Cream Cheese and Dog Hair

Few things annoy me more than seeing this in someone's home:

Who the hell is Mary Randolph Carter, anyway?

Or this: 

Or this:

Seriously?

I know at least five people who have similar signs in their house, and every time I see them I want to rip them down and use them to sweep up all the dust on the floor. I understand that not everyone can be Martha Stewart, but why in the world would you call attention to this fact by plastering it on your wall? 

Not only is it tacky, but it doesn't make any sense. Cleaning your house is a waste of time? In order for a house to be lived in, it must be messy? If my laundry is done and my kitchen is clean, my kids are unhappy? 

I grew up in a family of six children, and our house was practically spotless. Seriously, my mom can spot a dust bunny from a mile away. (Whitney- remember the piece of string?) Maybe that's why I believe in the importance of a clean, organized home. I do crazy things like vacuum, and dust the baseboards, and wipe the counters several times a day. I clean the bathrooms once a week, and I wash our sheets and towels on a regular basis. When Rory is finished playing, we (okay I) clean up before leaving the room. Books belong on shelves, clothes belong in drawers, and toys belong in baskets. 

I can imagine that cleaning and organizing must be especially challenging for working moms, and if it comes down to cleaning or spending time with your children, then by all means, spend your free time playing and reading with your children. And then once they're asleep, you can clean. This may sound extreme, but I just don't think there is any excuse to have a dirty house. In the past month, I've been to one house with dried cream cheese smeared all over the kitchen table and sliding glass door, and another with what must have been the equivalent of two pounds of dog hair on the hardwood floor. (This woman has a crawling baby, by the way.) 

I know moms should be building each other up, and I don't want to sound judgmental, but I did judge these moms. I couldn't help it. Being in these houses made me feel uncomfortable and anxioius, especially with Rory walking around and putting everything in her mouth. Contrary to the popular wall art pictured above, I didn't feel happier or more alive.

I read a blog post a few years ago written by a mom, who in a nutshell said that if people expected her to clean up before they came over, they weren't welcome at her house. Um, excuse me? I clean my house as a sign of respect to my friends and family because I want them to feel welcome and comfortable.

Now I'm not saying that my house is never messy. The basement playroom often looks like someone emptied every toy basket just for fun. (Because that's exactly what happened.) And more often than not, there is flour or coffee grinds on the kitchen counter, but it gets cleaned up. Not eventually, not the next day, but soon after. When Rory is engrossed in independent play or eating breakfast or napping, I take a few minutes to clean. Does this make me a bad mom? Perhaps. But Rory will never be embarrassed to bring friends over. She will go to sleep on clean sheets every night, and she will never have to wear dirty clothes to school. 

So does keeping a clean, organized home make me a better mom? Absolutely not. That's my point...it has no reflection on how happy my daughter is or how well my time is spent, and it certainly doesn't mean that our home isn't lived in.

It simply means that my house is cleaner than yours.