I just don''t want to do housework

[lumpkin]

I am so LAZY today. It''s down right disgraceful, the state of my house. The kids have odd socks they''ve taken off and thrown every which way, there are dishes from lunch in the sink, everything''s dusty and the floor needs to be mopped. Let''s not even talk about laundry. I just keep looking at it. It''s my day off and the only one where I have the house to myself for 2 hours. I''m just not feelin'' it....

 

[KristyDarling]

Girl, ENJOY those 2 hours and don''t sweat the housework! It sounds to me like you need a break. Instead of staying in the house and fretting about the mess, LEAVE for a couple hours and have a little fun. A mani/pedi and a nice afternoon snack perhaps? There is ALWAYS housework to be done...you can catch up on it later.

 

[sumbride]

I''m telecommuting today and looking at a mess very similar to what you described, but I don''t have kids! The socks all over the floor are mine!

I have actually had to do a little housework today because two of my cats have puked in front of me today... one at my feet, the other, kindly, on the kitchen floor. I think the new cat food flavor isn''t going over so well...

 

[AmberWaves]

I hear ya. I''m thinking that it''s dinner out tonight, I don''t feel like having to wash more dishes. And since we (thankfully) did a ton of laundry, it''s all waiting to be put away. All the crap in the living room is Paul''s- he literally has a mountain of socks he takes off while sitting on the couch. I can only do so much. I think I accidentally put some dirty clothes into the clean clothes hamper (we have 4 different laundry holders), and I reaaaallly don''t want to sift through it.

 

[Christa]

An opinion from a borderline neat-freak and mom of three: you have two hours to yourself? Do NOT spend it on housework! Save that for Saturday or whenever the kids are home and make them help!

 

[lumpkin]

Oh, yeah, I spent my two hours surfing the net, drinking coffee, looking out in the back yard, etc. I''m not grumpy, I''m just not in the mood to pick up after my family today, LOL!

Well, actually, I am a little grumpy. We have had the same main roads under construction for 6 months and it is taking me forEVER to get anywhere. It''s not a big deal except when there''s no way to adjust, like going from the preschool after picking one kid up to the elementary school to pick the other one up and he ends up waiting 10 min after most others are gone. It''s worse on the days I work. Not even rush hour. I''m grumpy about that, but that''s not anyone''s fault in particular, just a humongus pain. But then again, some people have REAL problems, so I''ll quit whining, LOL!

 

[roppongi]

Lumpkin....Lumpkin....Lumpkin.....Are you kidding me? Two hours and you want to do housework? Leave it...the socks will be there for your kids to pick up when they come home this afternoon.

I was in my 9 year olds room the other day - seriously it looked like a bombed exploded. I picked up a plastic bag and looked inside. There were a bunch of odd socks, undershirts etc. I took the bag and asked my son, "What is this?" He replied, "That''s my lost and found."

I didn''t know whether to laugh or cry.

 

[larussel03]

I hear ya! I have been seriously slacking on the cleaning the past couple days! I need to pledge, windex and vaccuum and I can''t find the motivation to do it...and clean up some beef basted junk on the carpet from the doggie''s bone that she chewed all over the apartment...ick, no more of those for her

 

[AmberWaves]

Oh yeah, sweetpea, those meaty bones are SOOO gross. Even worse because I don''t eat meat, but my dog INSISTS on bringing his gummy bone into my lap to chew it. For some reason, he was a real aversion to the floor, will not chew while laying on it. Maybe that''s a clue I really should vaccuum.

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 10/4/2006 5:08:14 PM
Author: roppongi
I picked up a plastic bag and looked inside. There were a bunch of odd socks, undershirts etc. I took the bag and asked my son, ''What is this?'' He replied, ''That''s my lost and found.''

I didn''t know whether to laugh or cry.

HI:

HA! I laughed, not only was it funny but very clever! I clean the hosue, when pressed. Like now. Out comes the vacuum b/c the carpet is being cleaned tomorrow. I really need a good reason.

cheers--Sharon

 

[Alisoun]

Lumpkin -

You''ve articulated my thoughts exactly (omitting the part about the kids, of course)...

I had plans to do laundry and clean my apartment this afternoon, which still hasn''t happened....at least I was ambitious.

 

[sevens one]

I just want a cleaning service.

Is that too much to ask!!!!

(love that lost/found roppongi!- priceless)

 

[Mokey]

Date: 10/4/2006 5:31:34 PM
Author: AmberWaves
Oh yeah, sweetpea, those meaty bones are SOOO gross. Even worse because I don''t eat meat, but my dog INSISTS on bringing his gummy bone into my lap to chew it. For some reason, he was a real aversion to the floor, will not chew while laying on it. Maybe that''s a clue I really should vaccuum.

I hear ya on this one Amber, my son lays on the floor to play the playstation. Our dog will go get his bone and lay across my sons legs and eat the bone. This is the only time he will have anything to do with the bone. Funny stuff!

 

[lumpkin]

Oh, too funny about the lost and found bag. That sounds like a 9 year old boy!

Aren''t we a big bunch of slackers, LOL! I never have liked to be the house servant, but my husband works much more outside the house than I do. He''s really good, though, when his folks are coming to visit and helps tremendously then. He actually is a big help any time anyone is coming over, even other kids. I do need to get motivated though. I''m trying to muster the motivation to start dinner. My husband''s bugging me to come to the kitchen and quit escaping on the computer, so I guess I''ll go do those pork chops. Or maybe we''ll just have soup...

 

[larussel03]

Date: 10/4/2006 5:31:34 PM
Author: AmberWaves
Oh yeah, sweetpea, those meaty bones are SOOO gross. Even worse because I don''t eat meat, but my dog INSISTS on bringing his gummy bone into my lap to chew it. For some reason, he was a real aversion to the floor, will not chew while laying on it. Maybe that''s a clue I really should vaccuum.

ewwwweeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwuuuuuuuuuuuuue

 

[MelissaSue]

I am so not a fan of cleaning.. And then on another message board today there was this post about stay at home wives.. do they really spend that many hours a day on household chores.. etc... and there were all these women going on there and saying "I work 40 hours and I still have plenty of time to keep my house spotless, do all the yardwork, all the laundry and pay all the bills.." It made me feel horrible about myself.. Because when I worked 40 plus hours my house was a freaking DISASTER AREA..seriously disgusting.. Now that I work 25-30 hours it USUALLY passes as acceptable.. but certainly not spotless..

 

[gailrmv]

I like having a very clean house, but I hate the actual cleaning process. I also can''t get around to hiring a maid b/c at the hourly cost, I feel like I should just do it myself (plus it would be hard to get my dogs to behave, and would I trust a stranger in my house?) Anyway, I usually keep my place clean but it is a constant job. It seems like some people''s place is always spotless and it seems effortless. For example we stayed with one of my friends for a week and her place was absolutely spotless but I did not see her clean (except the kitchen) while I was there. What is their secret? I really want to know!

 

[Christa]

Date: 10/5/2006 3:03:39 AM
Author: MelissaSue
I am so not a fan of cleaning.. And then on another message board today there was this post about stay at home wives.. do they really spend that many hours a day on household chores.. etc... and there were all these women going on there and saying ''I work 40 hours and I still have plenty of time to keep my house spotless, do all the yardwork, all the laundry and pay all the bills..'' It made me feel horrible about myself.. Because when I worked 40 plus hours my house was a freaking DISASTER AREA..seriously disgusting.. Now that I work 25-30 hours it USUALLY passes as acceptable.. but certainly not spotless..

Oh please . . . not with kids, that''s for sure!

 

[Mara]

this post totally cracked me up! I am HORRIBLE at housework...i think i am probably the typical guy in the relationship as greg is more 'neat' than i am for sure. typically we both take a few hours one weekend and split the household duties and clean the house from top to bottom. but we both hate it and surely it's not how we would prefer to be spending a weekend afternoon. one definite perk about me switching jobs back to corporate is that now i can justify getting cleaning help since i won't be home as much to touch up during the week!

all our friends use this one gal and love her and she is affordable and does a great job. and then we only have to do touchups in between visits. can't WAIT.

 

[sevens one]

Date: 10/5/2006 9:37:12 PM
Author: Mara
this post totally cracked me up! I am HORRIBLE at housework...i think i am probably the typical guy in the relationship as greg is more ''neat'' than i am for sure. typically we both take a few hours one weekend and split the household duties and clean the house from top to bottom. but we both hate it and surely it''s not how we would prefer to be spending a weekend afternoon. one definite perk about me switching jobs back to corporate is that now i can justify getting cleaning help since i won''t be home as much to touch up during the week!

all our friends use this one gal and love her and she is affordable and does a great job. and then we only have to do touchups in between visits. can''t WAIT.

I''m so jealous

 

[lumpkin]

Date: 10/5/2006 9:43:13 PM
Author: sevens one

Date: 10/5/2006 9:37:12 PM
Author: Mara
this post totally cracked me up! I am HORRIBLE at housework...i think i am probably the typical guy in the relationship as greg is more ''neat'' than i am for sure. typically we both take a few hours one weekend and split the household duties and clean the house from top to bottom. but we both hate it and surely it''s not how we would prefer to be spending a weekend afternoon. one definite perk about me switching jobs back to corporate is that now i can justify getting cleaning help since i won''t be home as much to touch up during the week!

all our friends use this one gal and love her and she is affordable and does a great job. and then we only have to do touchups in between visits. can''t WAIT.

I''m so jealous

Me too!!!

You know what, though? If I hired someone to clean, I''d just clean like mad before she came. At least the first time, because the only two cleaning ladies I know are really judgmental about people''s dirt and horrible gossips! I''d be afraid it would get around that, "OMG! They had HAIR in their drains!" or something like that. Or, "Have you seen the TOYS in that house? They could pay off their mortgage!" I don''t think I could take the pressure, LOL!

 

[bookworm21]

I''m jealous too. I HATE cleaning. I do it because I have to, but ugh. My house is a mess. There''s about three loads of laundry that needs to be folded, floor needs to be mopped, and files to be put away. I know it''ll only take a few hours at most to get the place clean, but the thought of just starting that process makes me tired and sleepy.

I''m trying to talk bf into letting me hire someone to come and clean on a bi-monthly basis. He''s not having it. I''m not working, and spend quite a bit of time at home (studying though!), so he refuses to let me hire someone. I think I might do it anyway.....

 

[justjulia]

I actually talked dh into a cleaning service coming one day a week and worked it where they just did kitchen and bathrooms. Just that was a lifesaver and saved money since they did not do the whole house. We had to stop it though, because my little dog went crazy every time they came and I kept forgetting to put her up-of course they could not, would not come in with her in the house and I had to pay anyway. So, I just stopped it. Now I have Chihuahuas and there is no way a cleaning service would want to work around these--talk about high maintenance. Anway, I just wanted to throw out there that you might be able to work out a deal with a service just doing the floors and bathrooms, for example, and it would be an energy saver for you. I just loved walking in to mopped floors and clean sinks and toilets (I know, tmi, but really it was great).

 

[Mara]

julia yeah that is what we plan to do. kind of just a hodgepodge of the stuff that i can''t stand doing...hehee. we can do the vacuuming and dusting on a weekly basis ourselves but it''s more the long term stuff that is just so tedious!! like the baseboards, the blinds, the tile floors (we have tile in every bathroom, kitchen, entry, laundry room), cleaning the grout, and of course the bathrooms, we have THREE toilets...blah! when we moved in i had the gal come and quote us so it''s pretty affordable. i don''t want her to do anything like our laundry or anything ''personal''. hehe last nite i mentioned the cleaning thing to greg and he was like ''well as long as it''s reasonable''...wheee.

now i just have to make the appt!

 

[mrssalvo]

I just got hubby to agree to a cleaning service too

. I just can't keep up with everything and hate doing the ceiling fans/blinds/baseboards etc so it just doesn't get done as often as it should

. Hubby commented that I could get a new car for the price of the cleaning service and I said, yes but we'd still have a dirty house. So, no new car for me but totally worth it b/c our van has everything I want and i don't have to do the deep cleaning anymore

I have a little bit of time while my kids are at school today and should totally be picking up but instead i'm sitting here on the computer. I figure I can clean up later after they are in bed tonight. you gotta enjoy those few moments of downtime and not worry about cleaning..

 

[lumpkin]

I''d keep the van, too! I don''t know how old your kids are, but mine are still really messy. Today I took my little one to the doctor and promised him chocolate milk on the way. He spilled it all over the back seat floor. I got it cleaned up, but I was thinking, "I''m sure glad this isn''t a NEW car!" and "Thank goodness I still have a full roll of paper towels in the car!" I''d much rather have a cleaning service than a new car. Ask me in ten years, I might not feel the same.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I have someone come every other week. She does the floors, bathrooms, kitchen, vacuuming, dusting, changes sheets. BUT, she really only does the main surfaces and does not do the really deep cleaning. My older daughter is critical of this, but I am SO thankful to have a nice, trustworthy person who at least gets SOME of it done, that I''d never complain! I do get in kind of a panic if someone is coming over with short notice, but I am just too busy with other things to worry about it too much.

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 10/6/2006 3:36:08 PM
Author: lumpkin
I''d keep the van, too! I don''t know how old your kids are, but mine are still really messy. Today I took my little one to the doctor and promised him chocolate milk on the way. He spilled it all over the back seat floor. I got it cleaned up, but I was thinking, ''I''m sure glad this isn''t a NEW car!'' and ''Thank goodness I still have a full roll of paper towels in the car!'' I''d much rather have a cleaning service than a new car. Ask me in ten years, I might not feel the same.

i''ve still got 2 in car seats so I can relate to your choc. milk story. that is another reason I don''t want a new car until they are older, can buckle themselves in and take better care of the inside. so i''ll enjoy the cleanig service until my kids are old enough to clean and then I can get the new car

 

[lumpkin]

Date: 10/5/2006 3:03:39 AM
Author: MelissaSue
I am so not a fan of cleaning.. And then on another message board today there was this post about stay at home wives.. do they really spend that many hours a day on household chores.. etc... and there were all these women going on there and saying ''I work 40 hours and I still have plenty of time to keep my house spotless, do all the yardwork, all the laundry and pay all the bills..'' It made me feel horrible about myself.. Because when I worked 40 plus hours my house was a freaking DISASTER AREA..seriously disgusting.. Now that I work 25-30 hours it USUALLY passes as acceptable.. but certainly not spotless..

When I was at home all the time, I always had a child with me. I''ve never been stay at home with no kids. Even so, it''s much easier to keep everything up if you don''t have to work, at least for me. I can imagine that you would have some spare time with no kids, but anytime you''ve got kids, you have endless errands, shopping for miscellaneous school stuff, being at school for this or that, doctors and dentist visits. I had NO IDEA the time involved until I had some kids. Also if you are at home, everyone expects you to bend around their schedules. I''ve even gotten calls from my mother to go over to her house and see if she turned her coffee pot off!

As far as those women who work 40 hours a week and do all that, well, good for them! They may just be ultra organized, and again, good for them! They probably have their lifestyle set up to facilitate that. I was at the house of my 3rd grader''s friend and the mom had her living room gated off -- no kids or dogs allowed. My guess is no one eats or drinks except in the kitchen, probably at the table, toys are not allowed in common areas, everyone takes shoes off when they come in the house, etc. I''m sure there are ways to keep a spotless house, but we don''t live like that. We just don''t. I like the fact that my kids want to play with their toys NEAR ME in the family room or office. We have Tupperwear cups with lids so the kids can have a drink in the family room. We like to have pizza in front of the TV on Friday nights (and popcorn, too). So, I guess that even though I gripe that I don''t like to clean up after everyone and it''s a pain, I could change our lifestyle and make it easier, I just choose not to. I just don''t want to have the kind of house where you can''t be comfortable because you might put something out of place.

All the same, there''s a happy medium between that and total chaos. Maybe I will have to look into having the bathrooms cleaned and having the floors mopped, even every other work would be good. And get a neighbor kid to do the leaves. It would help tremendously just to have that done. We have tons of trees and I dread leaf season, LOL!