The Path To Domestic Excellence

When it comes to domestic skills I am pretty low on the totem pole. I am a pretty good cook, I can be pretty crafty (DIY's, small sewing projects etc), and my handyman skills are quite extensive. Basically I am good at everything that creates a mess. I am however, due to my innate procrastination and general disdain for physical labor, horrible at keeping the house clean. I could go so far as to blame this on my mother (I hope she never reads this!). Since she was such a meticulous housekeeper I barely had to lift a finger growing up. Oh we had chores, but we fought her tooth and nail every time we had to do them. Poor Mamma! So, after putting them off for so long or only doing 1 or 2 of my assigned chores, my mother’s OCD would kick in and she would do them herself. I was not a manipulative child by any means. Just lazy. So, my mother (and father btw) is a neat freak and therefore I am not. Interestingly enough, my mother’s mother (Good ole Grandma) is also a little messy and an incessant pack rat. Do you think it goes back and forth between generations? Just a little theory of mine.

Anyway…back to me sucking at life. I can not get it in my routine to do the dishes every day, put away the laundry after it’s washed, or keep up with basic household cleaning. It is just not part of my life. I am a married woman now and for the first time in my life a homeowner. This house is my responsibility. For years my now husband has had someone come and clean his house every two weeks. She is a wonderful lady and excellent cleaner. However, her brain does not work like mine at all and after she comes there are always a handful of things that I can not find. She puts stuff in places that to me make no sense. I have better luck finding things if I look in the last place I think it should go. It is frustrating and expensive! It has to stop. So, now at the age of 25, I am ready to claim my household for my own! I will teach myself how to be a domestic goddess!

I have researched the internet for books on housekeeping, methods, schedules, etc. One of the most helpful sites I found was called FlyLady. I really like the way this lady thinks. I’ve mostly taken her method and modified it for my house. She suggests making “routines”. I have created morning and evening routines that include the daily chores and will hopefully train me to do these things by habit. I have also made a calendar for the month listing the weekly, monthly and seasonal chores I plan to tackle each month. It spaces it out and rotates chores so that it does not feel so overwhelming. After many attempt I have found out that you can not clean you entire house from top to bottom in one day (OK maybe some people can but not me). You can not let it build up, it has to be managed daily.

I know I am not alone in this struggle and do not mind sharing with others if it helps them grow too. I am praying for the spirit to keep this up. My lazy side is going to going to have to be dragged kicking and screaming through this every day, but it can (and will be done). I will let you know how it goes!