10.16.2012

On Floors and Squinkies

                                                     source: pinterest


My ultimate dream in life is to have someone else clean my house. I’m sure this desire isn’t unique to me, and it wasn’t even important to me until I had two small, wonderfully messy and imaginative girls in my life. Now it is at the top of my list. Before they were here, I declared that I enjoyed cleaning. It was ‘therapeutic’ I said. I’m sure I thought this because I only had to sweep the floors once a week and maybe mop once a month. Adults don’t tend to drop cheerios, toast crusts, syrupy waffle pieces, and cups full of milk on the floor during breakfast. J

Because I feed children in my house on average five times a day, I also sweep several times a day. No matter how recently I’ve swept, I will always find Squinkies, jewelry, fairy wings, and beads in the dustpan with all the other crumbs when I’m finished. Sweeping becomes monotonous. On top of that, my dustpan recently broke. It’s particularly annoying to use a piece of paper as a dustpan, which means that I sweep less often. This increases my wish for a house cleaner tenfold, if you know what I mean.

We moved into our new house two weeks ago. I have spent most of that time unpacking and arranging all our stuff. Until this morning, I had yet to clean this new house. It’s always that way with me. We’ve moved enough times that I know what I’ll do. We move in a flurry and unpack for a couple of weeks, but I don’t clean. I think it’s because I don’t feel like it’s my job yet. Because it doesn’t feel like it’s my house yet. 

Today it was time. To clean the house.

I started with the tile floors. I swept up bits and pieces of our day’s meals. While sweeping, I mostly watched the massive amount of dirt, food, and toys accumulating in a pile, but when I started mopping that tile floor stretching to forever, I finally saw my kitchen floor. I settled into a rhythm with my mop brushing back and forth over the brown and gray pattern. I covered every inch of that beautiful tile floor for the first time with my mop, and do you know what? Suddenly, the kitchen floor was mine. By cleaning the floor myself, I felt ownership over it, a connection to it, and care for it.

My new house didn’t feel like my house until I cleaned it. Myself.

So, today, while I sway to the rhythm of the mop and Train, I am the steward of this house. I will clean it. I will care for it. I will love this house into a home.

Would a cleaning lady do that I wonder?


Disclaimer: If you have a house cleaner, I’m really just jealous of you. J

11 comments:

  1. I love this post! I have thought all of this at some time or another. I secretly wish for a house cleaner too but mainly so I can spend more time playing with my kids. A house cleaner would probably not clean your house as lovingly as you would but if I had to choose between a nanny and a house cleaner I'd choose the latter because anyone can clean but no one can love your kids as much as you do and I would never hire someone to raise my own children.

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    1. So, true, Aileen. Anyone can clean a house. Even on my worst days, I don't wish for a nanny. I just wish I could be more patient and see the fun in the situation with my kids. I can be good at it, but when I'm not . . . Well, I'm just not. :)

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  2. P.S. I just saw that quote on Pinterest today and printed it so I can put it on my fridge. It's hilarious!

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  3. Do you guys want to look for a job over here?! you can have a live in maid for about 400$ a month.
    that is a person that cleans, does the laundry, cooks, washes dishes, babysits for you and so on.
    Isn't that a great deal?! we don't have one though :-(

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    1. Oh, my goodness! I would not be able to resist such a temptation! How have you not given in yet? :)

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  4. Agreed! Our kitchen floor is always, always dirty!!! And that's just the kitchen! Yes, a maid sounds lovely. I gave up on my kitchen floor a while ago. I only sweep/mop it once in a while, even though it needs it after every-single-meal and snack! I tell Neal that when I have this cleaning house/making dinner/laundry...stuff down and when I've truly mastered it for a solid year, then I will hire a maid:) Because I know (and Neal knows) that cleaning up after everyone is SO hard for me, let alone cleaning up after myself! So, I need to master what I am SO NOT good at, before I will feel good about a maid. But when that day comes, I am So getting a maid:) Gives me something to work for, like a HUGE reward for a very difficult goal that I have. Let's hope I get there before all the kids have grown:) I want to see pictures of your new house!

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    1. I've often tried to figure out a way to 'earn' a maid. My favorite dream way is to earn money doing something else that I absolutely love, just enough to pay someone else to clean my house. :) If I figure it out, I'll let you know. Or, I guess I could employ my children. It just seems much harder than it's worth, if you know what I mean.

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  5. So much of my day is re-doing chores that I have already done: vacuuming, washing dishes, picking up toys, etc. When my husband comes home I often tell him I've been cleaning all day even though to look at the house you wouldn't know it. I am one of those people who cannot relax when I see stuff on the floor. Often I wish I could ignore those obsessive compulsive feelings so that I could really play with my kids. Not just pretend to play while tidying up at the same time.

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  6. I used to enjoy cleaning! Now I would LOVE to have time to myself to read a book. :)

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  7. Oops.. sorry about all the squinkies! :)

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