Housekeeping
One of my earliest worries as a new wife was the thought of someone dropping by unannounced. I didn’t know how to keep a house tidy, and if visitors were coming I wanted enough notice to stash laundry in the bathtub or toss dirty dishes in the car trunk.
Yes, I actually did that sometimes.
I know — not my proudest moment.
There were definitely periods when our home lived under what FlyLady calls C.H.A.O.S. (Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome).
Was I a hoarder? No.
Was my home totally out of control? No.
Would the health department have shut us down? No.
Still, our house did get messy at times. I hadn’t learned about daily routines or how to keep the house “clean enough.”
My two biggest cleaning challenges were familiar ones:
1) the dishes
2) the laundry
We worked or went to school all day, came home, made dinner and then settled in to watch our evening show. Somehow I missed the memo that my mom wasn’t going to be there to clean up the kitchen for me after I got married. The next morning the dishes were still on the counter, and laundry was piling up in the bathroom — sometimes waiting for Saturday.
By Saturday we were in full C.H.A.O.S. Laundry mounded high, dishes still waiting to be loaded into the dishwasher (yes, we had one and I didn’t always use it). Saving all the daily chores for the weekend simply didn’t work.
Then I discovered FlyLady and embraced daily routines. Once I began tackling hot spots like the kitchen every day instead of once a week, and handling laundry every day or two instead of saving it all for one weekend, life changed. At first daily cleaning felt time-consuming, but as it became part of our habits it grew easier and eventually felt natural.
We could have company with much less notice. Housekeeping developed a manageable rhythm and the stress of sudden guests eased.
Do I still prefer a phone call before someone shows up?
Yes — a little warning is nice.
Is my house perfect?
No. Never.
Houses are for living.
Sometimes my family room looks like a playground. Other times life gets messy in ways that aren’t glamorous — and that’s okay.
A brief CHAOS confession
Do you ever hide dirty dishes when guests are coming?
It’s a common reflex — and admitting it can feel strangely relieving.
PS. The kitchen photo above was taken last summer, before my microwave handle broke, the microwave died and the freezer began making a mysterious clanging noise. So enjoy the pictures, but know that not everything was in perfect working order — many appliances wear out over time.
This post was part of a series sponsored by Electrolux as part of Homebuzz. I received an Electrolux appliance in exchange for participating, and the views shared here are my own. My old dishwasher is being donated.
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