Before Annie arrived 3 years ago, I would spend a lot of my day, every day, cleaning. My mom used to tell me that I cleaned my toilets too often. People would say “When you have children, that will all change.” I just grinned and thought in my mind “Heck no…I like having a tidy bowl.” What did those people know anyway?
Now that Annie is 3 and Andy is here, and I look back at the past three years I realize that I’ve been in maintenance mode. I never really dusted, but now I dust a LOT less…like maybe a few times a year if we’re lucky. I don’t clean my ceiling fans like the normal person. My method is now: Make sure we don’t live in a dump hole. That about sums it up. Here’s my list:
- Get food on the table
- Keep the people clean
- Wash clothes
- Clean when you have a minute or two here and there…
I’ve come to realize there are a lot of strategies that we as moms use…but we’re afraid to talk about them. It’s like we can’t share with another mom that we don’t really clean in our corners. We live in the dirty closet…well, I’m coming out! Today I’m exposing those dirty little tricks that we busy moms of newborns and toddlers use – don’t be afraid any longer. Now you have a support group.
Maintenance Cleaners Anonymous – Sign up today!
1. We sweep it under the rug. Oh come on. Don’t tell me you haven’t done this. Company is coming over in 5 minutes. The floor looks like the house threw up on it. You put things away but don’t really have time to sweep thoroughly. Brush the big pieces of dust up under the rug. You’ll come back later and fix it. Maybe a few years later, but you ARE coming back to fix it.
2. Cover it up with a rug. Oh my lanta…what IS that in the floor? Did Annie color a mural in the middle of the living room?! What on earth did Dottie drag in…did it rain today? Please tell me that’s only dirt. Voila! Pull that extra rug out of the closet and slap it on top. I promise your pastor will never know he’s standing on top of something the cat drug in. You’ll come back and fix it later….
3. Corners are dirty with cobwebs and dust bunnies…just slide the chair over. Okay, so maybe it’s been a few months weeks since you got around to sweeping the living room…but when company comes, they usually visit in there. Just scoot the chair over and cover up those bunnies. Make sure to dim the lights. Set the mood. You’ll come back and fix it later….
4. Shove it all in the dishwasher. Ring, ring! “Hey good buddy, I’m coming over to visit – I’m in your driveway.” AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! There is about 2 days worth of dishes on the counter and some of them look a little like they’re forming fossils. Just shove all those pesky dishes in the dishwasher. That’s what’s it for anyway, right? It doesn’t even have to look pretty because you get to shut the door. You can add some detergent later and wash them. Hope you didn’t put your pretty salt and pepper shakers in there – they’re not dishwasher safe. You’ll come back and wash them later….
5. Shove it in the closet. People, closets have doors for a reason – so you can cover them up. Do you really expect people to come over and start pilfering through your closets? And if you do, then maybe you should tell these people you’re not at home – if they start knocking, HIDE in the closet. Don’t sneeze.
6. Pull the shades. I will admit cleaning windows is not my strong suit. Barry is much better than me. I leave streaks…so even when I HAVE cleaned my windows, it looks like I haven’t. Plus, Annie and Dottie like to leave their mark on any window that’s in touching radius. There might be smears of peanut butter all over mine – or milk splatters. It says from the road “HEY! A kid lives here!” If your windows look like that, just pull the shades and turn on the lamps. It sets the mood. No one can tell they are dirty if they’re covered up. You’ll come back and clean them later….
Unfortunately “later” eventually arrives. It does become time to clean those windows and dishes. *Sigh* When it’s that time for me, I whip up some all purpose cleaner and set to work. It’s quick and easy to make my own cleaners…it means I don’t have to leave the house if I need something that I’m out of, like Windex. It also means that I don’t have to read the warning label and see this: Warning – known to cause sleeplessness, dehydration, mental lapses, birth defects, gambling problems, and crazy driving.
For me, as usual, I’ll just keep it simple with my cleaning.
If the dishwasher’s full, there’s always the garage too. I have resorted to that on a few occasions 😉 You can fit a lot of stuff in the garage!
I only have a carport. Bummer.
Buy a really big tarp? No one’s initial thought would be that it’s covering dishes and laundry lol.
You’re so right….no one would ever think “Hey, I bet there is dirty laundry and crusty dishes under there.” Never in a million years.
Unless they read this blog. Ha! Then you’re in for it.
Nah. 😉
Love this– “Make sure we don’t live in a dump hole.”.
Yes, with 4 kids and homeschooling and writing and just life in general, yes, that does pretty much sum it up. I try, I really do, but sometimes that is what it boils down to! You’re always keepin’ in real, Stacy. You’d be welcome in my non-dump hole anytime. 🙂
🙂 Thanks! You’re fun to visit with!
I had to laugh… Your list looks like mine: Food; clean clothes; clean people; clean house whenever… I’d have to add “clean dishes” to the list; I don’t have a dishwasher so I have to make it a point to wash dishes. We have three children (4 1/2, 3, and almost 1). I had things *mostly* together with the two children; the third (and moving) is what through me off. Haven’t been the same since… I’m working on it!!! lol
I don’t have a dishwasher either – by choice. 🙂
We are selling our house and have been using the oven and dryer for storage. I keep forgetting my cutting boards are in the oven when I am pre-heating. Every time I wonder what the funny smell is. I will clean pretty much anything with a baby wipe. That is my maintenence mode.
LOL Oh dear – I totally get the baby wipe thing!
“Make sure we don’t live in a dump hole” I love it SO much I want to embroider it on a pillow, lol. I love these tips, and do most of them on a regular basis 😉 We do what we have to, don’t we? 🙂
HA! If you do that, I will totally buy one!
That’s funny but something I couldn’t do. My friends know my house is always messy. My quick tips is to throw everything in a box or bag and hide it in a bedroom where nobody can see. I have to sweep at least 2x a day so everything just gets picked up and placed on the couch, chair or tossed in a room. Also I like to straighten up the bathroom almost every time I go in to use it. It only takes a minute.
I’m that way about keeping the kitchen tidy. 🙂
You make it to the closet?? I just throw everything in the master bedroom and close the door. Worked fine till my daughter had a friend over and she gave a house ‘tour’ (to the friend and friend’s mom) she showed everyroom in the house and upon throwing open the master bedroom door announced. “This is mommy’s room, and yes, it’s ALWAYS this messy!”
Annie does tours too! ACK!!!
ME TOO!! This is why I love the internet — learning that there are people just like me. 🙂 Another tip? Closing the door. Just stash the mess in a bedroom and close the door, then put things away later. And really, Norwex. So much simpler and healthier, and over time you’ll be saving money on cleaners/windex! I don’t sell it, but I love it.
When I do that, for some reason I ALWAYS end up needing to go in that room.
Dirty clothes go in the washing machine (ALL of them!), unfolded piles go back in the dryer (All of them too!!), dusty ceiling fans are turned on (never clean them until I think the hunks of ick will fly off and hit me -ick), scratched/stained/picked at furniture gets covered with a lovely, folded blanket. We could definitely be friends b/c I would never look in your closets, ever!
Come on over, Beth!
Don’t forget… Throw stuff in the bathtub and pull the curtain. ;). Done!
GENIUS!!!
Amen sistah!!!
LOL 🙂
Lol. Great ideas. The oven is another great storage place for dirty dishes.
If I moved a chair to cover dust bunnies it would expose even bigger dust bunnies where the chair was. Instead, I pick up the really huge ones from the corners and sweep the smaller ones under the furniture.
I am afraid to hide stuff in my oven. Because I don’t check before I turn it on…and I don’t want to get up close and personal with Fire Rescue. lol
My mom used to hide the huge tupperware bowl in the oven. I once pre-heated the oven for that night’s supper, but didn’t think about the bowl. Twenty some years later I can still picture the mint green taffy like globs dripping through the oven racks. Ahhh…memories.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh noooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
You might want to check out FLYlady’s strategies for keeping cleaning simple enough for children to help and fun enough that they want to. You can find her at http://www.flylady.net/.
🙂 Annie does help…this was mostly just a funny post.
I know, but she really can be a big help with the routines she builds. Also she has awesome cleaning tools. Her purple rags do a great job of shining and cleaning stuff and cost much less than Norwex. They are not impregnated with silver so they are not antibacterial, but they do a great job of shining and cleaning, nonetheless. No, I don’t get a cut, but I do like her products.
🙂 I love it when someone shares stuff like that with me. Thanks!
I worked as a cleaning lady through high school and college-you would never guess that by my house now! It was the 4th child that did me in. When I look at old snapshots of the first 3 children am shocked at how neat and tidy the background is.
I had my first four children in less than six years. In that time I led a couple of women’s groups at church, did part time day care, and coached a spring sport…and kept the house sparkling clean. Looking back I am filled with regret over the precious time lost with my children. I was wound extremely tight and was sharp & impatient with my kids because I so much to do and always put the house ahead of enjoying time with them.
Now, I homeschool our 6 children and that is it. The house is passably clean and it is good enough!
Good enough is good enough for me!
It’s not just busy moms of newborns and toddlers who use this method…Just sayin’….I’ve only got 2 at home (a senior and a working graduate!) and this is still my modus operandi… Someday I will get out of maintenance mode…maybe…
Life is short…maintenance sounds good to me.
What about putting things in the dryer temporarily when someone is dropping by, I’ve done that and it’s amazing how much stuff you can stash in there.
Oh. My. GOSH! You’ve rocked my world.
Yet another reason to be happy you bought the bigger size. 🙂
🙂
I will never forget the first time my husband’s family (including his grandmother, aunt, uncle, and cousins) visited us after we moved into our house. I had heavily employed rule #5, even emptying boxes that wouldn’t fit and shoving the contents into closets to get them out of the way. While showing them the office, my mother-in-law asks about closet space, marches over, and yanks open the door. I was mortified. Then she does the same thing for the linen closet and stuff falls out. I nearly died. I made it my mission to get in first and stand in front of the closets when we entered every other room in the house. Thanks goodness she has bad knees and couldn’t get down to look under the beds.
I have this thing for people who come over and look in closets and drawers…they don’t get invited back. LOL
Haha, this is great! And it reminded me of something my daughter said to me this weekend…there are a few small nicks in the wall in the bathroom. She asked me what they were and I said little holes that I haven’t taken the time to fix. She told me the wall needed a bandaid!
Seriously, I’m happy if we have food on the table, clean clothes to wear, and there’s no dirt on the floor (I am a fanatic about sweeping). Everything else gets done when I have time…!
You can come over here and sweep. 🙂
I call this the ‘dash and stash.’ Open drawers … swipe things in it; throw things in the closet; throw dishes in the dishwasher … it’s an art I tell ya 🙂
Dash and stash…love it!!!
I totally understand ! My husband often tells people that when he picked me up for our first date, he was pretty sure the cleaning crew just left! Kids certainly change your priorities, but he keeps reminding me that someday we will be sitting in our spotless house and we will be missing our kids!
Yes – and that will be a sad day. That’s when it’s time for grandkids! 🙂
Amen Sister!!! I agree with everything 🙂 We’ve got four, and while they’re all in school now, it’s still tough to keep on top of it all. I swept my share of dog hair under the couch just yesterday! I’ll share with you two amazingly easy secrets I have just learned that have made all the difference in the world, after nearly 16 years of wife/motherhood- 1) the Norwex polishing cloth will rock your shiny window world. It will, I swear. It’s fabulous. Windows, mirrors, computer screens, stainless steel. Anything you want shiny, it will make shiny. Try it, you’ll love it. And no, I don’t sell it. 2) If possible, eat your big ‘supper’ meal as soon as the kids are home from school. We’ve been eating ‘supper’ at 3:30 for a month and it’s fabulous. The afternoons are way more relaxed, the kids are happier, and the kitchen is (almost) always clean before bedtime. We just have soup or a sandwich before bed. Love your blog, keep it comin’ 🙂
I have thought about Norwex, but honestly the price turns me off. 🙂
But when you add up the paper towels and windex or vinegar, buying one polishing cloth that will last you at least 3-4 years? I agree, Norwex is too pricy for me, we’re on a strict budget, I didn’t buy anything except two polishing cloths. One for the house, one for the car ( I am no clean freak but grubby car windows will drive me bonkers)… Streak free is worth every penny to me and the kiddos can use it and get great results. I’d send you one if I could!
($20 a cloth/ 4 years= $5 a year/365 days= $0.01 a day) 🙂
You’re doing well at convincing me!
Kiddos to clean windows?! YES!!!
Clean their ceiling fans “like normal people”? I thought normal people only cleaned their ceiling fans when they were trying to sell their house! (That is how I do it!)
Girl – we should be friends. lol
I clean my ceiling fan (above our bed) when I notice that there is Goliath-sized dust matter up there, teetering on the fan blade ede, and I start to get freaked out that it will fall on me and attack me in my sleep….
Or you might swallow it in your sleep…but would you know? 🙂
Swallow in my sleep???!!!! *shudder*
Ew.
So much you left out! 🙂
At my house it is
scratched paint on walls..decorative knicknacks.
Scratched wood floor..rug, or tray for boots, or chair
Dog scratched door, curtain hiding it
Dog chewed chair rail, wrapped in colored tape.. lol
Porch needs paint, covered up with wicker sofa..
Top of jelly cabinet scratched all up, covered with tile samples..
That cute wood coaster on the desk.it’s a wood flooring sample, hides a hideous coffee ring.
Calender on wall hides huge nail holes
Dirty dishes (no dishwasher) shoved in oven
Dirty clothes tossed in gym bag or the Heat and air closet
papers and more paper get shoved under the bed (terrified to look under there)
last but not least, the wall space behind the couch and wall, all kinds of junk can fit back there!
I knew I’d find like-minded people here. LOL
Love this, Stacy! 🙂
Thanks, Jenni. 🙂 Although you’re the Queen of Clean now…so I”m sure you were shaking your head. 😉
Ha! What’s cleaning? I guess I’m like you and just try to maintain. Except electrical stuff. I break those. Oops.
I break stuff daily.
Guilty as charged, on many counts! Hee hee You should check out Norwex products, their microfiber cloths with the polishing window cloth work wonders on our mirrors and windows!
I keep hearing good things about them…but I’m cheap. lol
Too funny! Hitting a little too close to home today, Stace…
That’s my job! 🙂