At LAST!! ~ Day 4

Yes, it's true, I declare the house deep down clean, including the garage. It's kind of a momentous event because it doesn't happen that often. True, I try and do it every spring, but the last three or four years since my own home grown assistants fled the coop, it's kind of been overwhelming and I never quite got to all of it. There were piles here and there and stuff stuffed into all the cracks. I figure it took a total of about 75 man hours to clean and dejunk a 3,000 square foot home. That would have taken me TWO WEEKS working 8 hours a day to finish the project by myself. Yikes! I think many women know that fact and therefore they can't bring themselves to begin, especially if they have it to do alone or to try and get help from their children and husband who usually spend more time complaining than working. I don't figure that it is my sole responsibility since I'm not the only one who lives here. I think all who benefit should help clean it up and I have had great help from my husband and children over the years. Hopefully it won't be that hard or time consuming next year.

Team Z you made me laugh so hard. Thanks for the funny comment. And you did make a great point. To every thing there is a season. I've been married for almost 30 years and FINALLY I get to live in a clean house that stays that way. It's pretty much impossible to keep it that way when you have little kids. If I had to pick, I'd take the cluttered house with the kids. Besides there is a big difference between a home that is deep down dirty from one that is cluttered or temporarily messy. You can smell the difference and see the difference. And thanks to everyone else for the encouragement and compliments. I do feel like we accomplished something good and I'm glad it's done.

But here's the problem...it won't stay that way for long.

We'll continue to do our "Saturday cleaning" which is more surface cleaning, but I'm not going to nurse maid the house every day.

And another thing.

In the few days that it's been spotless, I've instantly started being a "keep it clean Nazi" ordering my husband to take off his dirty shoes and sweep up the mess he just tracked in.

I don't like to be that way.

And then I also don't want visitors to mess it up.

If anyone steps in the door they are bound to mess it up.

But wait. I love to have visitors come over.

So here's the question - which takes priority? A pristine clean house that is off limits to most outsiders or a lived in look where all are welcome?

Keeping it clean takes vigilance. It takes CONSTANT upkeep.

I'm just not that into it. I'm gone for most of the day and I refuse to be a slave to my housekeeping.

Seriously, I'd rather be doing other things.

I'd rather throw my door open and welcome people in, whether it is perfectly clean or not

and not require that they take their shoes off. Family and friends are always welcome, 24/7, no advanced notice required.

I'd rather mess it up and have a good time with people and not worry about the fingerprints and footprints and the crumbs dropped all over the place. It's a home. It's meant to be lived in. I'm not in any competition for "clean house of the year." It isn't decorated with the latest fashions. Much of it has wallpaper that is completely out of vogue. As I went from room to room, the memories came rushing back. We've LIVED in this house for 14 years and each room holds those precious memories. It's almost overwhelming to me to clean the rooms of our kids and to think of each one of them and the daily routines we went through together in our HOME. If it gets mess up, it really doesn't matter. It can be cleaned up again and the beauty of the thing is this - it cleans up so much faster and easier if it is deep down clean and everything can be put back its place quickly. It's comfortable. It's inviting and it's clean. And I think there is a good feeling in our home as well. Maybe that's because of all the living that has gone there. I do love our home.