Steady
Sometimes keeping a house remotely neat or tidy when eight people share that house is a nearly impossible task.
Nearly. Impossible.
And there are days when I feel as if all I do is clean one room and then move to another room. And the second I exit the clean room some inanimate object explodes and destroys all of my productivity before anyone can even rejoice in it momentarily.
Really.
The other night I took Wilder out of his booster seat at the kitchen table where he had just dumped his bowl of peaches on the floor (peaches = sticky madness) plus his container of chicken and couscous. I carried him to the sunroom to play while I began the couscous-peach clean up of 2010. I heard a splash in the sunroom – before I even started sweeping for goodness’ sake. It was that same one-year-old. He found an older sibling’s cup of dirty paint water and he poured it on the floor. I had to put out the biggest fire first, so to speak, so I sopped up the paint water before heading back to the kitchen. But I never made it to the broom because London alerted me that Piper was pouring water on the floor in the bathroom. For fun I guess. I am not making any of this up. I promise.
That was just really one example. Of one evening. Maybe only fifteen minutes actually. A tirade, if you will. (I think I’m entitled.)
That mess, that random (but sadly routine) evening, is not even the point of this particular post.
The point (I think ) that I am actually going for is this . . . .
To keep this house even pseudo-presentable requires steady maintenance.
A little bit of work done every day. All day.
And when I don’t do the regular, steady maintenance – things begin to pile up.
Like laundry.
It’s outrageous really. (I’m glad my mother cannot see that stack of clean clothes. For shame.)
Steady maintenance can be exhausting.
It really can.
But neglected duties just make the tasks at hand overwhelming. Nearly. Impossible.
For me, the steady maintenance is probably just barely in control – but it makes everything manageable.
Steady maintenance means that
I put away the clean laundry from just one load as soon as it is finished. I don’t wait for the stack to overtake my soul.
It means that when I finish a bowl of cereal at night I put that empty bowl in the dishwasher before I go to bed.
It means when a toy is on the floor I don’t kick it under the table.
I actually have to check to see if the kids put away the Sorry game on their bedroom floor instead of trusting a five-year-old’s version of “put away”.
I try to make my bed every morning.
I implement that strategy that I always found so odd in my own mother – I never leave or enter a room without carrying something with me to make the trip worthwhile. A shoe out of place in the living room finds its home in the bucket on the walk back to the kids’ bedrooms to say goodnight. A stack of clean cloth napkins finds its way into the drawer as I walk past on my way to get a glass of water. While Otto’s dinner heats up in the microwave I put away six plates and two knives.
Steady maintenance keeps me sane.
So if you visit my house and you see a clear lack of cleanliness – more so than usual – you might know I have slipped. I have been unfaithful to diligent habits. And I am probably feeling a little insane. A lot overwhelmed. Buried in stacks of semi-completed art work that has no home. Trapped under loads of unfolded laundry.
And it doesn’t take a profound thinker or a tidy housekeeper to make the connection between steady maintenance in a home and steady maintenance in a relationship.
It’s just the same.
It is tiring to remember daily to say “thank you” and “please”. It wears a person out to work at a relationship, with God or anybody, on a steady basis. It’s plain old exhausting to continually be vulnerable and authentic with your Saviour or your husband or your offspring.
But the alternative is worse. It’s overwhelming. Buried under hurt feelings. Trapped under a load of assumptions and confusion.
Nearly. Impossible.
Steady maintenance.
I guess it is really worth the effort.
I just forget sometimes.
13 Comments
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laceykeigley
Yes. Yes.
We press on.
because the other choice is
giving up
which makes it
nor really a choice
at all.
thegypsymama
As I read this I have completely given up on the stack of laundry and dirty dishes in the room next door. I waved the white flag of surrender tonight. And I will pay for it tomorrow. I know, I will. But tonight, it sure feels good!
Sarah D.
I have enough trouble keeping up with laundry for 2 people (and half the year just laundry for myself). That and dishes….oh those stinking dishes!
laceykeigley
Dirty dishes.
Don’t even get me started!
Rachel
Love it. Your blog is always such an inspiration to me 🙂
I tend to get overwhelmed (and I only have one baby at home, currently…) with life. It's a good reminder that it is a marathon, not a sprint, and steady maintenance is a good thing.
laceykeigley
A marathon – yes.
I tend to forget that too because I like short bursts of speed and activity and excitement. Not the endurance stuff. 🙂
Andrea
I found your blog from your guest post on Tyler Stantons blog. I must say I’ve really enjoyed reading! This one especially. My grandmother raised 5 girls (one set of twins). She wasn’t much of a housekeeper. I’m not either. I always let stuff build up, and right now it’s just me and my husband. We are trying to do better- especially since we’ll be adding a lot more little pink clothes here soon. I don’t want to be overwhelmed by my house duties once she gets here. You are giving great advice (you may not have even known that!). It wouldn’t take much for me to get ahead, it’s just that daily thing. I also agree it’s much like a relationship. You gotta keep it up to keep the relationship. Thanks for writing about the everyday things… With a twist.
laceykeigley
Thank you so much!
And I am glad you clicked over from Tyler and stayed!
When the pink clothes come it is super easy to get overwhelmed – which is on okay place to stay for a few weeks but not much fun for the long haul – you know?
Mostly I just have to try to follow my own ideas – much easier to write about them than do them!
Sherry
Laundry can be so overwhelming can't it. I can only imagine what it would be like if I had 8 people in my house. That must be a daily thing for you! I remember your mom doing a load of laundry every day….every morning before she went to work , she dropped a load in the wash…………I don't do that every day but on the days that I do laundry I will start it as soon as my eyes open ….then I set my timer for 40 minutes…then I clip that timer to my body and when it goes off, I go throw those in the dryer and start a new load and reset the timer……time gets away from me so fast and I am often amazed at how fast that 40 minutes goes by.It keeps me focused. I also set the timer on my stove and I will let it just keep on beeping until I have finished switching clothes over and folding the dry load, then and only then I will turn the timer off and reset it for the next load. That way I dont forget to reset it and let the time get away from me. If I just turn the timer off I forget to reset it and it will be hours later (sometimes days) before I realize I have clothes in the dryer…Just a thought , maybe it could work for you! I think you are amazing , ..piles of clean clothes and all!
laceykeigley
Oh – the timer idea is a good one.
I am always forgetting clothes are in the machine.
Usually the washer.
I cannot tell you (nor would I want to tell you) how many loads of laundry I have washed multiple times because they smelled moldy before I ever got them out of the washing machine.
Helen Rutrough
I've always admired my mother for raising nine girls – I'm the middle one. Can you imagine the patience she had to have! In reading your blog today I admire her even more as you put everything in perspective again for me. Thanks for the reminder of what life is like with a bunch of kids and how MY mother must have felt too. Maybe that's one reason why I LOVE your blog – because we had / have a lot in common.
Stay strong – you will receive your reward in heaven.
Helen Rutrough
laceykeigley
Nine girls! Wow.
And doesn’t it make you wish you could just tell her now how much you appreciate what she had done?
I am so glad you read my blog and it really makes me so happy to see your comments – such a reminder to me of the ties from Franklin County and all those good years growing up on the farm. You remind me that I am still connected to those roots in both big and little ways. Thank you!