Mediocre Housekeeping

I'm no housekeeper. Far from it. But there are a few little tricks I've realized that don't take long and make the whole house feel cleaner and more manageable. These are three housekeeping tricks that make me go "MMM" inside.

1. Manage the dining room table.
Yes, it is the easiest place for piles of mail, projects, diaper bags, clean laundry, and whatever else to get dumped. Ours is often hidden under mountains of grab-and-go life as we rush in and out of the house. But in those moments or days when I can keep off the clutter, it truly brings air to my lungs!

2. Mop.
Moping I can do. Mopping? I dread it. I put it off for days that turn into weeks because in my head mopping is such a dreaded ordeal. If it weren't for hosting community group at our house and my pride it may never occur. Today I timed it. After just one One Republic song and two minutes of Jimmy Eat World, the whole ordeal was done. Six minutes friends to retrieve and fill bucket, mop an entry way, hallway, dining room, kitchen, living room, and sunroom, find hidden Zofrans under the table, discipline toddler who wanted to Sharpie the furniture, and put bucket away. So if Amy Grant and Rod Stewart were dominating the airwaves the last time you mopped, go ahead and try again. It won't take more than two good songs.

3. Make the Bed.
It seems like a pointless task. Really, you're just going to crawl back in them again later. But straightening out the bed only takes a minute and it makes the entire room clean. Nate has dubbed me the Princess and the Pea because I can feel every tiny little crease or weight-distribution inconsistency with our bedding and can't fall asleep until its fixed. So if I'm going to be getting out of bed huffing and puffing pulling sheets around at night, then I might as well take a minute to make the bed in the morning and enjoy the benefits of a clean bedroom all day long.