"These happy golden years are passing by, these happy golden years." Laura Ingalls Wilder

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

House Keeping Survey

Update below
Just out of being plain nosy ... how easy or difficult is it for y'all to keep a clean house? I know we live in a lackadaisical society ... you can see signs everywhere from the way we dress, keep up our cars, style our hair, etc. Did you grow up in a clean or messy environment? Were your clothes, sheets, hankies ironed each week? Did your family have a cleaning routine? For example: Monday..washday, Tuesday..shopping, Wednesday..bathrooms/floors, etc. Our lives are more complicated now even though we have more gadgets to make it easier (dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, etc.).

I am a full time, stay at home wife, mommy, grandma and my cleaning chores are endless. I can only imagine how these chores get piled up for those of you that work outside the home AND have families to take care. In our disposable, get all you can get society, do you think that less is more?

Tomorrow I'll share the way it was when I was a child and we can compare notes.
November 13, 2008
Today I made a conscience effort to 'put away what I got out' ... and clean up each and every mess as I made one. You know what ... even with interruptions ... watching grand baby ... running errands ... etc., when I thought about the whole process of being tidy and acted on it, everything fell into place today. I grew up in a home that was organized and cleaned by schedule. Pop was a drill sergeant and kept us on our toes. Grandma was set in stone for routine but made her work seem effortless. Never complaining ... just had a job to to and did it. Sometimes I find myself needing to clean off some of my 'plate' to allow the proper time to make my homemaking skills count and be consistent. Hubby will be pleasantly surprised to not find one cup in the sink when he gets off work late tonight. Let me see come morning what 'junk' he leaves setting around when I get up. I may have to get tough!

4 comments:

Deb said...

I've posted my notes on my blog...

(word verification: 'puper' How funny is that? A blog about cleaning and a word like 'puper')

Constance said...

Fortunately for me, I have a house cleaning business so as long as people are lazy, overworked or just plain unmotivated, I have job security! I work part-time but there is very good money in being the "Grunge Queen of DFW"!

My mother is from Germany so I grew up in a home where she r=ironed towel and sheets as well as whatever clothing needed pressing. After my parents divorced and she was a single Mom raising me, she let a lot of that go.

Her mother, my Omi, still lived in germany and when we visited her I was in awe. Here was a woman in her 70's at the time, still scrubbing down the sidewalk in front of her house, carrying her own coal bucket up the stairs, flinging open the windows in December to air out the feather beds and the house after a night's sleeping.

I am flad that my clients don't expect these things from me! My own house, especially now is in dire need of some TLC!

Connie

Pat said...

I grew up in a very clean and organized environment. My Mom was a great homemaker, she ironed everything! Funny thing is...I never saw her doing housework, it was just always spotless. She also managed to help those in need, taking people grocery shopping etc, I marvel now when I think of all she accomplished. Also, I never once her heard complain...I have to iron, or make dinner like I'm must admit I have done. I am still in awe.

Trish said...

Like Deb...my answer can be found on my blog. Great question Mrs. Mac!