Okay, this is the post where I get painfully honest.
If you’re wondering what I’ve been up to, keep reading.
You know how every once in awhile, your life just gets really crazy, and things around you start to fall apart? Well, when that happens to me, the following conversation ensues:
Me (on the phone): “My house is a DISASTER!!!”
My Sister-in-law or Dearest friend (they are the same when it comes to this): “WHATEVER!”
OR
“I’m sure it’s not nearly as bad as mine….you’re just crazy!”
So, not only am I surrounded by a hopeless mess, but I get zero sympathy.
Among our group of friends, I have been established as and revered for one thing: I am the clean one.
I am SO organized, and SO on top of things, and my house is ALWAYS perfect.
That’s the myth anyway.
The truth is that my house used to be perfect most of the time. But adding three children and homeschooling to my everyday life has put a huge kink in that.
So, even though I know I’ll regret this, I am going to show you what I mean when I say my house is a DISASTER. Then you can comment and tell me if you really think I’m all that crazy, or you can apologize for never being understanding (you two know who I mean).
This is not pretty, so brace yourself.
Exhibit A: my bedroom
Exhibit B: my living room
Exhibit C: the dining room
Exhibit D: the kitchen
And Exhibit E: the schoolroom
(Thanks to Miss A’s inherited OCD tendencies, the girls room was actually clean in the midst of all this.)
So there you have it. My house really does get messy.
Of course I can’t leave you with those images; that would just be too horrific.
So here’s what I’ve been doing the last two days:
Notice the look of sheer joy on Miss A’s face.
Ahhh….now I can relax again in my nice clean house.
Trivia for the week: How do you know when your house has been a mess too long?
When your kids walk into a clean room and exclaim “Wow! I don’t believe it! It’s beautiful!”
I better get some comments out of this!
Susan —
December 3, 2008 @ 3:24 pm
I love your honesty! When everyone else sees the clean side, they laugh when you say it’s not! I can relate to the piles. I had my carpets cleaned yesterday, so every piece of furniture from the ground floor was in the kitchen! YIKES! Everything upstairs, was on a bed! So, now that the carpets are dry, you can guess what I’ve been doing all day too! It was a BRAVE, BRAVE thing you did with photos to document!
Jolyn —
December 3, 2008 @ 10:00 pm
No Comment ;o) My house is always a disaster and it drives me nuts. I did NOT inherit my Mom’s love of cleaning- I like a clean house, but with 4 under 6 it just doesn’t happen nearly as much as I’d like Oh well!
Nik —
December 4, 2008 @ 7:16 am
I can only speak for myself…however, being in the same boat as ‘those other two’ and holding you in god-like cleanliness status, I have to say it was refreshing to see your house a little ‘cluttered’. And I use the word ‘cluttered’ to describe those pictures because if it only took you two days to clean and organize every room of your house, then I’m pretty sure you can’t claim ‘disaster’. Disasters take weeks… MONTHS even… to recover from! You still have your basic foundation of cleanliness to build on and you have to give yourself a HUGE credit for that!
That said, I think you are one of the bravest people I know for posting pictures of your house when you FEEL like it’s in disaster mode…and you haven’t been stripped of your title of ‘Queen of Clean’ just yet. =]
Angela —
December 4, 2008 @ 8:32 am
You have been busy then! Doesn’t it feel so good to be honest like that!? You are very brave…and you are a wonder at cleaning! I get so overwhelmed when my house gets really messy, I tend to just give up for a while…then see the desperate look on my husbands face and kick it in to gear. Good for you for sharing that with us all!
sis-in-law —
December 4, 2008 @ 3:18 pm
Okay, okay…I GET it!!! I am one of “those two” and am sooo sorry for the lack of sympathy!
Your house looks beautiful by the way, but I must stop typing; because now I am feeling REALLY lazy! 
Leash —
December 5, 2008 @ 7:37 am
Well, I’ve finally been able to view your post! I lost sleep last night wondering what the pictures looked like. I think I’m one of the few who has seen the mess “in person” and proud to say I never suffered an injury! Messy is good sometimes, otherwise we’d never appreciate clean! Don’t stress over it, it’s just stuff, that’s what I tell myself anyway. Happy Cleaning!
Auntie Stace —
December 8, 2008 @ 9:20 am
Thanks so much for absolving me on all guilt over not being able to keep the household in order as it should be. This was a reality check for me as I would’ve never dreamed that your house, of ALL the people I know, could actually look like mine on a day or two, hear and there
No, but really, I am like you- always spinning my wheels and burning the candle at both ends so some days we are perfectly organized, clean, and all is calm… other days I am struggling just to keep the dishes and laundry done, much less the rest of the house. I think we can all say, honestly, as long as we are striving towards organization and cleanlines, we are doing the best we can… NO ONE can keep it up forever… 
The key being, recognizing when things are out of control and then correcting it. Of course, it would still be better to just maintain it at all times, that is not REAL LIFE- with children… 
Plenty of food for thought… Thanks!
Ana —
December 13, 2008 @ 10:00 pm
! It looks like my apartment does all the time! The sad thing is, I don’t even have any kids to blame it on plus my living space is about a quarter of the size yours….so it just goes to show that the amount of disaster is because I am extremely lazy!Don’t feel bad; out of all of us sisters, I think your the one who works the most at keeping your house clean!
your dearest friend —
December 20, 2008 @ 11:46 am
Wow! I am so proud that you posted this. Now just imagine your house looking like that the majority of the time and you have my house this whole month! Love ya!
Andrea@Under Grace & Over Coffee —
January 11, 2009 @ 1:13 pm
Hee hee – I can relate! I am the neat freak of the family, but when you add three kids who take after their daddy who is the total opposite of me, well, you see what I’m saying!
You know what’s funny, though? As I looked at your pictures, instead of noticing the mess, I started thinking “Hey! My kids have that kitchen and tea set! And oh, she has the same countertops as me! And wow, her house is so bright and cheery!”
Obviously I need help!
(By the way, I just bought the book The House That Cleans Itself. I just started reading it, and I already feel hopeful that maybe one day, my kids will be neat. er.)