Tips For A Clean House

Dear Folks,
This is going to be my last post for awhile.  At least one with very much typing.  This is going to be done slowly all day.  Last week, I went on a knitting binge, after I started a new crocheting project.  I noticed I had some tingling in the tips of my fingers, but ignored it.  It has happened before.  Then my right wrist and forearm started to hurt, and my hand to fall asleep at night.  So, I went to the chiropractor, I looked "carpal tunnel" up on the internet, I started taking Aleve, I put on a brace, I quit knitting, and I quit using the computer.(Well, mostly quit, I'm typing with my left hand, otherwise, it hurts and my fingers go numb.)

So, of course it is taking me longer to get everything done.  And I am having Zane sometimes 8 hours a day, and that takes me longer to get everything done. So, I sometimes don't get much of anything done, except feeding people and laundry. 

And everyday there are floors to clean, clothes and toys to pick up, dishes to do, stray items to put away, and the usual detritus of a normal day. And dusting and bathrooms need done sometimes, too.

So, what to do?  How about raising your own cleaning team?  One that works while you're gone, one that does a good job, one that has to be really bored before they even think about doing it on their own.

We were going to see Aunt Inez for her birthday, we went early, since we will be gone on the day, and Lorene threatened to rearrange the living room.  I told her to "have at it", just vacuum under things.  We had already been tidying up, picking up the paper, and toys, and, dishes, and big pieces of cracker. Lorene was vacuuming already, and Lynette had her homework done.

We came home to not only a rearranged living room, but vacuumed carpet, mopped kitchen, washed dishes, a couple of organized cupboards and drawers, cleaned and decorated counters, and a clean and organized fridge. 

WOW!!!

I think I'll keep them after all.

The fruit of the labors:

Things left as usual:

Piano books

Toys at the end of the day.

My stuff

Snacks before bed, but notice the cute little pine trees.

And the girls, said, "this was easy", "this didn't take very long", "what do you do all day?"

Now, all you moms and grandmoms out there can pick yourselves up off the floor, now, and stop laughing.  Perhaps you better make a cup of tea to help you calm down.

After those girls made the above comment, Jim reminded them, that I have Zane most of the day. To which they answered, "we did all this and had Zane, too!" But, it came out a little later, that they took turns entertaining Zane while the other worked.

Well, thanks to them, I didn't have to pick up any thing out of the living room this morning, I didn't have a load of dishes to do, I didn't have to pick up toys, I didn't have a lot of things here and there that get left out by me or other members of the family after I've declared it the end of the day and I need to go to bed.

It's easier to keep the counters, sinks, floors, etc. clean when they start out that way and that leaves me with a little more time to do what I usually do all day:

Get dressed, make bed, swish bathroom, tidy bedroom, make breakfast for Jim, make breakfast for Lynette, change and dress Zane, make breakfast for Zane, clean kitchen, clean Zane, clean high chair, clean floor, change Zane, bathe Zane, feed Zane snack, follow Zane, say 'no candy', get him off the table, get him out of the candy, get him some juice, put him in time out for throwing raisins on the floor, read to Zane, cuddle Zane, follow Zane some more, say 'no candy', put a load of laundry in, show Zane how to stack blocks, duck as he throws them, play with Zane's toys, make lunch for Zane and I, make lunch for Jim, wipe yogurt off the carpet and wall, tell him to play with his loader with the blocks, kiss Zane's booboo, get the colors for Zane (he asked for them, unh,unh, point), get paper for Zane, watch to make sure he doesn't color anything but paper, not watch closely enough, take his photo book away after he colored and spit on it, change Zane,

check laundry, restart laundry (Zane opened the door just as it started), follow Zane again, say 'no candy', get jeans off the line from Friday's washing, kiss another booboo, listen to Zane play happily with a car while I'm at the computer, follow Zane, say 'no candy' AGAIN, give Zane to his mother at 1:30, pick up Zane's blocks, colors, and bath toys.

and I was doing this all while I did my home bills and blogged a couple minutes at a time.

And for the rest of the day, I am going to think about packing, get school photos ready to go, stamp some letters, pay some bills, dry and fold clothes, get Lynette late from school after a make up test, take her to TKD, make supper, type some estimates for Jim, get Lynette from TKD, eat supper, and make sure the house is clean again before I go to bed. 

Do you know where I can find good help?