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Cleaning a home full of kids is always a challenge, especially if you don’t have a housekeeper who regularly comes by. Lots of us can try to get a cleaning routine going, and when the kids are old enough they can even help out, but for some reason, it always seems like a new mess is popping up, or that your home is just never as spotless as you truly want it to be.
Nicole Johnson is a mother of four who knows all about trying to keep a clean house. She was so obsessed with creating the imaging of a sparkling home, that she became a bit crazy about it.
In a post detailing her journey from being a “lunatic” who cared so much about having a perfectly clean house, she admits that she “yelled at her kids and husband, running around dusting and sweeping, fussing over every imperfection, just so people would think she had it all together.”
Nicole says that in the past, people would always comment on how clean her house was, which made her feel amazing. “Growing up, cleanliness was a virtue. It meant you were worthy. Of what, who knows? I spent every Saturday cleaning while my friends went out.”
Ever since she was a child, Nicole has been all about cleaning, or at least the image of what a clean house should be. “I carried the importance of a clean house with me into motherhood.” she admitted.
However, as time went on and her family grew, her perceptions and values started to change. “But as my life moved forward and we had more children and less time, I began to realize having a perfect house, a sparkling, spit shine house wasn't what I wanted.” she wrote. “Sure, I could do it. I could spend every second ignoring the kids, ignoring my writing, ignoring my life and obsessing over it.”
Nicole realized that her desire for a perfectly clean house had become an unhealthy obsession, and that letting it control her would take her away from all the things that really mattered.
So, she changed her ways.
“A little dirt is good for the immune system, and the soul. Dirt means we are living. It means we feel comfortable.” she realized. “So what if you have a few dishes in the sink? So what if the laundry sits in a pile on a chair, or you've forgotten it in the washer...again?”
Nicole began to let the little things go, and while her home may not have looked flawless, all of the little messes were signs of her life, a life that she was happy to be living.
“Life is short. Messes are constant. Time with your kids is fleeting. Enjoy it.”
Nicole accompanied her change of heart in regards to messes with a picture of dust bunnies she found in the corner of her home.
“It is a corner filled with dust that I forgot about while hanging with the kids this summer. I kind of like it.
When I took it, I smiled.
It means I'm not stressed about maintaining an immaculate home.
In fact, I'm thinking I'll let it hang there for a bit, as a reminder of what's important and what's not.”
What do you think about Nicole’s post?
