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Sunday, March 6, 2011

Laundry Day and a Question

Today was Laundry Day at our house....

I would post a picture, BUT... it would literally burn holes in your head.... EVERYTHING was dirty.

Here is the problem I am facing.

School is super stressful for me right now. I'm worried about the budget crisis our state is facing (and how the only answer seems to be to take money from education), I'm trying to get my kids ready for concert festival (March 16th and 17th), I'm signing myself up for an entirely NEW Master's degree program (which ain't cheap... I can tell you that!!). Stressful stuff.

Anyway... when I get home (LATE, as usual) with my darling little boy, we usually just have enough time to cook dinner, hug Jason, get the little one bathed, watch an episode of Blues Clues, read a book to Grayson, put Grayson to bed, and then RELAX for about 15 minutes before it is time for bed.

SO-- my clothes stay dirty. My house stays dirty. I feel zapped of energy....

Do you guys have any tips for dealing with the workload that a house creates??? I'm really willing to listen and try anything. I just LOVE the feeling of a clean house and a stress-free home environment and right now, I'm not getting it.

Tell me what you do. Tell me how it works for you. Even if you don't think it will work for me.... I need to hear ideas and options.

6 comments:

Corrie said...

My mom says the best money she has ever spent is getting her house cleaned once every two weeks. Then she has time for everything else - laundry, food, etc.

Alison said...

When you figure it out let me know!!!! That is my biggest stress right now as well.. My sister cleans houses and I am really thinking of getting her to do mine! Hope things get better! We need to get the kids together for a playdate sometime!

The Dales said...

I know! Girl, I stay home and my house is always a mess! Ah! I used to tell Jonathan that if I worked it would be clean because there wouldn't be anyone there to cause the mess, but I guess thats not right either! Hahaha, it is hard to do when there is a little one around who you would rather spend time with, and not the laundry!! I think all mothers understand what you are talking about. Maybe once they grow up and move out our houses will be clean again. Then we'll be sad!

Alicia said...

Oh, Steph-- I totally know your pain, too... My house looks the WORST in the summer!!

I'd LOVE to get a housecleaner one day, but I'm not sure it is in the budget right now. I might play around with some numbers and see what I can come up with though... it would definitely be a big help.

Erin said...

I sure can't comment on having a munchkin around... but I have found a couple things that make my life easier. 1. Rinse/Wash dishes as I am making dinner. 2. Our arrangement is that Aaron puts away left overs while I wash our dinner plates/silverware. 3. I deal with mail (including all the junk mail) when it comes it. Even if that means taking it straight to the recycle bin/shredder/file. 4. Stretch (I know that it's hard to get exercise in, but I love stretching for a couple minutes after I wash my face and before I get in bed). 5. As far as laundry goes I will do a load as soon as my basket it full. That way I only have 1 load to worry about. So sometimes I end up doing laundry every night, or sometimes it's once every 4 days... just depends on the week! With a little one, I imagine it'd be a lot more frequently.
I hope times get better soon for you guys, I'll be thinking about you!

kamigirl2281 said...

First of all... *hugs*

Times are definitely stressful right now! You have so much on your plate. I wish teachers didn't have to feel the stress of budget cuts at all. That is the absolute LAST place that should be facing them.

I'll be honest, I don't think I'm a naturally neat and tidy person. It's not that I don't LOVE a clean place, but I am lenient on things needing to be perfect, which means before I know it, I'll have a complete mess on my hands. It's not hard to do! Then I get completely overwhelmed by it all. Wash, rinse, and repeat. That's my natural cycle. lol

I have realized this about myself SO much more since meeting Ron. Ron is the total opposite of me. He is constantly cleaning and straightening things up. His room has to be perfect or it mentally bothers him. He can't relax. He has a slight OCD thing going on that causes that.

The one thing I've learned from him though is that you can't let messes wait until later.. or they'll never get done. I take this mostly into consideration in the kitchen. I know after I cook a meal and eat it, the last thing I feel like doing is cleaning the kitchen back up; but doing it RIGHT THEN ensures it gets done. I don't stop to watch tv or anything. It's literally: cook, eat, take dishes to the sink, and fill the dishwasher up with the rest.

When I lived in my apartment, I would cook a meal, and the next time I went back, the dishes would still be in the sink, so I'd end up with 2 meals worth of dishes in the sink. After that, I'd be out of dishes to eat out of. haha.

What I never did, that I needed to do, was force myself to take care of it as SOON as the meal was over. Doing it then keeps them from piling up, and also, there's something about having a neat and clean kitchen that helps you sleep better. I can't explain why, but it's true. In my opinion, the rest of the house isn't that big of a deal (besides the bathroom) but having the kitchen and the bathroom clean makes a huge difference.

If it were me, I would make certain things my goal instead of feeling like everything has to be absolutely perfect all the time. If the whole house isn't spotless, big deal. You and Jason have jobs, school, a dog, and most importantly, a beautiful baby. And I promise it means more to Grayson to have his mom cut herself some slack than it does to have everything look perfect. Just make sure your house doesn't get so overloaded that you lose Grayson in it. That wouldn't be cool at all. haha :)

Oh no!! I'm sorry for the book!! lol