What is your style of keeping house??? I love to organize and keep things in their proper places. So my house always look pretty presentable...BUT I just detest deep cleaning, like wiping down walls, moving furniture, and getting all those cob-webs. That is the worst!!! So while my house looks clean, I really don't want anyone to move the couch, unless I get there first!!!

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), November 07, 2001

Answers

Housekeeping?? If its not on fire I do brother worrying about it!!

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), November 07, 2001.

I'm like you, Melissa. My house is fairly organized but dusty and webby. I cannot function in chaos. My pet peeve is food crumbs on the table. My son and I are organized but my hubby and daughter are messies.

-- Jo (mamamia2kids@msn.com), November 07, 2001.

Melissa, I'm a lot like you, except that I am constantly fighting clutter. Some help yesterday; Sarah helped Tom put together some new bookshelves and got the piles and boxes of books and school stuff off the floor in his study. Had enough floor space now to move in an overstuffed chair and a lamp stand. Looks real nice now. Tom is occasionally gazing at the ceilings, rubbing his beard, and quietly saying, "Look at all those cobwebs." Well, Sarah dusted his old bookshelves today, and the boys wanted to know how black the rag was! I like to keep things neat and presentable; deep cleaning is a way for the children to earn a little extra change:o)

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), November 07, 2001.

Kids and cookin' come first. After that it's do what I can. It's clean but I wouldn't say NEAT most of the time.

When we moved here it made me really sad to think that there were many good friends we hadn't invited over as much as I wanted because the house wasnt' perfect or I didn't have time to make the perfect meal.

I won't make that mistake again, or train my children that house comes before friends and family. Im inviting friends over for plain old home cookin' if that's all i can do and not care about being the perfect hostess to keep up with the Joneses-- if that's what is important to them and they drop us as friends, then they have done us a favor. I will never fret and and avoid strengthening friendships because my house wasn't perfect (my dishes and furniture mismatched).

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), November 07, 2001.

Ann, well said! I went through that as a young mom and we rarely had anybody but family and really close friends over. Then I realized I was comparing my house to those that did not contain small children! I also realized that pride was getting in the way of reaching out to others. People understand, generally, and if they don't, well, it just doesn't bother me any more.

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), November 07, 2001.

When life is settled, I spring clean once a yar, fall clean once a year, clean very well once a month, clean once a week. I'm the world's best organizer and housecleaner, I'm one of the worst housekeepers. Don't have clutter. And if you were to walk into my house right now, you wouln't believe any of it-except the housekeeper part.

-- Cindy (S.E.IN) (atilrthehony@countrylife.net), November 08, 2001.

We're pretty much alike. Everything is in it's place and looks good, but I only deep clean 2-4 times a year. That's moving furniture,walls, stairs,etc... I hate dusting!!

-- Micheale from SE Kansas (mbfrye@totelcsi.net), November 08, 2001.

Housekeeping, what housekeeping? It's never been very easy for me to be spic and span, and now I have a bunch of very messy children. In my bedroom we have the whole family's clothing except for one of the boys. I have tried and tried to keep this place clean but it never stays that way. There are a lot more things I'd rather do than clean house, that will have a more lasting result, like quilting. The funny thing is I can't enjoy the quilting if I feel guilty about the house! And if I get all the housework done first, its such a job that there is no energy or enthusiasm for the quilting after the house is clean. For a while I said that I'd clean one roon really well every month, a different room every month. But the other rooms have to be kept clean too (after cleaning them), or there is no progress. I think we could get the house really clean and organized to stay that way, if we had a hundred dollars or so and a week or two of total relief from the children. Cleaning house with them here is like, well, you get the idea!

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), November 08, 2001.

I always thought it would be nice if you could just sit the kids on a shelf somewhere, until you were ready to take them down and play with them!!!

Think of what you could get done, while they were sitting there all lined up in a row, nice and clean, with smiles on their little faces!!!! Yeah, right!!!!

-- Melissa (me@home.net), November 08, 2001.

Over the years I have shifted from a Martha to a Mary. Yea! Jennifer P.S. Cleaning the house while the children are growing, is like shoveling the snow when it's still snowing... (or something like that)

-- Jennifer (none@none.com), November 08, 2001.

I go with those who would love to have a perfect home, but let it slide because of kids, hubby or church/school responsibilities. Every now and then, I can't stand it any more, (or my MIL is coming) and I go through and get it all how it is supposed to be. Most of the time, however, it is just kept picked up, swept and dusted. I hate to mop for some reason and hate to clean the toilet (but I can't stand it dirty either!!) Oh well.

-- Ivy in NW AR (balch84@cox-internet.com), November 08, 2001.

We ought to get together, Ivy--I love to mop the floor. Could you do the clutter for me?

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), November 09, 2001.

Ann~ What is your secret?? Please help me! Really, it would help a lot if my floor in the kitchen wasn't 100 year old vinyl that I hate. I long for wood floors. I have had them in 2 houses and love them. They are easy to keep clean and look pretty good dirty.

-- Ivy in NW AR (balch84@cox-internet.com), November 09, 2001.

My secret: in addition to mopping, I like to sweep--so after I've made my messiest mess for the day (and I am NOT saying I mop every day!!)I sweep. I use a spray bottle of warm water, vinegar and a couple of drops of lemon juice) and spray as I go on the floor. A couple times I may go back to the sink to rinse my mop.

Actually, sweeping is a good chore for my girls so I just mop after they have done their thing.

Now, if I weren't so unable to reduce the clutter! I have spent an hour on my desk and am frustrated about all these little notes and phone numbers. Things to copy, things to file! but I am getting there. Made my obligatory family phone calls while I cleaned my desk. Rewarding my self this pm by a visit to the hardware store (yeehaw!)

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), November 10, 2001.

My sister bought me a refrigerator magnet the says: Cleaning a house while children are growing is like shoveling snow while it's still snowing! I bought my mother one that says: You can look at my dust, but please don't write in it! (believe me she gets really mad if you do that, I know!) I bought myself one that says: If it walks out of the fridge, let it go! Pretty well sums up my housekeeping style until my kids make it to school full time!

-- Christine in OK (cljford@aol.com), November 10, 2001.

I straighten up the house every day. My kids have to do the same with their room every night before they go to bed. It's normal to them so they don't put up any resistance. If you stay on top of things it hardly takes any time at all. I get stressed out from clutter so I really don't have much knick-knacks and stuff to collect dust. I like to keep things organized too and after my kids go to bed, spending 30 minutes going around the house wiping and dusting is like a nervous habit for me.

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), November 10, 2001.

My children started picking up their toys at night as soon as they were able to walk. Of course, I made it a game and helped them. That kept the mess down a bit! I try to keep the house clean and straightened. Every day I have a chore that HAS to get done before the day is done...vacuuming, dusting, cleaning the bathroom and kitchen or changing the sheets on the bed. Of course, there is also the laundry and the normal daily stuff. I try to sweep three times a day now, but when the kids were young, I'd sweep every day.

-- Ardie from WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), November 11, 2001.

I have two plaques that I've had since my first child was born (she is 20 now and lives out on her own). The first one says:

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait til tomorrow for babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow; So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep; I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

The second one says:

I know you get discouraged because I am so small and always leave my fingerprints on furniture and walls; But everyday I'm growing, I'll be all grown up someday, and all the little smudgies will surely fade away.

So here's another bunch of them just so you can recall, just how my little fingers looked when I was very small.

I love these two plaques. They send a precious message. To all of you that still have tiny ones, cherish each and every moment. Housework will ALWAYS be there.

Blessings,

-- Greenthumbelina (sck8107@aol.com), November 11, 2001.