It’s No Mystery

If I ever wondered how my house could be such a mess, it became crystal clear during my parents’ recent visit. They were kind enough to spend 10 days with us immediately following the end of Rick’s time off after the birth of our son.

It was a blessing in so many ways.

Not only did they help me with the baby – something I know little to nothing about – but they also did more around our house in those 10 days than we’ve probably done in the almost 3 years we’ve lived here.

My mom cooked, cleaned (including the bathrooms – yikes!), did laundry, changed diapers and more. My dad trimmed hedges (they’re more like overgrown weeds along our fence line), vacuumed our basement, put no-slip grips on the basement stairs (thank goodness as I fell down them twice while pregnant) and more.

They both went grocery shopping for us, washed dishes and mopped the kitchen floor. And despite all their efforts, the kitchen floor always looked in need of mopping, the dust continued to pile up, the dishes constantly needed doing, etc.

So if these two retired workaholics could hardly keep up with the cleaning needs of my small household when they had all day to do it, it’s no wonder I couldn’t do it working full time.

Granted, both Rick and I could make a heck of a better effort than we’ve been, but still. It’s just a little depressing. I guess the first step will be decluttering. This will have to wait since I’m supposed to be taking it easy for another 2 weeks or so while I recover from my C-section. Until then, I’ll just keep watching How Clean Is Your House to make me feel better about the state of my own.