Before I moved in July, I had things in the back of my closets and under the bed that I hadn't seen in years and had totally forgotten about. There were 5 of us crammed into a 1,300 sf apartment with very little storage, so every available surface (walls, corners, underneath) had shelves, tupperware storage containers, etc. covering them. Clutter like that is terrible to try to keep clean. I couldn't have reached the baseboards unless I had a crane to move the furniture straight up (since there was no slide-it-out-from-the-wall room). So I did a major overhaul before I lugged it all to the new house. Out went the clothes I (and the kids) could no longer wear or were dusty/out of style. Out went all the books I had read (except the 200 or so titles from my favorite authors), out went the broken knick knacks that I was going to fix (some day), out went all the tupperware with no lids, out went all the tapes that I had listened to death. I flooded Goodwill.

We moved into a much bigger house and I refuse to cram anything into a closet or cover every available inch with a shelf or cute little table. We have hardwood floors, so I dust mop it every day and wet mop every 3rd day. I use the good wood polish about once a week and swipe a pull-out polish cloth over the cherry furniture every other day. I never leave dishes in the sink. The ceiling fans got cleaned when it became cold enough that they weren't needed anymore. With a toddler, I keep all knick knacks (I have a lot from my travels around the world) up high or in barrister's bookcases. The bathrooms have drawers for brushes, appliances and cosmetics, the surfaces get scrubbed on the weekends. My laundry room gets cleaned every week, including the washer and dryer tops :p . I wipe down the cabinet fronts and doorjams every couple of days (or when I notice fingerprints on them).

Overall, my home is pretty clean, I like to think. I don't stress the toys being scattered around or project messes as long as they are all picked up before bed each night. I like to 'live' in my house so I don't expect it to be Home and Garden's tidy and clean at all times.

Stormie

huh.

seems like it would be a bitch to be accustomed to RN money, and then go part time, and have kid(s) all at the same time. my hat is off to you. what are you learning to be?

Dust bunnies are your friend. The hair generated weekly by the illustrious body of T'Pau, Queen of the Universe, is equal to her weight. But by wafting to and fro over the wooden floors, they incorporate much of the dust and debris and then collect in various snag-points, such as under the computer stand or behind tables. Then all I have to do is go around occasionally and bag them :blush:

Thanks.
It's a tight fit but we seem to manage. We don't eat out like we used to, that's for sure. I made great money working the kill-you shifts (7p-7a) but had no life outside sleeping and working. I'm much happier now and my kids are MUCH happier. We have a relationship now! And, I no longer feel the need to burst into tears at random moments so that is worth something.

I'm an English major, so, I guess I'm learning to be a...drain on society? ;)

lol T'Pau must be a long haired cat then. I mean I've never known a dog to want to be royalty. The police maybe, mounted and otherwise but I too have a long hair main coon who thinks that stuck together dust bunnies are part of the food chain and he is the imperial king. :blush:

My sister-in-law was telling me that the Engrish teacher jobs are starting to go unfilled. You looking to get certified or selling the Great American Novel?

Certified.

I think the Great American Novel has been abused enough. I DO enjoy lit. crit., though. Who knew?

Are you kidding me??? I bust my ass in MY house!! I am currently fixing all the eff-ups from recently evicted ex-wife. That entails sanding walls flat (she'd paint instead of wash) skim coat with spackle, sand and then repaint. That is for the whole house. I'm replacing damaged doors and reinstalling new cabinets/drawers in the kitchen (she freakin PAINTED them too and thought it was nice) even a blind man can see the drips and shit all over. OMG - I have been cleaning and scrubbing everything for three weeks and I'm not even close to being finished with any of it cuz the sanding creates more of a mess than the three cats she left behind. Ugghh, a mans job is never done. :rolleyes: Although I am workin my butt off - the place is starting to look nice - I'm just very impatient. I want to get all the new furniture and stuff in, but I can't till the work is done.

Oh - Yes I am very OCD - it all HAS to be right. Then it's easy to keep it clean.

I pay someone to clean for me once a week. She earns what I earn per hour, and believe me I'd rather work two hours at my job than clean my house ... Does that make me a Bad Person :worried: ?

Nope. Just a person with priorities who knows what they do, and do not, want to do.

Out of interest what is it you do for a living?

I work in a shop and earn £6.50 per hour.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: limey is living my life!

I don't know why I didn't think of this! I could get someone to come in and clean while I am at my shop job on Saturdays! I would also take the drop in wages just to come home to a clean flat.

For sheer gross-out value, here is a photo I took of my flat at the beginning of this year. This would have been about an hour after I started cleaning - I started at the door. Oddly I hadn't really spotted the danger signs that perhaps all was not well with my mind at this point.

Wow. You need to post a current picture so we see how much better you are now.