I picked this up from Po Moyemu:
My father gave me a button a few years back that said “A clean house is a sign of a wasted life.” He knows I am not a great housekeeper.
So I was just thinking to myself, after reading this post from the Carnival of Homeschooling, what else could a clean house be a sign of? Play along with me why don’t you?
And it sounds like fun. Some insights from our place:
- The kids are sick.
- We’re getting ready to leave for the weekend (or longer).
- The kids are spending a day out with dad. (Although that generally means I have a deadline I’m trying to meet and the house will actually likely look worse.)
- Or maybe, just maybe, if you come to my house and find it clean, it is because I’ve found a kindred spirit. Someone else who defines clean as “It was clean at some point in the last 24 hours.” Most things around this house achieve a grade of “clean” at least once a week, but rarely all at the same time on the same day.
So what does a clean house mean around your house?
That mommy is sick (I only do deep cleaning right before or at the beginning of being sick–I think it is a remainder of nesting while pregnant.)
That we are having overnight company–regular guests don’t get cleaned for since everyone drops by unannounced–but overnight guests get cleaned for since we know they are coming.
That is is Sunday (we clean Sunday morning before we have church Sunday evening).
That daddy got sick of the mess and decided to clean up and wrangle the kids.
What is this clean, of which you speak?
It’s Moving Day.
A clean house here means that company’s coming.
That Grandma is coming to visit.
clean…clean…let me see, LOTP. I better look it up because it has been awhile.
v. cleaned, clean·ing, cleans
v.tr.
1. To rid of dirt, rubbish, or impurities:
Yeah. I thought it meant something like that.
Company coming seems to be a rather common reason for cleaning. I remember the frantic cleaning as I was growing up for either company or for leaving. I had all kinds of observations about it then.
Like why should we clean the house for no one when we were going on vacation.
And don’t we want our guests to know who we really are for our visitors.
I understand more now as a mom.
I’ve been known to clean as a release, something constructive to do when I feel like there are no other good choices and I have to be doing SOMETHING –
Around here it’s a sign that:
– company’s coming
– Dad just left for deployment and frantic cleaning/organizing is my coping mechanism
– I can no longer tolerate the mess
or any combination of the above!
Ooh..I can identify with that, Anne. My house was pretty clean when my hubby was in Denver.
And me, too, JJRoss. When I get in that mood, I’ll scrub anything. Hasn’t happened in a while, though.
I think four small children sort of take my energy for that sort of thing…and it seems so much like treading water rather than cleaning.
A clean house means i”m stressing about something or I’m very angry and taking it out on the house instead of everyone around me.
Although I do clean for the one Godmother of my little ones, she is a neat freak and I hate to feel less than her on those rare occasions.
I can’t remember…it’s been so long.
As you mentioned, our house is rarely clean all at once. We sort of work our way through as the week goes by. If I keep up with dishes and laundry we function pretty well, but the rest gets pretty bad sometimes.
My mom (who is NOT a neat freak) tells me that she only really used to clean when her mom would come to visit. Now that she lives alone, she says that she only cleans when *I* come to visit!
Having anybody over means cleaning around here. We live too far in the country for anyone to ever just drop by.
I always find that if my house is spotlessly clean for a length of time then, my children have none of my attention as I am constantly tidying!
A clean house would mean that I invented a time machine and went back to the day when we first moved in, because that’s pretty much the last time the house was clean.
Phil, I award you the “Best Reason for a Clean House Award!”
And I agree, PlanningQueen. I tried for a whole week once and I was a wreck. So were the kids. I was miserable and shouting at them all the time, and then I decided it just wasn’t worth it. They are kids. Somethings are just going to be out of place.
For me, it usually means I’ve taken my ritalin.
For me, it usually means I’ve taken my ritalin.
Hi Dana! Sorry I haven’t stopped by for ages. This is a very fun topic. Hope you have a great weekend.
Wow–this is really becoming fun!
That someone lives there who gets more things done, in 24 hours, than the “average Joe”. ;^)