My house is messy. Try as I might, I can’t keep up with the little wrappers, the random toys, the dirty clothes my kids have strewn about. I hope that one day (oh dear God, PLEASE, someday) that my kids will automatically pick up their stuff and put it away like I try to. I’m also kind of lazy, though, so I don’t scrub the floors or the bathtub as often as probably most. I ignore my kids’ room as long as I can, because I don’t have an entire day or the energy to spend on the project. (Because of course, ignoring it makes it so much worse. It’s a vicious cycle.) (I mean, there are easily a thousand Legos in there. Probably more like 2000. And 27 ponytail holders no matter how many times I tell those girls to take their ponytails out before bed. And 112 Barbie dolls. And 499 stuffed animals.)
(My husband would argue that I never pick up my shoes and slippers. I would argue that it’s because I take them off when I sit down and put them back on when I stand up. Because the floor is just dirty enough, because kids.)
That’s not to say I don’t make my kids pick their stuff up and put it away. It’s just that they don’t if I don’t make them, and pretty soon there are random things all over the house, not put away.
Maybe it’s because of all this that I don’t intentionally make more mess.
I hate Play-Doh and the hard crusty bits it leaves behind (thank goodness that it’s not gluten free and I have an excuse to not get it out).
I’d rather do the dishes than say “yes” when someone asks me if they can paint.
We haven’t carved pumpkins in years (I allow paint for that, yes, and Sharpies or those plastic Mr. Potato Head things you poke in).
Maybe I’m a Scrooge, but if I already have to clean up after my kids all day every day or risk losing my damn mind, can you blame me?
Raise your hand if you’re in the lazy but cleanest-in-your-house camp, too. (I can’t be alone, right?)
I am so not a fan of messes. I hate going to bed with no dishes in the sink and waking up to more dishes. I am afraid to do crafts because they will make a mess – lord I hate messes.
I know…I hate doing the dishes before bed, but I hate waking up to dishes even more!
You are so not alone. My house used to be in fairly good shape and I scrubbed and cleaned the bathrooms and floors weekly. Now not so much. I blame it on working 10 hours a day outside the house and just don't have the energy to make a big stink out do cleaning up everything. My dining room table is perpetually filled to the brim with papers, markers, crayons, school work and laptops. It gets a thorough cleaning a few times a year for special occasions. My kids are older too and I'd hoped by now they would be a little neater but no such luck!
Someday, maybe?! Like, when they've moved out. Ha! Glad I'm not alone!
Girl, you are singing my song. The fact that nobody cleans up after themselves if I don't make them is the thing that drives me batty, too. Because in addition to cleaning everything, why should I have to also remind everyone to pick up after themselves? WHY CAN'T THEY LEARN
I KNOW RIGHT
All I do all day is pick up after everyone and tell them that I shouldn't have to pick up after everyone.
I have certain weird rules, like I don't mind the play doh or the homemade silly putty, but the floor has to be CLEAN, because they will inevitably drop it, and I don't want crumbs and hair to get stuck in it. Same with painting. I don't mind them making a little mess as long as they are not adding TO a mess.
We always get hair in stuff. Like the kinetic sand…it has hair in it.
I'm a neat freak so I am always picking up after everyone. I do it straightaway though, so things don't pile up. Play Dough is a pain to clean up but it keeps them quiet for ages, so I put up with it. 🙂
It takes me longer to clean up the Play-doh mess than they actually play with it. Ha!
I love this post so much! It makes me feel normal. Thank you.
Oh, I'm so glad I'm not alone!
Though I'm no clean freak by any means (ugh, so far from it), clutter makes it hard for me to focus on anything else. Blech.
Me too. But we have so. much. crap. and not enough room for it all.
[…] talking with some friends last week about messes and how much crap we have in our houses, I got the gumption to clean and purge over the weekend. I […]