I admit it.I cheated yesterday.I should have cleaned something other than the dogs so I did extra today.I scrubbed half the kitchen tile countertops.Tile sucks, by the way.Also I decluttered the cupboards, the pantry, and scrubbed the floor in the pantry too.Since I was already scrubbing, I also scrubbed the downstairs bathroom.
I read a comment yesterday about decluttering which I’m finding to be true.Decluttering usually means rearranging stuff first so it’s messy before it gets better.
So I don’t have junk drawers.I have now have a Trader Joe’s bag that will now be dubbed the junk bag.Notice I said only half the countertops.And it’s only because, you guessed it: stuff from the cupboards and pantry are in countertop purgatory.I did throw away stuff that was old and/or mostly used.For the first time in our lives we have empty shelf space in the cupboards and pantry.
Most of my friends have self-proclaimed OCD when it comes to cleaning and they complain about it!Of everything to be OCD about, cleaning would be the best one.At least your house is clean.Maybe I will channel my obsessions toward housekeeping and maintaining organization.I don’t REALLY need to know what my Facebook friends are eating for lunch, do I?I don’t know.Some of them are pretty good cooks.You know who you are.
[Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and do not have ill will towards those who have OCD.If you think you may have OCD or other mental disorders, please consult your doctor.Also, if you cannot sympathize with my week of everything and think I'm just a whiner, you're right so why are you still reading?It's because I'm hilarious, right?]
I don’t know about you but I do a lot of mindless hoarding.Extra birthday candles.I don’t want to buy more for the next birthday so let’s just put it on the shelf.What about sprinkles and warranties and receipts and the mortar and pestal I found for only two bucks?Before I got too overwhelmed tonight, I needed a strategy and I actually drew a picture of what I wanted the cupboards and pantry to look like.Mind you, all of this was done after the kids were fed, bathed, and put to bed.
MY STRATEGERY
1.Have motivation
I love Clean House but I loathe sitting through the wh*le show because let’s face it, I only like the last ten minutes where they show the before and after.So if I watch the ten minute intro, I can clean for forty quick minutes so I can catch the last ten.YESSSSS!
2.Don’t start in the middle
In my case, I cleaned the tile on one side of the oven, then the INSIDE of the oven, and finally the tile on the other side.If I started with the oven, I would have felt overwhelmed being surrounded by the mess and said I was too tired to do any more work.
3.IT WILL GET WORSE BEFORE IT GETS BETTER
So hurry up and push through the worse before you go to bed!Eeeeek!Very tempting to leave the mess on the kitchen island.Eh, I think I’ll put on the last episode of True Blood and won’t let myself sit down and drool over Eric until I’m done.
If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a date with a thousand year old vampire.
Dear Erica Jong
