Do you talk to yourself while you clean?
Oh. Me neither.
But if I did, today my constant reminder to myself would have been, “Everything but vacuuming.”
At first, I planned to vacuum. But then I got going, and decided I would leave it for tomorrow. Somehow that helped keep me on track. Every time I would think about waiting until tomorrow to do something, I would remind myself that the ONLY cleaning task I want to do tomorrow is vacuum. So if it wasn’t vacuuming, I had to do it today or it wouldn’t happen.
Even after “keeping up with” the kitchen all week, this is what it looked like this morning.
That’s after not cooking dinner last night. Basically, this means that my normal kitchen is a messy kitchen after a normal-ish day. I just have to clean it up.
I spent longer in the kitchen than I wanted.
I decluttered and cleaned up the breakfast area.
I tackled the biggest paper-collecting spot in the entire house. (Full disclosure: I did some shoving. If you are attending this party, please don’t look in the cabinet underneath . . . )
And then . . . I swept and mopped.
Yes. This was the point when I realized I wanted to plow through the rest of the house and focus on doing everything BUT vacuuming.
I walked into the dining room and saw this:
At first glance, it looked like a totally justifiable collection of party supplies.
Except that it wasn’t.
It was party supplies plus noodles plus Hubby’s coat plus my new welcome mat plus clothes that had been dry since Monday.
So I removed everything but the party supplies, and it looked a little better:
Nothing like bursting my Delusion Bubble.
And then, it was time.
Time to tackle . . . the playroom.
Let me explain.
Please?
It could be worse. It has been worse.
Pre-blog, this room was awful. Worse than awful. I’ve decluttered it down to the bare minimum. So the fact that we only have one stray pool noodle and some knocked-over chairs is pretty amazing.
But . . . it’s dirty in there. Really DIRTy. See, it’s actually an enclosed porch. We leave the window/door open for our dog to get in. It’s kind of . . . her room. Which is probably why she talked to me the entire time I was out there.
I cleaned. I wiped the dust/dirt/mud off of the hockey table, the play kitchen, the bookshelf and more.
Then I vacuumed. There was just no getting around it in the playroom. And, for what I do believe is the first time EVER, I mopped that room.
It looks better:
And tomorrow I will vacuum the rest of the house and start on the FUN parts of getting ready for a party.
I’m going to bed now . . . and hopefully I won’t have nightmares trying to keep party guests out of the playroom.
See days one, two, and three of Project Home Recovery.
I am sort of in the midst of my own home recovery project. My daughter is having a party tomorrow at 4:30. Ant we have been deep in the throes of homeschooling. During the homeschool semester sometimes my house gets neglected. Subtle understatement in case you didn’t catch it. So I am following along with you, getting ready for a party. But my Daughter is doing most of the work. Because it is her party. She is doing the buying, the cleaning, and the cooking. I am just assistant and taskmaster.
Looks great! You’re an awesome mom!
Hmmm. After reading & viewing all the photos, here’s what struck me. Now, I have no idea how many little 7 yr olds are expected at the party nor just how many activities there will be aside from opening gifts and refreshments but as soon as I saw the porch/playroom, I would have said to myself — everything is going to happen out HERE. Period. Refreshments will be prepared in the kitchen & brought out to the playroom. Since the weather should be nice, busier or more active/robust games could be moved outside but otherwise, I’d have focused on moving the bigger “dolly” items into the daughter’s bedroom for the day [cradle, stroller], and let everything take place there or outside. A quick cleanup of the ONE bathroom the guests will need to use, and all that’s left to do is a quick vac of the main path out to the play room & prep the refreshments & decorations. I can’t imagine worrying what some 7 yr olds would see or think about the remainder of the house is borrowing troubles that probably aren’t there. I know life was much simpler then but I remember the birthday parties I had at that age, and it was not a carnival event; just a few neighborhood playmates & family friends coming over – just as they often did, just not all at the same time, and having fun; simple games/activities & simple food [sloppy joes & cake & milk or punch]. Decorations were the birthday themed paper plates & napkins. And it was held in one room [living rm] of our upstairs garage apt [2 tiny bedrooms, 1 bath, a decent living room [where the dining table was kept, as there was no other place to put it] and a tiny kitchen, barely big enough for a brkfst table for the 3 of us to eat every meal daily. Just remember that your daughter & her friends will have a great time just being together with simple refreshments, a few activities, and the excitement of gift giving. Really does not need to be any more complicated than that. Leave ‘room’ for the truly big events for her after-graduation [h.s./univ] gatherings, her wedding reception, baby shower(s)! Oh, and RELAX!
I really enjoyed reading “Home Recovery”, haha. Reading through the four days, all I could picture was seeing myself clean like a “crazy”. My hubby and I always say our home gets the cleaning it needs two days before a party. I, too, struggle with keeping up with the home and I’m a stay-at-home mommy, too. 😛 Please listen to Scotty McCreery’s song, Dirty Dishes…..always makes me feel good about my messy home :D. Hope your daughter had a great party!
The dog! The dog! Slightly off topic, but I have really been waiting for at least a little glimpse of the Dog. And there she is! As you can see, I’m two years behind, so she may have moved to the Rainbow Bridge by now, but anyhoo… I love animals, and have been hoping you’d mention her more, but I suppose if she mainly stays outdoors or in the playroom, she doesn’t really slip into your posts naturally. Is she a collie cross, or maybe some breed I don’t recognise, or perhaps a unique piece of the Creator’s art?
She was a blue heeler mix. Such a sweet dog!
Dana, I’m a little curious about something. Please know that I am a big fan – I bought and listened to the audiobook (and made my husband listen to quite a bit of it too), have so far read about 1.5 years of the blog in reverse order, and have applied a lot of your techniques and mindsets to my own life. So please understand this question is not meant in a critical spirit.
What do you think causes (for example) the dining table to go from the pretty clean “after” picture on day one to the very cluttered “before” picture on day four? Is there anything, any behaviors or habits in the 3 days in between, that could have prevented that?
I’m still in the beginning stages of decluttering and feeling a little hopeless that any lasting change could ever happen. I’m a true slob and I want to believe that I could one day behave in such a way that I would not have to constantly declutter those kinds of basic living areas. Closets and storage, sure, I doubt those will ever be perfectly maintained. But I hope to be able to keep the dining table and kitchen counters, etc. free of clutter.
So, seeing that you had to do the table again within 72 hours deflated me a bit. Maybe I haven’t read enough of your blog yet, and you’ve talked about it before so just point me that direction if so! But if not, any thoughts?
Hi Michelle! Do you listen to my podcasts? I answered your question last week, on podcast 129!
I’m so relieved to find your book on decluttering. Such a genuine down-to-earth individual to whom I can relate. Your strategic mindset makes so much sense, is easy to remember, and WORKS! Thank you! BTW your dog in that last picture looks confused- priceless. Thank you for sharing without filters.