31 Things :: Story 13 - Chores

I struggle with household chores big time. I like things neat, clean and orderly, and I crave organization and simplicity. But I’m a messy person at heart and unfortunately so is Jeff so we often live in chaotic mess. Our only saving grace is we have Maggie our cleaning lady come once a month to do the deep cleaning. Therefore we are forced to clean up for the cleaning lady, which always makes me chuckle (and groan at the same time).

When I was a kid my mom affectionately called me her Messy #2 (my brother, Mike, was Messy #1), and I was regularly called home from my friend’s house because I didn’t make my bed. My room was always a nightmare. However when I moved out on my own into my condo, I was proud to say my place was generally well kept. My mom taught us well about cleaning & keeping house, and we each had daily chores in the summertime.

Now I’d like to blame our general sense of busyness that keeps us from having an organized home. Sean and his inordinate amount of toys makes it one hundred times harder to keep up. Being a work at home mom has its perks, but it also means that Sean keeps himself busy all day while I’m working and isn’t very keen about putting things away when he’s done. Right now Sean knows he needs to have all of his toys picked up and put away by dinnertime. If not, Mommy picks everything up and it gets put in the basement where he’ll have to earn them back by doing extra chores. A lot of toys are in the basement, but he’s doing much better.

Our kitchen is the worst, particularly the island. We come in from the garage, and drop whatever’s in our hands on the island and that’s where it sits. Dishes can also be a nightmare, piling up in the sink. Right now it’s my job to empty the dishwasher and put everything away. It’s Jeff’s job to load. If one of us forgets, everything piles up literally and the kitchen is an absolute mess.

I tried Flylady.net (an online cleaning coach) which is a success for about two weeks at which time I felt like my mom was calling me home from my friend’s house. I just didn’t want to do the work. And still don’t.

Part of me says screw it, the mess doesn’t define me. Yet when the house is clean and organized I breathe easier – literally – so I know it would be a really good thing if I could get into a regular habit with chores.  It’s one of my goals for 2012, but I have yet to work on it. Have I mentioned I’m a procrastinator?