WFMW - Maintenance

Most of you can probably skip right over this Works For Me Wednesday post because most of you are probably exceptional housekeepers. However, for the few of you out there (and you know who you are) who have a mountain of laundry in a laundry room with the door closed so no one can see, the few that have put off making the appointment for some maintenance guy to come to your house to fix something that needs fixing because you're embarrassed for him to see the clutter you just can't seem to get control over, this post is for you.

I was you. Not even a month ago I was you. I have changed. I have conquered. I am still working on that laundry, actually, but I assure you it shames me no longer and it will be under control in no time.

It all started when The Man took the kids (all three of them) to North Carolina for Spring Break. Have I told you how much I love him lately? Ah yes, I did... just a couple of posts ago.

Anyhow, I was alone in my house for FIVE days. So what did I do? I cleaned, I organized, I purged. I did not tell my friends and family that I was alone (for they would only have monopolized my time) and I saved myself from the hell I had been living in. My best motivation was that I kept telling myself I wasn't going to be getting this chance again. The Man had made it clear from phone calls that he probably wouldn't do it again... and I can't say I blame him. So I kept going.

By the end of the first day I was sore. My body ached. I was dirty. I had a clean bedroom with clean closets and a clean bathroom, though. Cha ching! By the beginning of the fifth day the task was completed from the kids bedrooms to the family room. All closets, pantries, and nooks in between. Things I didn't have a place for finally have a place. Things I couldn't find a place for traveled to our local Goodwill. It's a beautiful thing.

For over a week I have maintained and that is truly what this post is about. It's something I never could bring myself to do before. I think it's because I never really realized how much work it is to maintain a house with five people living in it. Especially when three of them are children. Back in my single days I could vacuum my apartment once every couple of weeks and do laundry about the same. Dishes took 30 seconds to do and I never really cooked.

These days maintenance is a true job. I've made sure I have a clean kitchen every night before I go to bed. I've stayed on top of the little things that just sort of pile up. Kids toys, books, bags of stuff we just bought that get dropped on the kitchen table, all of it gets put away every day. Every night I vacuum our floors and they're actually staying clean! I fluff pillows, fold blankets, do laundry... every day.

I'm so proud of myself for making it work for me!

For more Works For Me Wednesday posts, check out Rocks In My Dryer!