Housekeeping...gag.

(Sorry about the title, but I was chatting with a friend and she mentioned how people used to use the term "gag" to describe something icky, but it's really fallen out of favor. We're trying to bring it back! ☺)

I am the world's worst housekeeper. Okay, probably not, but still...not good. I feel like I'm chasing my house around and never catching it. Papers stack up, dishes stack up, laundry stacks up. And I doubt I'm the only one. I know plenty of people who's houses aways seem clean. Or, at the very least, not the "bachelor pad meets tornado aftermath" that my house often seems to resemble.

I think the part that bothers me most about this is that I am not really a messy person. I actually have a very organized mind. I love filing things and checking off lists. My CD's and DVD's are organized alphabetically. My books are organized by color. My closet is organized by genre. (Short sleeves, long sleeves, skirts, jeans...etc.) Our clothing is in good repair, our furniture is well taken care of. The problem is, you don't really notice because of all of the...stuff all over the place!

You would further think that my position as stay-at-home mom would allow me the time needed to keep everything picked up. And while that is for the most part true, I don't relish the idea of spending 8 hours a day cleaning. Mostly because my position of stay-at-home mom is actually a 24 hour position with no sick days, no days off and zero vacation. So if I feel like reading a book in the afternoon instead of doing the dishes (for the second time today) I'm going to do it. And to his credit, the husband never even comments. (Mostly because I thus far have not demanded him to "pitch-in", and humans are given a rather powerful self-preservation instinct.)

I always tell myself to "get organized", but I think that term is simply too vague. What I really want is a clean house with minimal amount of daily upkeep. What I want is to be out in front of the housekeeping race. However, anyone who has ever had, or even read about, a toddler knows that this might be too much to hope for! But, I am devising a 7 day organizational project, which will hopefully whip my house (and it's messy little denizens) into shape.

I will be chronicling this endeavor on my Project Incentive blog, and everyone is welcome to check on my progress and "hear" me whine about my mess some more. Maybe when it's all over I will have some greater insight into my housekeeping failure. Happy cleaning, everyone! (Gag.)