a "living room", we actually use it every day, children dogs and cat!

Growing up... when my sister and I were in late teens, while we were away for a day, the house was robbed. My mom called the police but only a tv and microwave were stolen.

The funniest part: The police checked out the entire house, they called from the upstairs hallway, "M'am, I am so sorry, the burglars have ransacked your daughter's room - it is in complete chaos. We can't even walk through - I am so sorry. The burglars must have been searching for some hidden jewlery. Please have your daughter check carefully to see what was stolen and then call us tonight or tomorrow." The police felt so bad for my mom and sister. However, my sister ran upstairs, saw a pen that she had been searching for a long time, "thank you sir, you found my pen!! ummmm... my room generally looks like this - nothing was stolen!!"

I am glad to say that I am not a neurotic cleaner like I was before children. However, with all of the trauma we are dealing with, I wish I had a little more time to clean. However, our children's childhood is fleeting and I think a happy medium is best!

Kathy

[greenbeanbanshee]

Kathy, that is too funny! :laugh That is soooo me. My room is terrible. Not the whole thing. But there is always a pile of laundry by the closet and my desk is....well...what's the word? It's just so crazy. But you know, I'm also of the school that bedrooms are private areas. My living room is clean. So is the bathroom and the kitchen. But my room? Do I really have to keep it clean? Geeeesh. That's pushing it for me.

[kmjjer2911]

Ooops - thanks Bethany!

I just realized I probably gave the impression of being neater than I am! OK - since becoming a parent of two active children....my bed is made 30-50% of the time, I always have baskets of clean laundry, dirty laundry, in our bedroom, dishwasher is always in a constant cycle of loading and unloading..with dishes going to table to dishwasher to table...

During a few particular rough months with our son, the clean laundry never made it to the drawers and we had to dig out of baskets to wear clothes. I am doing better now!

and what else,...right now my husband is working from home and his idea of filing is to have all papers spread on a large 8' table in random piles....because if he were to ever file anything....he would lose it. I actually plan to help him organize but our precious son is taking up all my time (in the heat of tough times right now!)

But overall, it does not look too bad.

I enjoyed this post! I like to laugh whenever I can - very reulating in the midst of difficult days!

Kathy