I am sorry, I missed the Housekeeping gene…

Moving on to the next most common answer in my poll – I WISH I HAD A HOUSEKEEPER.

Ugh.

When I worked full time, I had one.  I still dream about her today.  She was one of my most favorite people HA! When I quit, I let her go because we cut back on a few things and I also had the time to do it.  BLAH.  Before I even get started I will say this – if you work full time, you need a house keeper. At least every other week.  I would sacrifice margaritas to have one when I worked if I had to, it was a HUGE difference maker for me.  The sacrifices are worth it.  You are not letting anyone down or admitting failure – your quality of life will be SO MUCH BETTER.  It is such a stress relief on your marriage and your relationship with your kids.  Trust me :).

Ok let’s chat how we can make our lives easier and carry on with making 2019 the year that you loved you, when it comes to cleaning your house.

Unless you are one of those wonderful miracles that love cleaning, you hate it like me.  Some tasks maybe worse than others, but the fact is it has to be done.  Not only just for sanitary reasons, but for our own sanity.  We all hate living in a messy home – most of us will be kept up at night because of it.  I don’t have the perfect plan and I still not really good at it, but I have a few tips that I have found helpful since I started staying home…

• First things first – what is the most important to you? Meaning make a list of things that get on your nerves daily or things that would make your home feel clean.  For example, here is my list:
  • My house needs to smell good
  • Be picked up – pillows and blankets put in the right places, no clutter.
  • Clean kitchen
  • Floors semi-clean
• Ok once you make your list, you need to come to a realization – there is no way to only clean once a week.  Unless you live alone and are super tidy, your people are going to actually live in your home and make messes.  The worst thing we do to ourselves is save all the cleaning for one day a week.  Because we end up mad all week and then the mess is so bad on said day that it takes you forever and you are even more mad.  The best thing we can do is have a list of daily tasks that are non negotiables- they become part of your day.  That is where this list comes in handy – this is the list that you will make sure is done before you go to bed each night.  So I wake up every morning – make my bed, start my diffuser and usually put in a wax melt to ensure the house smells good. Throughout the day, I keep things picked up and the kitchen clean as I am the only one home.  Then before I go to bed each night – the kitchen is clean, the sink is empty, the house is picked back up from my crew being home, and my floors are not covered in crumbs.  I also dust as needed and always wipe down the bathroom counter.  I clean the kitchen as I cook, I try to not let it stack up – that is your goal for every thing – don’t let it get so bad that you would rather set it all on fire HA!  I am good with doing laundry once a week, mopping once a week, and cleaning the bathrooms then too.  I have my days when all these things don’t happen, but I have inserted them in my day to day activities and make it a priority, FOR ME.
• That is my next point – yes, we want our families to live in clean homes.  Yes, we want to have a clean home so we can take pics for instagram.  But you have to come to a realization that this is for YOU, your sanity.  I have never met a woman that did not put too much pressure on herself when it comes to how clean her house is.  So this is one of those things that you need to see that just a few moments a day can make your LIFE better.  Do it for you.  Everyone else will benefit more than with a house that smells good – they will get the better version of you!
• My next tip – get in a habit of making your bed every day.  Here is the deal – every day is not going to go as planned.  Our houses have to be lived in.  BUT if you can do that one thing every morning, you know you did something and that is worth celebrating.  Also getting back in it at night is the BEST.  This seems dumb I know, but it really does make a difference.
• Don’t make this harder than it has to be! Y’all its 2019! There are tools and tricks to make our lives easier around every corner.  You don’t have to clean how your mama taught you.  Here are my favorite “cleaning hacks”
  • I don’t separate laundry!  I know crazy! I only separate towels together in one load and by person in my house so everyone can do their own and put it away as it comes out.  Other than that, all the colors and whites go in together.  I use these color catcher sheets that work like a dream – here is a link for them on Amazon I promise – it works!
  • I keep Chlorox wipes in the bathrooms for easy clean up.  No guess work, I have them at arm’s reach and wipe down the counters every day.  Same goes for the kitchen – they are so damn easy.  (note: please don’t be offended or come at me about green cleaning or lack there of – you do you and I will do what works for me and we are all good either way 🙂 ).
  • Swiffer dusters are my friend.  They are EASY and they work.  Easy is key!  Here is a link if you want to place an order online 🙂
  • THIS RIDICULOUS CHEAP SMALL VACUUM IS A GAME CHANGER! I have seen bloggers talk about it and ignored it until I finally decided to give it a shot. It is only $20 y’all! And it works like a dream on tile and hardwoods.  It works pretty good on rugs too! I love it because it is easier than a broom and dustpan – I keep it in an easy spot to get it out (super light) and can vacuum up crumbs and dog messes FAST!  It is a 3 in 1 so you can use it as a hand vacuum too – I use it on my stairs all the time.  I am seriously considering buying at least one more to keep in a different spot in the house – that’s how much I love it!  Even my kids can use it – which is nice :). One of my pain points is crumbs on the floor and this changed it for me so much!  Here is a link for you to check it out for yourself! Its the cheapest at Walmart :).
  • Make your house smell good!  And not just candles.  Those cannot be lit all day long.  Find something that works for y’all that takes your breath away you love it so much when you walk in your home. I love wax melts – I love the cheap Downy block ones for an every day scent- here is a link. I love love love my Young Living diffuser and I have this Pinterest board full of blends!  Y’all know I love me some seasonal scents too!  If you make it a habit to do something for it smell good every day – it will make a huge difference.
• Ok – my last and most important tip – you care WAY more than anyone else that your house is a mess.  We are all in this together and are not judging.  Who cares what you mother in law thinks – we have to LIVE in our homes.  Don’t get so hung up on creating a perfect home for your family that you miss out on family life.  Cut yourself some slack when needed.  Its really ok.  It may seem like I am barking at you in this post – and we all need some tough love some times – but know that we are all in the same boat.  We really are.  Your babies don’t care about the mess.  It’s ok for you to care, but just don’t get so hung up on it – k?

I hope this helped and if you have any other questions – feel free to reach out. I may not know the answer, but between us and Pinterest, we can figure it out :).