Busy and stressed out and still able to clean your house

Are you overwhelmed?  Have things in your home gotten out of control.  Or are they always out of control?  Do you seem like you are so busy between raising a family and whatever your situation is ...if you work outside of the home or not?  It depends on how many in your family of course or maybe not.  It's just that the situation is totally out of control and you don't know what to do.  You've been doing what you know to do and you've been hanging on by a thread.  Your level of frustration might even be at the breaking point!

Don't panic first of all!  Don't break.  The only breaking you should be doing is taking a break.  Be sure you are getting enough sleep and rest in between your busy life.  Then do the most important things like a load of laundry, take out the trash, those dishes piled up in the sink.  Keep your kitchen counters as clean as possible for when you have to rush and prepare your meal.  Try to keep the toilets and bathroom counters as clean as possible.  Use paper towels to wipe up the yucking hair that accumulates.  Sweep and mop your floors as often as possible.  These are the main things.  Then do little projects as you can like clean out the fridge.  Then try to get your family to help you keep all these areas as clean as possible.  Make your kids pick up after themselves!  It's not doing them any good for you to do that for them.  If they refuse, then give them a choice ...by taking something away they love.  Not for a long time, just for until they do what you have asked them to do.  Then hopefully they also will get in these good habits.

Don't get me wrong! I believe in relaxed! But oh the psychological joys of a clean home!

When I was in college it seemed like I could use every excuse to postpone studying, writing a paper, or cramming for a test.  Cleaning my apartment was usually one of them and the best!  Cleaning the house is still the old stand by excuse for postponing a lot of things.  Can I get an amen?  LOL  You know I'm talking to you!

But oh the joys of actually having a clean house and getting to that place where okay, now it's overkill.  There is nothing more to clean and there are no more housecleaning excuses in the bag.  It's one of those things, moments that make you almost feel complete. 

How long has it been?  For you?  Or have you even been to that place?  Let's give it some names.  Clean house wonderland.  Clean house Amusement Park.  Clean house secret garden.  LOL  I crack myself up! 

Okay so how many out there that are mothers was it difficult teaching your children how to clean up after themselves?  I know children are all about play non stop it seemed in our house.  But then they get to a certain age where you know they need to begin cleaning up after their own little selves.  I stopped trying to teach him but then one day I was shocked to go into his room and it was totally clean.  A miracle!  OMG I was shocked.  So I asked him.  He told me he just felt like he needed to do it!  After that it was pretty much always clean.  He was always a neat boy but before the clean room thing kicked in it was toys and clothes everywhere.  A mother can just kind of give up after trying to tame the beast of a messy kid room.  Amazing when they do it on their own.

In my marriage, thank God a clean house was never an issue.  Going out on each other wasn't either.  We didn't have those problems...ours were more simple...a fight over a tiny thing would blow into a huge disaster.  Those stories for another time...maybe.  But I do appreciate that about my ex that he never got on to me about cleaning.  It was always neat, clean and sufficiently sanitized.  But we were also sufficiently relaxed.  Things don't need to be perfect to have a clean home. 

Clean kitchen counters, dishes washed, floors swept, carpets vacuumed, garbages out, laundry done are some basics that help not only you to be relaxed but to actually not have the psychological weight of a filthy house hanging over your life.  If you don't know what I'm talking about you have no clue. 

How difficult is it to simply wipe off a counter after you've made a mess?  Or to clean the stove top after cooking?  How difficult is it to simply clean up after yourself and leave it clean for the next time around or for the other person?  How many people don't have company over, family or friends visit because their homes are simply just filthy and smelly?  I'm sorry I knew some people like this one time way back.  It was sad because they just didn't get it!  And then blamed family for never coming over. 

And I am not being critical or writing this to make anyone feel bad or make you mad that I'm in your business.  Many women especially might take offense at this but I'm just doing what I love to do and that is write about things.  No, this is simply for inspiration and encouragement!  Don't read into it any more than what it is!  It's either simply either a help to you...an addition to make your life better or it has not use or effect.  Take it or leave.  Just please don't be angry at the messenger!

Happy housekeeping!