Friday, August 13, 2010

My Clean House...or Not

I grew up in a very strictly-clean house. My mom ran it like a museum, teaching us from the very beginning to clean up after ourselves at every turn. We had rotating job charts, the "time-out basket" (a basket my mom would put our toys in for a week if she had to pick it up. We couldn't play with that toy until the week was done. Needless to say, the basket was usually pretty full.) Mom was a stickler for keeping a clean home, which certainly isn't a bad thing, but very difficult for us kids to live up to Mom's standards. I learned how to clean like a pro, and to this day, when I want to, I can clean a mean toilet. But, those are the key words: when I want to. Which is usually...never. Nada. Uh-uh. Not gonna do it. My siblings on the other hand, are a different story.

Caradon is a very neat and tidy person. Everything has it's place, everything needs to be in a certain order. But, she is not really "clean" either, at least not according to Mom's standards. On the surface everything looks good. "Blitzed" as Dad would call it. But, if you really look, she has just as much dust as I do, and her floors aren't always mopped like mine are never, and her toilet has only slightly less bite to it than mine. But, her beds are actually made, her dishes are always done, and her counters are always cleaned, and her laundry is ALWAYS done! That's Caradon's favorite chore, and mine as well. It takes the least amount of effort...that's why I like it. I am not sure why Caradon likes it.

Adam is the hyper version of my mom. If that's even possible. It's like he took everything she taught us and multiplied it by ten and added two. The man HATES dirt. On his mission, his companions called him Danny Tanner. Anyone who is familiar with the show "Full House" will understand that reference. Luckily for him, Katie, his wife, is on the same boat as he is, so they work well together as a team making sure their home is presentable and clean. Again, a really great thing! Just not the way I roll...

Then, there is little Samantha. I think she is a happy medium between Adam and Caradon. She is clean, and actually quite a little germ-o-phobe. But, at the same time, she doesn't have little kids to clean up after and all her housemates are adults, so I am willing to bet, they all work together well in cleaning. Hmmm, to be quite honest, I haven't been over to her house enough to give you an idea of what kind of housekeeper in general she is. Sorry, Sam, I will have to eventually work on that one! =)

As for me, well, I am the complete opposite of my mom, my siblings and everyone in the world combined when it comes to cleanliness. On the rare occasion when my house is actually presentable, it is very nice. I can remember one of those times back in Oregon. One of my best friends, Brianna, used to come over and hang out quite often. So, she saw the house in it's normal state. I can remember one day that she popped by after I had done a top-to-bottom scrubdown and it looked pretty dang good. She was in awe..."Wow, Lindsay, the house is really clean," was her comment. I laughed and then I thought, "How sad, Lindsay. You really need to clean the house more often so that you don't always have to warn people before they come in the door or apologize to them before they use your bathroom. You really should have some clean dishes on hand for people or actually have clean laundry for people to wear." But, then I remembered who I am, and I just shrugged. Eh, I'll do it tomorrow...maybe.

4 comments:

Carina said...

Love it! I have been to your house many times, several times unannounced (you know that is the true test) and I never tripped over anything or grossed out because there was some yucky smell or thing on the floor. It just shows you let your kids live a life and aren't overly controlling. (That is a good thing.) My house could put yours to shame when I am in the don't want to phase which is really more often than not. And LAUNDRY is your favorite and easiest chore. REALLY????? I detest that chore, it is definitely NOT easy to clean all of the stains out of all these boys clothes, or to fold and put away the clothes 7 people make. I am glad you are human, so I don't hyperventilate when you come to my house, even when you came totally unannounced on my bad day, though I have to say I was close.

Adam said...

Times ten and add 2? Isnt that a little extreme? I will have you know that Kates and I let Jonathan stuff a cupcake in his face and all over the floor on his birthday and it only gave me a little anxiety.

The Jenkins Family said...

Good, Addie. I am very proud of you. I hope Jonathan had an excellent birthday!

Breestyle said...

Lindsey, I have been to your house almost daily( pretty close). I would not consider your house dirty. You 'clean' it and it doesnt smell. I would call it 'lived in' but, definately NOT dirty:). Love you