I realized something a few years ago~ If I don’t stay home it is hard to clean the house. That may not be a revelation to any of you, but it was an eye-opener for me. It was a time when we were running around a lot, just coming home to eat and sleep, for the most part. Now, you may think that because we were not home the house would have stayed clean, but no, that is not the case.

Well, this morning I realized that weeks of being gone a lot, mainly working on the house on weekends, has taken its toll on our home once again. This is what happens:

During the week, I am constantly busy running kids back and forth to school, homeschooling, running errands, taking care of kids and babies, etc. Then, on the weekends, when I normally would take time to clean the house and “play catch up,” we are out at our new house working. That scenario times several weekends, and I have a huge mess.

A house cleaned by children (because they have managed to keep up with their daily jobs) will look like a house cleaned by children. They do a pretty good job cleaning their zones and cleaning up their messes, but this house needs a good Mom cleaning.

I remember the days when I had 2 children and I could take 2 hours and clean the house from top to bottom. I mean, deep clean the house in 2 hours. It was great!

Those days are over, mainly because we have more stuff and also because I get interrupted more often.

Baby has pink eye in both eyes and an ear infection in his left ear. So, this morning I am staying home from church with him and tonight dh is staying home from church with him. I am going to make a list and attempt to tackle it while dh is at church this morning with the kids.

Here’s the list, so far:

Morning Routine (get myself ready for the day, make my bed, get Baby ready for the day, breakfast and vitamins)

Start laundry

Deal with dishes

Put cleaner in potties

Quick pick up in each room

Vacuum all carpeted areas

Clean potties

Wipe out bathroom sinks

Sweep all hard floors

Empty all trashcans

Polish table

Light a candle in living room and turn on candle warmer in kitchen

Make coffee

Sit down and visit with my family and enjoy my “cleaner” home!

I bought a new calendar for 2008. It is called Motivated Moms and it is a printable calendar that you put in a binder or a planner. Go here to take a look at it. I like it because it breaks down the deep cleaning chores into small bites. You do a little bit each day. Let me know what you think! You can view a sample page if you go to the link I gave you.

Have a joyful Lord’s Day!