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    See More:   Home Management

    Last Modified: Jun 11, 2021 by Tara Ziegmont 9 Comments

    My Attempts at Deslobification

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    Do you remember when I wrote about the housework schedule that I created for Joe and I?

    It was ambitious.

    house cleaning schedulePin

    It was unrealistic.

    While it is true that all those things should be done, there is not enough time in the day for us to each work, take care of our children, bathe, eat, and do all of that cleaning.

    If we had a housekeeper or different priorities, maybe we could make it work.

    Maybe not.

    For a couple of months now, Joe and I have been purging the excess crap from our house and our lives. It's a daily struggle, and I don't know how to end the cycle.

    We create clutter every day. No matter how much cleaning I do through the course of the day, my living room is still a wreck. My dining room floor is covered with gunk. The kitchen counter is covered with dishes (at least they're clean!), serving tools, small appliances, and cutting boards. My bathroom counter is a little better than this, but not much.

    I don't know how to get rid of it.

    I've been trying to use the Motivated Moms planner to tread water with the cleaning. It is really simple, and it gives me a few things to do every day. Most of the time, I can handle that.

    housework schedulePin

    But the problem I have with the Motivated Moms planner is the constant state of clutter. I can't mop the kitchen on a Thursday because there's too much stuff to clear off of it first. To vacuum the living room, I'd have to spend an hour picking it up first.

    It's not that I don't pick up and put things away. I do! I spend at least an hour every day picking up toys and books and putting them away.

    I often think I have no hope of ever living in a clean, tidy house.

    Just as I was beginning to believe that my cluttered, oppressive mess would plague me for the rest of my life, my friend Dana released an e-book called 28 Days to Hope for Your Home. She is the author of the popular blog A Slob Comes Clean, and she is an inspiration to me.

    28 Days to Hope for Your HomePin

    I began to read. On page 10, I read something that knocked me off the couch. Well, not really, but almost.

    Just so you know, this e-book isn't a method. Methods don't clean your house. You have to clean your house. This is simply a broken-down-to-the-very-basics-that-normal-people-seem-to-know-but-somehow-people-like-us-have-never-grasped instruction/encouragement book. This book is meant to guide you through the basic things that need to be done daily in your home. The things that will give you hope that real change is possible.

    That! That is exactly how I feel about keeping a clean house. Other people seem to just know how to do it, and I have never understood how to do it.

    I may not have fallen off the couch, but I did get teary-eyed.

    I read on. By page 14, I knew that Dana was speaking directly to me, even though she didn't know it.

    Here's something normal people wouldn't understand, but I'm giving you permission to spend an hour or so at [sweeping the kitchen floor]. The reality for a slob is that sweeping . . . isn't just sweeping. It's picking up napkins that got knocked off the table (last month) and the newspapers from (the past few) Sunday(s). It's putting away last week's groceries and throwing away the bags that they were still sitting in. It's gathering up the small and not-so-small toys and knocked-off-the-fridge alphabet magnets.

    Didn't I just say that above? {I wrote that above before I ever read Dana's book. How much of a coincidence is that?!?}

    I was starting to hyperventilate by page 23. Each day, there is more work to do!

    You are probably reading with mouth agape, staring at your computer screen in disbelief that I could even think that. Of course there's more work to do. But really, that was an astounding realization for me.

    I want Dana's book to give me hope for my house.

    I want to host play dates.

    I want to invite my mom friends to come over and have a cup of tea or a lunch.

    I want to have a home I'm not ashamed of.

    I want to have a home that doesn't make me feel like I'm drowning every time I look around.

    I'm going to do 28 Days to Hope for Your Home (on sale for $4 through the end of February) and follow it up with my Motivated Moms planner. I'll let you know how it goes.

    This post contains affiliate links.

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    More Home Management

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    • 18 Natural, Organic, & Chemical-Free Tips for a Cleaner Home
    • What It's Like to Be the Child of a Hoarder
    • How to Have a Debt-Free Christmas - 9 Tips for Avoiding Credit Cards this Year

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    1. Lynda says

      February 03, 2012 at 1:47 pm

      I'm with ya!!!

      Reply
    2. Rachel says

      February 04, 2012 at 11:55 am

      You need to visit http://www.flylady.com. She not only helps you get your home in order, she also helps get your head and heart in order too. Everything is babysteps. She has helped me so much. I don't know what I would do if I didn't find her 6 years ago. She doesn't believe in being perfect either. Flylady stands for finally loving yourself.

      Reply
      • Feels Like Home Blog┞¢ says

        February 04, 2012 at 1:34 pm

        Thanks for the tip! I tried Fly Lady once, almost 10 years ago. The problem I had with it was that she sent me so much email. It was overwhelming. Is it still like that?

        Reply
    3. Rachel says

      February 05, 2012 at 12:23 pm

      Yes,you still do get a lot of emails everyday. I don't always read them. You don't need to get her emails, to join. You use your control journal for your daily plan. . You could always go to her website, she has her missions posted there too.

      Reply
    4. Divina says

      February 08, 2012 at 2:45 am

      Hello!

      I'm with you with your household problems. Every morning I sweep and mop the floor. I clean the ceiling, I brush the sink but when afternoon comes, still dusty and looks so messy!
      What I did, i asked my husband to put a screen in all our windows and doors. And now, I clean the ceiling every other day.

      Reply
    5. Corrin says

      February 13, 2012 at 4:32 pm

      I think I have the opposite problem. I'm a tidier - everything has a place and it has to be there if it isn't in use. I get anxiety just thinking about going to bed with papers on the counter. Something I inherited from my mother (the Danny Tanner of clean).

      Reply
      • Feels Like Home Blog┞¢ says

        February 13, 2012 at 5:07 pm

        It all comes back to our parents, doesn't it?

        Reply
    6. Catherine says

      February 20, 2012 at 8:41 pm

      I really, really LOVE Flylady! And about the email, where you used to get swamped by tons of them, now it's just one that has them all in it.

      I started with Flylady about 10 years ago too, and was overwhelmed by the emails like you. Now I've been back with it for awhile, and I'm seeing a big improvement. Little things that she says are stuck in my head like, "Housework done incorrectly still blesses your family!" I've really liked how she doesn't make me feel guilty, and I love when she reminds us that our homes didn't get like this in a day, and it's not doing to be fixed in a day. Just do the babysteps, and it WILL get better! 🙂

      Reply

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