I have lots of them...I wouldn't even have included windows. I thought there were "people" who did that sort of thing (and the lack of these "people" would explain how grimy my windows are LOL).

Laundry laundry laundry!!! I don't mind washing it, but I hate to fold and put away. When the laundry room was in the cellar outside it was a great excuse to be behind on laundry (as if that was new LOL) but it was worse....now I have a huge and luxurious (if you can call a laundry room luxurious) laundry room...and I'm freaking still behind LOL I just hate doing laundry.

I'm in Sue's club. My home is to die for fabulous (please don't move any furniture though or the dust bunnies will come out and get you) or beyond the bowels of hell. There is no inbetween with me :) My mother can verify that heh heh Currently DS is quite ill and DH is out saving the universe in Texas so it's bowels of hell week. To add to the joy of the bowels I've taken down half the wallpaper in the parlor and it's all over the floor...all of the two rooms worth of furniture are in the other parlor willy nilly....it's a freaking mess.

I will say, I'm almost at the final "WHEN" where I require a housekeeper. This house is a lot to keep up on my own. If jy yanks would move in and do my laundry I might get half a dozen bathrooms cleaned weekly LOL

Mopping. I despise mopping the floors. I cannot get it down right. And because I can't get on my hands & knees, I can't get the floors scrubbed the way I want them to be. I see these gunked corners...no one else sees them but *I* do and it drives me bats. So I'm thinking that this weekend I might try to pull out my steam cleaner and nuke a couple of corners.

I'll gladly wash windows for a floor scrubber! Gads, tho, I NEED to do my windows. They're beyond heinous.

Igloo - I will happily do your laundry (wash, fold and put away) in exchange for any other type of cleaning (bathrooms, mopping etc). Laundry is about the only type of cleaning I am decent at.

I also have a husband who is a neat freak. When he can't stand the state of the house anymore, he actually pulls out the vacuum and/or washes the floor. He won't touch bathrooms though!

My house is spic and span--I'm a bit of a clean freak, and I have a cleaning lady--but the bane of my existence is messy closets. My husband is a pack-rat and has slowly taken over most of the storage areas in the house--a huge attic, two big walk-in closets, basement storage closet and utility area--and I just cannot get a reasonable handle on it. My kids' closets are bursting, too. The few areas that are under my strict jurisdiction--the front hall closet, the laundry room closets, the linen closets--are in good shape. It's the ones that are shared that drive me batty. Sigh.

I love doing windows - look forward to doing them each Spring and Fall. Every window inside and out and every storm inside and out both top and bottom. It KILLS me that I can't reach my second story windows except for the front when my neighbors see me out on the porch roof!

Dusting is awful for me. Okay and vacuuming but luckly my kids like that. Downside is that DH usually has to fix a broken vacuum belt becuase somebody always sucks up a sock!

Laundry is a chore but it's something that I hate so much that I make sure that I get a load washed and folded each day. Somebody else has to put it away though. That usually means that at any given time there are 4 baskets of folded laundry waiting to be put away and a pile of dirty in the hallway!

I will clean someone's windows for them if they dust for me.

All my dirty secrets are in the attic and the unfinished side of our basement. That is where we stash everything and anything, and we rarely get around to organizing/sorting/tossing. It is so embarassing when we have to have any type of service person come in and walk through those areas. (Although the air conditioning tune-up guy told me he's seen much worse!)

Other than that, laundry. I hate, hate, hate it. It's just so constant, and it's never, ever DONE.

I love house cleaning, except I never have time to do it :-D

Iggy dear, just because you have 26,0000 bathrooms doesn't mean ya have to use them all!

Honey, it's all my downfall. It's just that I'm phobic about letting too much of it get away from me because then I'd never catch up. The fear motivates me to stay on top of it. The absolute worst aspect is the garage, but I conveniently blame that on extremely close relatives' proclivities (ahem).

I also have a problem with all of it, and lack of consistency is my biggest problem. I need to throw more dinner parties, that's when my house really gets clean!

I agree, Terriks! If I find my motivation for housecleaning to be lacking, I will throw a dinner party. It is a magic bullet.

My DH can't put a tool back to save his soul. My front porch currently looks like a garden supply center and we have a full basement with an outside entrance for keeping all those tools!

DH is a pack rat and has a shop on EBay -- so our garage is a serious 7th Rung of Hell.

He hates when I try to get rid of anything! :(

My biggest peeve? Cleaning the window blinds!!!! Very very grotty at this point .... but need to be taken down, taken out to the driveway and throughly washed and scrubbed ...

Jan at the embattled, tiny and over-run rosemary cottage

Probably dh.
All cleaning difficulties all trace back to him: the garage, pack ratism, laundry on the floor, cups, plates and newspapers wherever he last sat....
I do clean up after him ALL the time but I really resent it sometimes.

Kitchendetective, every single word you wrote perfectly describes my thoughts about my own housekeeping scenario! You have a kindred spirit in your midst!

"Stay on top of it" I do. In fact, I have bruises on my knees right now from cleaning floors. I constantly seem to be doing some kind of floor cleaning!

Wouldn't y'all agree, to really keep floors clean, vacuums, brooms, swiffers & mops are not enough! You have to get on your knees & get in those corners & on the shoe molding & baseboards! However, though I do all this regularly, I often think about how "this" does not come "naturally" to me. If I was "doing what comes naturally" I'd be living in a pig pen!

Sheer force of will & fear of the filth that could unfurl gets & keeps me going. Oh, & yes, 80% of what's in the garage (other than my car!) I have nothing to do with!

I'm so relieved to read all this. Seems to me all the women I know IRL run flawlessly clean and orderly households, while I am a natural-born less-than-neat person.

The thing is - I really don't care about housework! Oh, I do plenty of it, but windows every six months? HAH! Not a chance. Floors? Once a year nowadays, but when the kids were home I did it at least twice a year. You should see (actually, you shouldn't see) the grates on my stove, but, boy, am I a good cook!

Fortunately, my hub is and always was neat about himself and his stuff. I've never had to pick up after him, and he has always kept track of my glasses, keys and cell phone for me. We're a good team, even if we never get anything done. In 42 years of marriage, we are working on a rare project together this week - chopping out and reclaiming the side garden that I let go five years ago. But - ahem - we're taking off today to goof around.

Parties are also my MO for cleaning the joint. I always swear that after the party, since the main rooms are clean, I will tackle one of the "hidden" rooms from stem to stern, but I never get that far. But I will, someday.

Sherry

Wouldn't y'all agree, to really keep floors clean, vacuums, brooms, swiffers & mops are not enough! You have to get on your knees & get in those corners & on the shoe molding & baseboards! However, though I do all this regularly, I often think about how "this" does not come "naturally" to me. If I was "doing what comes naturally" I'd be living in a pig pen!

Please, define "regularly." And pretty please, don't say once a week....I'm begging you.....

Sherrman, I have a cat, & a hairy one at that, so I sweep the kitchen, master bath, & entryway floors daily. I spot clean all of the above about 3 times a week. I vacuum, sweep, & do the real "hands & knees cleaning" followed by a swiffer cloth (to see how I did) once a week throughout. I feel like a slacker because I don't do "hands & knees cleaning" 3 times a week, & just spot clean.

Throughout= lr, dr, kitchen, powder, master, guest baths, stairs, hallways up & down, study & laundry room.

Only the MBR has carpet, & that I vacuum once or twice a week, though it's really beyond Woolite & vacuuming! It needs to be replaced!

I vacuum the oriental rugs in lr/dr & study once a week. I vacuum a couple of chairs the cat sleeps/lounges in daily.

Keeping cat hair removed from wood floors & furniture really requires a commitment! However, even if I didn't have a cat I would sweep the kitchen, especially under the table, after every meal, & spot clean if necessary. I would also sweep the master bath daily because of MY (long) hair! I would probably still sweep the entryway & stairwell daily too, since that gets so much foot traffic. So, I can't blame my entire work load on the kitty!

I used to like you, stinky - now I'm not sure if we can be friends ;-)

I feel like a slacker because I don't do "hands & knees cleaning" 3 times a week, & just spot clean.

Life's too short! I grew up in a house like that. Was clean, but not a happy place.

I sweep the kitchen/keeping room daily ... scoop the litterbox ... and make the bed. Not in that order. Vacuum cleaner gets run 2 or 3 times a month (hardwoods & area rugs ... no carpeting). Hands & knees cleaning happens every few months.

Dlm, lol!

Natal, I'm just trying to do an "adequate" job. I never feel my house is truly clean. I'm truly filthy with lazy-bone work habits compared to my next-door neighbor! You could literally eat off her garage floor 24/7 it's so clean. It is a painted floor & it just gleams. There's not a bit of dust, dirt or untidiness anywhere in her house. It is truly a monument to cleanliness & orderliness, inside & out, from stem to stern. She has her carpets professionally cleaned 4 times a year, has housekeepers come twice a month, in addition to cleaning herself, daily, inside & out, around the clock! She even has her car professionally detailed weekly. I know she thinks I'm just hopeless with my potting soil & gardening tools scattered about my garage! Not to mention Dh's nets & other stuff for the pond which are so icky.

Oh, & my windows! To answer Golddust's question I guess that's my huge downfall! My windows date back to 1987 & need to be replaced. I have my house pressure washed annually, the gutters cleaned quarterly, & during one of those visits, the guy also cleaned my windows. They've been cleaned that one time in the four years since I bought the place! Eeeew! Thing is, it costs $200.00 to wash them & then they are dirty again in no time. Plus, that fee does not include removing & washing the storms, so they really don't even look that clean. The storms are so onery, fragile & hard to move that no one wants to deal with them. One day I will get new windows. Over 50% of my neighborhood has replaced their windows. Golddust, I'm sure your windows just sparkle compared to mine!

Now you probably are wincing in disgust, Dlm!

Stinky, sorry, but it sounds like insanity to me. ;) I have a cousin with a house like your neighbor's. She has white carpet in her kitchen. That says it all. Her mother was obsessed with cleanliness. Her husband forced it on her. I think that's why she drank.

Gasping from maniacal laughter here. I convinced the entire family to pitch in with stem to stern window washing (including the third floor/attic guest room) a couple of years ago. The next day, the very next day, it rained mud. I kid you not. Central Texas experienced a rare phenomenon: raining mud. I will never, ever, risk life and limb to wash a third floor window again. I figured God was sending me a direct message, "You nut, do not bother washing these windows, find something better to do with your time. Do more volunteer work. Present more papers. Anything. But do not wash that attic window again."

Kitchen, thank you. I would hate to create a mud rain here. The thing is, I bought that kind of outside window cleaner one attaches to the hose. Then I became concerned about my old windows leaking onto my wood stained frames inside.

I think I'm at least going to call someone to give me a price toward the end of the month - as soon as I get back from Packer Lake. Maybe it won't rain mud if I have to pay someone to do it.

Stinky, because you have ONE HAIRY CAT you do that much housework? Do you also have at least ten kids and a pig for a husband? Or do you cook for a living in your kitchen? There must be SOME reason for you to do all that.

May I ask.....How often do you change your sheets?

I used to have an elderly neighbor who swept the tops of the snow every day to keep it looking white. She didn't let snow accumulate on her sidewalk or driveway; she was out sweeping as the snow fell and stayed out until the snow stopped. We live in Wisconsin. She was nuts.

"I'm truly filthy with lazy-bone work habits compared to my next-door neighbor! You could literally eat off her garage floor 24/7 it's so clean. It is a painted floor & it just gleams. There's not a bit of dust, dirt or untidiness anywhere in her house. It is truly a monument to cleanliness & orderliness, inside & out, from stem to stern. She has her carpets professionally cleaned 4 times a year, has housekeepers come twice a month, in addition to cleaning herself, daily, inside & out, around the clock!"

I have the same question as Shermann--do you and your neighbors work outside the house? Have any children living at home? How do you find the time to clean that frequently??? Honestly, it sounds like you and your neighbor have fulltime jobs cleaning your own houses.

Ann

We (after 32 years, he is pretty well trained!) do this daily: both keep the kitchen clean, he makes the bed, we take turns cleaning the litter boxes, I wipe down the bathroom counter and sinks and usually one of us does a load of laundry a day.
Dusting, vacuuming and mopping I get to 2-3 times a month. Windows twice a year.
I use a timer and will set it for 15 minutes when I don't want to clean. Knowing I only have to do it until the BING! makes it easier to start the odious tasks.
The house is not spotless, but I usually don't have to cringe when someone unexpectedly drops by.

Wow I'm a veritable pig in comparison to so many of you. I have one hairy cat and a dog and a 4 year old and no time to vacummn daily LOL (DH does it maybe once a week). I can't even spell vacummn let alone do that much of it. I do the stairs (for me that is a lot) maybe every two weeks? Sometimes less. DH is a big help...we're probably 50/50 on the house stuff.

Sue I learned the hard way...while they might not all be used they need to be flushed, swished and dusted every other week.

I don't work outside the house (ok I have a job but it's only a couple of hours a week normally) and my son goes to preschool, but still, I don't have the time to devote to cleaning that many of you do...or the desire maybe.

I've learned a valuable lesson that I will employ in every house I own for the rest of my life...listen up those who are as involved in life as me and don't want to clean regularly.....construction dust! It hides a multitude of sins and it's always a good explaination for dust :) I plan on doing "construction" in at least one room of our house until the day I die to explain the mess :)

This is so funny to me too, as I really, truly am not just saying this, but really feel I'm just barely adequate as a housekeeper! Guess these four years next to the lady next door have really colored my perception of things!

Speaking of windows, hers are 3yr. old Pellas with all the bells & whistles that she has professionally cleaned each quarter. She also vacuums her yard 1-3 times a day.

Slightly OT: I have a beautiful, large gardenia in full bloom right now & yesterday she commented on how the blooms are "turning brown." Actually, out of hundereds of blooms, about 12 are tinged with beige at this point. Yes, soon they indeed will turn brown, but now there are lots of snowy white flowers gracing the fragrant shrub. Because hers looked like that she had her yard crew use an electric trimmer and cut all the flowers off of it, shaping the free form plant into a perfectly oval mound. I just tell you this to convey the low tolerance for "messiness" that I am around.

While she's very friendly & good to me, she does make these little snide remarks from time to time designed to make me feel hopelessly unkempt and out of step. Like, "Are you going to leave that shrub like that?" "I see you finally got something to grow in that wheelbarrow." "You mean you never clean your windows?" She has remarked that she doesn't like herbs growing (which I have in pots...eeew!) & she doesn't like "viney things growing" and I have a wild clematis & climbing rose on a trellis. I'm just impossible!

Stinky, you must live next door to my sister. Does she allow people to sit on her sofa? If so, then you don't live next door to my sister. We have to sit on her floor when we visit. I kid you not. Her house is spotless but her life is pathetic.

Her house is spotless but her life is pathetic.

There's a big ol serving of profound in there somewhere.

Downfall...Mine is forgetting to leave a check for our cleaning lady.

I will hold a job until I can no longer hold a job so that I can afford to cover that check every 2 weeks. Now if I could just always remember to write it...with electronic banking, it's the only check I ever have to write any more.

Oh Stinky....if I lived next door to someone like that, I'd be tempted to get messier, and messier, and messier and plant the messiest looking plants I could, and just basically try to passively-aggressively put her over the edge. There is nothing wrong with you (except that you clean too much!). Your neighbor is NOT MENTALLY WELL. Seriously -- no one vacuums their yard 3 times a day or cuts all the flowers off their beautiful gardenia unless they've got a serious issue with OCD. Lighten up on yourself!

Now me - I'm just hopeless. I've got two dogs (one of whom "blows coat" 2x a year and sheds fiendishly the rest of the time), 1 hairy cat (with kidney failure, which means he pees a ridiculous volume of pee (in the litterbox, thank god) every day, but the box is always dirty -- I can scoop it and he'll pee in it 2 seconds later), 2 kids and a husband. I can't even get things organized enough to clean -- it takes me 2 hours just to find homes for the clutter before I can even think about cleaning. Toys everywhere. Papers from school, magazines I'm trying to read, forms I need to fill out, paperwork that needs to get done or filed or mailed, recycling to be taken out, a bowl of paintbrushes and a can of primer on the counter from our never-ending painting projects, plans or brochures or inspiration pics from whatever project(s) we're working on or planning. Basically, there's just crap, everywhere, and in spite of spending a couple hours a day (at least) tossing junk mail, putting away toys, and just picking up, I can't seem to get ahead of the hurricane. I won't even go into the dust bunnies on the floor or the fact that I never, ever mop. My garden beds are full of weeds (in spite of the fact that I try to weed every week or two -- I swear 3 weeds grow back for every 1 I pull). And all my rosebushes are just past bloom and full of rose hips and flowers with 1 petal left.

In my defense, I do pretty well at keeping up with the laundry but that's about it. I would give Stinky's next door neighbor a heart attack.

Stinky (hate calling you that :), still wondering...do you and your neighbor have children, pets or other disrupters living with you? Do either/both of you work outside the home? Really, it makes a HUGE difference I think in how much time/energy someone can devote to cleaning. And FWIW I also think your neighbor is either severely burdened with extra time or a bit obsessive compulsive. I don't even know how one could vacuum a yard!

I keep the public areas of the house in what I consider reasonable shape. I do wet cleaning on a weekly basis: thoroughly scrub both bathrooms and the kitchen. Wash bed linens-first Saturday of each month that includes all mattress pads and quilts/coverlets/shams as well. My daughter is responsible for dust mopping and vacuuming the floors on the same weekly basis as well as dusting furniture. My husband takes care of the cats' litterbox and it never smells. He also sweeps the kitchen floor daily. He does most of the laundry these days; my daughter and I handle our own clothes but he does all the 'house' laundry and his/my son's stuff. He also washes dishes and maintains the externals like lawn mowing, trash take out etc.

Windows are done...um, never? Actually once every 5-6 years I guess I do the entire around-the-house window cleaning ordeal. That includes taking down the screens inside and cleaning them too as well as the interior panes. We have an older Florida home though and there are a TON of windows. Frankly, that's one chore I just don't really care about.

We did just clean the patio for a dinner party; that tends to get cluttered with junk as well.

My housekeeping downfall is the condition of my rooms of shame:

-the Florida room in the back of the house, which is now housing the cats' litterbox and supplies as well as all the crap from the rest of the house we don't have a place to put and my poor husband who has retreated out there to sleep due to rambling offspring who are up all hours of the night.

-The kids' rooms which are disasters. My son I believe has a truck engine in his, no kidding. My daughter is a packrat. I do not deal with those rooms anymore, just keep the door shut.

-The office. It's a tiny little windowless nook of a space that gets very cluttered very easily. Since it's tucked away I tend to ignore it and it is pretty darn dusty right now. On my list to get in and do a deep cleaning. Then again, it's been on my list to get in and do a deep cleaning for years.

So that's my personal confession.

Ann

.....or other disrupters living with you? Haha! Disrupters! That's a good one! And so true! THAT'S my problem! The Disrupters!

Actually, it's true to some extent. I also kept the kids' br doors closed when people came over - figured their rooms, they could keep them any way they wanted to (and periodically, they'd each clean their own room without being told to) - and they all keep nice homes now that they're grown. And our house is neat, also, now! So get rid of the disrupters and the house will stay neat and clean! Genius!

Ladies I know why I LOVE this place!!! Thank the stars above I am not the only one who wrestles with cleanliness guilt! I try, honestly I do, but still at the end of the day I lose the fight. Constantly I ask myself does it even matter, we are not entertainers, the kids friends don't seem to care, and my own family obviously doesn't so why do I vex myself???

Sigh! I love my home, I enjoy change and decorating, but the bottom line is I am not going to kill myself being spotless, or even super picked up, I end up frustrated and resentful. As it is now, I drive my kids and self crazy with the daily things to be done,(plus my kids have set chores) and still sadly "Clean Sweep" or "Hoarder's" would have a field day here!

My down fall is clutter,the darn influx of daily living with 2 kids and a husband. I practice Fly Lady's rule of throwing out 27 items a day but still the crumbs, papers, and toys creep out when my back is turned. My youngest child is smiling singing tornado of destruction who marks his very path by leaving messes in his wake. This could very well be leaving soaked muddy socks and boxers at one door, and a chewed on corn cob and watermelon rinds outside the other door so that when a stray visitor does finds their way down the lane, I'm sure they wonder if our floors inside are made of dirt! And yes, that has happened.

Sigh,Sigh... Constant struggle, constant cleaning, I guess a even keel would be fantastic.

I used to have a cleaner, and am toying with getting another.1 and 1/2 Bathrooms, stairway, kitchen floor took her 2 hours and she was not the type to veer off her list at all, forbid she wipe the gob of toothpaste off the wall ABOVE the sink! Any tips on managing a cleaner? I ended up frustrated at what she didn't do but the minimum was clean.

Ya'll are my long lost sisters! I just knew I was stolen by gypsys when I was a baby and this proves it!
My Mom was a neatnik, my SILs are too- all of them. My stepmom is also a neatnik.
For me- life is too short- I was not put on this planet to keep the floor spotless. They think I am lazy I am just focused elsewhere!
When my kids were very little I also used to say- that you may crunch on my floor but it is never sticky- I can't stand a sticky floor- I do have limits. And then we got a dog so nothing ever crunches on the floor any more. We call them our Hoovers - spilled some frozen spinach on the kitchen floor before i could pick it up- Bailey had scarfed it down.
My company is coming method of cleaning was using the laundry basket method- everything into the basket and shoved into a bedroom closet.
Now my kids don't leave clutter ( DH does and moi) so no more basketing.
Iggy dear- you know I was kidding right?
Here is my confession- a couple of months ago I started mopping the kitchen and wood floor parts every weekend. And started organizing stuff in preparation of a possible DD college graduation party.
She decided no party so-- no more weekly mopping. got other stuff to do- cushion covers to make and furniture to fix up and thrift shopping to do- my real passions.

I do admit to vacuuming weekly- when I was a naive stay at home I vacuumed daily- and didnt have any animals. I have to do it now- or I get dizzy watching the dust buffaloes swirl in the breeze from the fan.

LOL Of course Sue...and I have to say....

"My company is coming method of cleaning was using the laundry basket method- everything into the basket and shoved into a bedroom closet."
I have a dozen laundry baskets.....

By the way, I don't enjoy dusting, but I do enjoy DS who, when the sun is shining in the windows watches the dust particles fly in the air and says "fairies". See....if I dusted he wouldn't see fairies...so how can I?

Runninginplace, of course working outside the home makes a huge difference in one's time for cleaning! But if you don't work outside the home, is there really a good exuse not to do it? If you don't have kids and a number of animals, then your "job" becomes caring for the house to a greater degree. I am a SAHW, & have no kids, just the one hairy beast. Cooking, cleaning, bill-paying, grocery shopping, appointment-making, laundry, yard work, are the tasks that make up my "job." Whatever job I'm doing, I try to do the best I can.

I've had chronic back pain for 15 yrs., and since October, have had tendonitis in both arms. So, it's not a piece of cake doing anything! Even making my bed can be excruciating. But if I just sit around, give into the pain & watch soaps while my house falls into disarray, what kind of life is that?

I believe caring for a home is a worthwhile way to spend time. I like a clean, clutter-free, well-cared for house. I like pretty things. But unlike my neighbor, my identity is not based on the cost of my things or how clean they are. I'm not striving to impress others or to feel like I'm better than people with different standards of cleanliness. I could be wrong, but from what I've heard & seen, I feel those motivations are key for her.

I was not blessed with talents and skills that would allow me to have a career, so this is it! We have to find meaning in the ordinary tasks of our lives. Even people with great careers often lament the time they've spent building them. You have to make the most of whatever is in front of you from moment to moment. That's my motivation!

Stinky, I don't think I've ever heard someone talk about cleaning with such passion. If it makes you happy then have it. I'd rather be puttering in the yard.

Stinky, I admire you.

In my house I am the disrupter! My husband is very neat and tidy. If I go away for a weekend to visit my daughter the house is always cleaner when I get home. I am just lucky that he doesn't nag me about my messy ways.

I'd go over to the Gardening Forum, find one or two highly invasive plants for your zone, surreptitiously plant a bit of each in the vicinity of your neighbor's perfectly mounded gardenias and, over the next several months, let the hilarity ensue. . . (It's a nice fantasy, anyway.)

SG: (me sitting here and clapping hands)

I agree with you 100%! Exactly my feelings (and my own situation here) about home, homecare and cleaning!

Worth my time and effort. And backaches.

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

Stinky - I doubt that you were not blessed with talent and skills! Don't say that!! That is ridiculous. You just were fortunate to choose your own path.I was a stay at home mom and when my kids got to be school age- my attention turned to keeping house while they were at school.

I have to confess some work days I wish I could just be at home and keeping the house and puttering in my garden. well I never wish for cleaning the toilet- no matter what.

Cooperbailey, I hear what you're saying. Thank you darling! I probably do have "latent, undeveloped" talents and gifts!

When I was younger, I searched in earnest for my "calling." Thought it was all about having a dazzling career & being successful at something "noteworthy."

I wanted life to be meaningful, fulfilling & important, & had been brainwashed into believing that it is impossible to find meaning, fulfillment & import in "mundane," repetitive tasks.

Consider the language we often use when describing routine work. We call it the "daily grind." We don't see "chores" as opportunties for renewal. We see them as "thankless, boring" tasks that are a "drag!"

But perhaps it is in the routine & everyday that we find the greatest possibility for transformation.
Many "spiritual" practices are done repetitively. I'm thinking of prayer, worship services & saying the rosary. Is there a clue here?

Could our simple, repetitive cleaning, cooking, gardening, & other ordinary chores also connect us most intimately to the divine *and* to one another?

I haven't posted in a while, but wanted to say that when we built our home, I chose floor colors based on my two dogs. They shed a lot, but at least the furballs tend to blend. :)

Jo

No, I do not think that floors need *hands and knees* cleaning to be clean. There are too many good mops/brooms, etc. on the market for that. I've never been a hands and knees cleaner and the two houses we've sold, the realtor advertised as immaculate.

That said, I could not vacuum only 2 or 3 times a month. Well maybe 3, but I prefer a weekly vacuuming. I'm not a sweeper, too much work to me. I use a lightweight vac on most of our floors and aim for weekly. Our bathroom and kitchen are done more often. Hardwoods are dustmopped about every 2 weeks (along with the regular vacuuming) and I use a cleaning product at that time. Bathrooms are done weekly and touched up as needed. Kitchen is cleaned more often.

I have a steam mop that I love, very easy to use and sanitizes. I use it in the bathrooms and kitchen and sunroom. Only occasionally on the hardwoods.

I've cleaned windows only a few times in my life. My hubby is the window cleaner. I will say that he does help with inside the house and I also enjoy working in the yard, etc. We make a good team and while our house is clean, it is lived in. I am not obsessive about cleaning, there are other things that are more of a priority to me.

tina

My motto is that dust is your true friend. Neglect it -- it'll still stay around for you. Push it away -- it'll come back.

That is a great motto, Sue! How true. LOL!

That's a great way of looking at it, Suero! I like that.