I like it this way...

OK, there is one thing I LOVE about my house being on the market. It has never been cleaner. I love it this way. I actually wake up every morning and, MAKE MY BED! I never used to care, but now I love it made! I HATE HATE HATE a dirty kitchen, yet mine always seems to be a mess. I thought I'd totally cleaned it last night before bed, but when I woke up, I realized I neglected part of my counter. So, first thing this morning, while waiting for my bagel to toast, I got that cleaned up. Now my kitchen looks pretty! I like it this way! I love a clean house, a sweet smelling house, but I'll be the first to admit, I'm the WORLD'S WORST housekeeper. It just is not a talent that I possess, nor do I desire to keep house. I think house work SUCKS! If I had the money, I'd pay someone who enjoys it!

I'm trying to teach my kids about keeping the house clean. Today was a very good teaching point for Little Miss. We were up in the playroom, and I was getting the Little Prince dressed for the day. While Little Miss was playing, she pulled out a toy, then went on to her kitchen to start playing, and I took that moment to remind her to put the first toy away before she continued in the kitchen. I explained, if you finish playing with something, and you put it away before going on to the next thing, then you'll have less mess to clean up when you are all finished in the playroom. Well, it stuck. (at least for right now) She promptly put her toys away and went back to her kitchen. When she was finished in her kitchen, she tidied it up and came down stairs. I asked her to please go make sure everything was picked up. Well, Wils had started throwing toys across the room. So, instead of letting Maegan get angry at him, I asked her to tell him to please pick up his toys, and then to show him how, and sing the clean up song! She was so excited because, IT WORKED! He loves to tidy up, as long as you make it fun for him. Clapping and Singing make him get right to work. He even whistles (dog call) for himself! SO FUNNY!

I really like it this way. I like my beds made (and Little Miss likes hers made, as I've mentioned before). I like the playroom organized (Mr. Perfect says I'm anal.), I like the kitchen clean and tidy. My living room, I can't seem to keep clean for any amount of time, but at least it is neater than it has been in the past. I love magazines, but had to stop receiving them, because it was creating so much clutter in my home. I miss my magazines, and the only one I still receive is the Kraft Foods seasonal magazine, for recipes! See, I love to cook and I love new recipes that are EASY! Anyway, I really do like keeping the house ready for showings. I'm trying to instill a love of chaos free living in my children. I think we get a little better each day. And by the time the littlest princess is walking and playing, her siblings will hopefully have a full grasp of keeping things tidy and will help their sister along the way! When we do eventually move, I'd really like to keep our house in "showing" condition. Especially, if we move into the neighborhood we are hoping to move into. We have many friends in that neighborhood, and we will never know when someone might just pop over for a visit. It would be pretty embarrassing to have our house in shambles! I'm looking forward to a fresh start somewhere.

For now, I like it this way, and I want to keep it this way. And if we stay on top of it everyday, then I really don't need a housekeeper! (But it would still be nice to have one, I really hate doing dishes!)