Coming Clean

Sonia commented on one of my posts:

But, what I really want to know is this, do you keep your table that neat and tidy daily, or was it just for the photo op? Because if you do, I'm so embarrassed, my table never EVER looks like that, and I only have 3 kiddos!

I get this a lot. Yeah, my table is usually that neat and clean. I'm a neat freak. It's part of my neurosis.

Before I had kids, I prided myself on the motto "A place for everything, and everything in its place." A few friends would get their kicks by moving a single knickknack on a shelf in my living room when I wasn't looking and then waiting to see if I would notice (I would). When Michael and I worked together, he thought it was funny to screw with things on my very organized desk.

Obviously, I've been forced to relax my standards a little more with each baby I've had (and a husband who isn't a neat freak by any stretch of the imagination). The kids trash the house, scattering toys, books, games, and clothes from one end of the house to the other every day. There is an area of the kitchen counter that has become the clutter pile. The cedar chest at the foot of our bed almost always holds a pile of Michael's un-put-away clothes. So I let them make their messes (although it does set my teeth on edge), although I demand that most everything be cleaned up at the end of the day. There's nothing worse than waking up in the morning to yesterday's mess.

The beds get made every morning. The dishes get done after every meal. The floor gets swept several times a day, because the kids are constantly dropping crumbs and whatnot wherever they tread. I do a few loads of laundry nearly every day, although I've started slacking a bit on folding it and putting it away right away.

It's sort of therapy to me. It's like, if I can keep some order in the midst of disorder, I feel a little less out of control. So under normal circumstances, I'm a bit anal retentive, but man, if I get really stressed out or upset, watch out! You'll likely find me cleaning out closets, reorganizing the kitchen cupboards, steam cleaning the carpet, and scrubbing things I don't usually scrub.

You can imagine how neat and tidy my house is lately.