“My House was clean yesterday. Sorry you missed it.” – I want this wooden sign. I want to hang it over the front entry way of my home, so people know what to expect. But, I saw this picture on Facebook, with no link, so I’m unsure of where to buy it. I searched the web, and all I can find is some shopping site from the UK, but I don’t have UK money. I don’t know what those little L shaped dollar signs even mean. So if you find this for sale in US dollars, please let me know. Better yet – Tell Santa. He knows where I live.

“A Messy House is a sign of Creativity”

There are tons of bloggers who have beautiful homes. People like the couple over at Young House Love – they blog, and they blog about the amazingly creative upgrades that they do to their home. And their home is clean. Not while they’re doing projects, of course. But even when they’re ripping out a wall and building something from wood that probably came from a tree that they grew from a seed, and then cut down themselves with hand tools {they’re amazing, and I’m sure that they do this} – Even during those big remodels, I’m pretty sure their house is still less of a disaster than mine is. So, while many people say “A Messy House is a sign of Creativity” – the creative bloggers I’ve seen all have amazing homes. I try to keep up with housework – while I wait for my camera to upload new pictures for a review, I throw a load of laundry in. I blog while I cook dinner. I multi-task. Yet still, between bottles and snacks and backpacks and homework and writing and giveaways and bath time and story time and answering emails – the housework lingers. It mocks me from the messy corners, knowing that I don’t have time to leave my computer chair and tackle it. I should tackle it too. Football style.

“I hate housework. You make the beds, you wash the dishes and six months later you have to start all over again.” – Joan Rivers

Surprising fact – I like cleaning. I get excited over new kitchen sponges with cool designs. I love buying the latest cleaning gadgets – the Black & Decker Steam Mop thrills me ten times more than my new iPhone. I’m a bit {ok, my family would say a lot} OCD – I insist on all of the drinkware being put away on the shelf in rows: juice glasses, mugs, then tall drinking glasses. In rows, people – we’re not animals. You don’t just stack a drinking glass in front of a mug? Who does that? And the canned goods should also be in rows, according to type, with all labels facing forward. Who puts a can of corn in the green bean row? Right? Books and DVD’s should be organized according to color. Why is this so hard for the savages that I live with to understand?

“Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.” – Phyllis Diller

The problem is this – 2 years ago, I lived alone. Just me and my cat. She was a neighborhood stray that adopted me when I moved into my new house. I asked her what her name was; she said “Meow.” Weird name, but I don’t judge. So I lived in a clean, neat, and organized home for a couple years, just me and Meow. Then life threw some curve balls, as it tends to do when things are going along too comfortably. First, my mother moved into the spare bedroom – with her 4 little dogs. Then, my brother and his 2 boys remodeled my basement, and moved in too. They brought a few fish – but they had a tank, so that was ok too. Then I found out I was pregnant. Woah. So my boyfriend moved in with me. He brought a dog. My house was now a bit different. And by “a bit”, I mean like flipped upside down. Flipped like one of those rides at the fair that I’m much too old to ride.

“I will clean house when Sears comes out with a riding vacuum cleaner.” – Roseanne Barr

What at first was going to be a temporary arrangement has become the new normal. Our house is filled with messes, craziness, and mayhem – but it’s also filled with love. I drink much more coffee now than I ever have before – {and if you know me, you know I drink it by the bucket!} – just to keep up with it all. My mother and I decided to buy a new home together last November – it’s not that much bigger, but it has a pool, and a really big property, and is in a much better area. I love this house. I love the view from my back door, of the beautiful snow-covered fields and trees. And I love the view inside – of Abby smile when she’s dancing in the kitchen with Grandma, while Daddy cooks us a great dinner, and Uncle James plays with those wild nephews of mine. My brother and the boys will probably move out sometime this next year – so for now, I try to ignore the chaos, and enjoy having them all here. With a full house, Abby can’t yet move to her own room, and is sharing the Master Bedroom with her Daddy and I. But while she may not get her own room – she gets to play with her cousins every day. She gets to see Grandma and Uncle James every night. She’s surrounded by a big bunch of people who adore her. And a house full of family, love, and happiness is about as good as it gets. So, I suppose the cleaning can wait…

“And this mess is so big
And so deep and so tall,
We cannot pick it up.
There is no way at all!”
―Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat

What do YOU think?

Share your stories in the comments… Are you a blogger who actually has a clean home? How do you feel about cleaning up after kids? Do you clean up after kids? Or do your children play board games with the dust bunnies? I love hearing from you guys.

A few more things you might like….

• “A Clean House is a Sign of a Broken Computer” – Get Mugs or Tshirts from Zazzle today, 50% off and free shipping over $50. Use code HOLIDAYSALE1.
• How to Cheat at Cleaning – Perfect solutions to your challenges. Cheating is ok when it comes to housework.
• Monsters Eat Whiny Children – It’s true, and the children should be warned.
• Sippy Cups are Not for Chardonnay, and other things that I had to learn as a new mom. – Important lessons to learn, indeed.