This 'bug' only bites once, maybe twice a year. I'm selfish enough to blame the lack of bites on Mr. Cush because he spoils me rotten and takes care of the house - and me. When I'm away on work trips, he'll go on 'tornado cleanings' (<- his words, not mine) because I'm out of the way. Bless his heart … he tries to clean up after me and help organize my belongings, but I'm a creature that lives in a state of 'organized chaos' (<- my words, not his) and somehow in my mess, I still manage to know where everything is located. It's when he 'cleans' something and I can't find what I'm looking for that our fights most often ensue. (We won't get into the epic Purse Cleaning and Organizing of 2009 that almost tore us apart … its still too soon to rehash those feelings.)
But I have to admit that my mess had gotten out of control as of lately. It's shameful when I forget I already own something and re-purchase it, only for Mr. Cush to point out that whatever item is a duplicate when I bring it home and leave it on the kitchen table for two weeks before putting it away.
Over the past few weekends, I've been motivated to get myself together. My job takes on a life of its own in a few more weeks and stays that way until June, so I'm hoping that if I can get my home life organized by the end of this month, I'll be less stressed out when work escalates.
Anyway, back to the bug bite. After slaving away in the kitchen for a few hours on the night I was bitten, I've noticed that I've been very inclined to keep the kitchen sparkly. Rarely a night goes by that the counters haven't been Clorox-ed down and the dishes are rinsed off and put in the dishwasher instead of waiting until the next day. That inclination soon spread to our master bathroom, and I've done a remarkable job of putting my makeup/hair products away after use each morning instead of allowing them to clutter every visible inch of counter space. This past weekend, I even had Mr. Cush take down all of the light fixtures in our kitchen and bathroom so I could soak them in a hot water/Dawn/white vinegar mixture to clean off the grime that was beginning to accumulate.
Ideally, I should start making myself spend 15-20 minutes a day working on a different room of the house to maintain where we're at … bedroom on Monday, bathroom on Tuesday, living room on Wednesday, etc. Mr. Cush would think he'd died and gone to heaven if I could keep the house under control and he could focus his energy on the yard/patio/garage areas.
What are your secrets? Anyone have a great tip or two to share about transforming my undomestic ways?
Clean as you go... that's a big one. Also, Organize, organize, organize. If there is a place for it, you're more likely to be inclined to put it away right away, rather than just "dealing with it later".
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