Spring is in the air! Along with the pollen and irritants, there is also a sense of fresh starts and new beginnings. There’s ducklings hatching at the pre-schools and lambs in the fields. There’s something about the season that makes even humans want to get involved. There’s a phenomenon (boo boo be do be) called Spring Cleaning. Instead of getting on and doing some, I thought I’d rather write about it.
People who know me may snigger (or laugh out loud) that I am daring to talk about cleaning, but here is the truth – I love clean things. I love clean floors and toilets and counters and linen. And, despite what you may have heard, I actually do know how to do it properly. If something needs to be clean, I would like it to be actually clean. Not just a quick wipe down. But, in order to clean, things must first be tidy… and that’s where I fall down. Tidy is not my thing. I would like it to be, just for some reason I choose stuff over tidiness. Or maybe I am just lazy. It’s annoying, and frustrating.
I do know that I’m not the only one who has a problem with stuff, or tidiness. The revival of Marie Kondo is proof of this. (She does not bring me joy). I was not a fan when her books were all the rage, and I have tried to completely avoid it now that she is on TV. (You FB people have not made it easy for me to avoid her altogether!) If I were to only keep what brought me joy, I would be sitting in an empty room with a kilo of ASDA smart price chocolate & a roll of fruit gums. Let’s be honest, catch me at the wrong time & there may not even be any people left… (me included.) There are millions (probably) of people who have benefited from her system, so I cannot dismiss her, but I know she is not for everyone. I thought I would do a post about it, and try highlight that we are all different, and whatever our struggles, we need to find the right solution for us.
I have mentioned briefly that I have discovered a few different blogs out there trying to get my house under control. I found Clean Mama, and I really got into trying out her routine. I tried, I really did, but i just could not get it to work. Then, I saw someone on her FB page mention the Slob Comes Clean podcast. I admit, I had seen her website before, but the “non-negotiable” tasks completely put me off. I did not think she had the answers. I decided to listen to the podcasts anyway and it was like she was in my head, or my kitchen, because so much of was she said was how I felt or what I did. I decided that I needed to try her routine. I wanted to try her “28 days to hope for your home” book, but as it was going to be published at the end of her new actual book, it was no longer for sale as an ebook. I decided to pre-order her actual book, and in the mean time thought I would read another of her ebooks. “Drowning in clutter – don’t grab a floatie, drain the ocean”. At that point, I thought I just needed to nail a system or routine. I had no idea I had an actual problem. Until I read that book. It broke my heart, but it was true. I needed to drain the ocean. I ended up luckily being on the launch team for her book “How to manage your home without losing your mind”. I loved it. It is still by my bedside and I have read it through more than twice. I still have an ocean, I still cannot manage my home, and long ago I lost my mind, BUT she gets me, and the way my mind works. Her systems show me where my wonderful logic falls down. It’s awesome logic. It’s logical logic. It would work for most of you out there. Just not for people like me. As an example, if you are tidying/organising/decluttering, it makes sense to pull everything out then make piles. Different piles for different places, or “keep” vs “donate” piles. It makes sense! Until you get distracted, or it’s time to get the kids from school, or you stop for a cup of tea and the next thing you know it’s 7 months later. The piles have merged, and worse – they’ve called over friends! A helpful friend told me that once something was in my hand I had to take it to where it belonged. I could have launched the item at her head. I’m all about efficiency. Why waste steps? Or time? Pile it all up & I’ll take it when I’m going that way. See? Logical! But oh so flawed. I still resent it but putting things away one at a time is the best way to go. And if you haven’t pulled everything out, the minute a kid comes in with a grazed knee, you can stop what you are doing and the area is still *better* than where you started. Even if you only managed to move one thing. There are so many more nuggets I have learned over the years, so if you think it could help you I would highly recommend “How to manage your home without losing your mind”. I do have to tell you though, even though it will help you know where to start (re-start…again…again), the work still physically needs to be done. I fall off the wagon so many times, but it is easier each time to start again, and if I really pay attention, I can see that I actually am making progress.
Another reason I mentioned two different blogs, was to tell you that there is no “one-size-fits-all”. When I listen to Dana White sometimes I think we could be twins, but when it comes to laundry, what works for each of us is completely different. She has learned that “laundry day” is how she finally solved the problem. Even her kids (and followers) will tell you that “Mama does laundry on a Monday”. I could never get that to work. Laundry (clothes in general actually) were my biggest nemesis. As the biggest mountain (literally) that I had to climb when it came to housework. I finally cracked it by following the Clean Mama load a day way.
No matter what part of your life you apply it to, I do not believe that you (or I) need to be exactly like someone else. By all means find someone who inspires you, who you can relate to, who is like minded. Follow them (not in real life- you could get arrested for things like that) and learn from them – but be YOU. Use what works. Tweak what doesn’t. If it still doesn’t work, change it completely.
I am still learning. I’m happy to report I am still improving. I discovered a while back that I am even improving emotionally, and I feel like sharing another story with you. When Ms Kondo hit Netflix, there was a post by an influential person on Facebook about it. She had got to one of the episodes, and commented on how the woman featured was a terrible mother and how can people live like that. If you take out a jar of honey you stick it straight back into the cupboard when you are done. What is she teaching her children? I don’t remember the details, and I hadn’t even seen the program, but it hit me. It brought back all the emotions of being a terrible mother because my house was a mess. It reminded me that I was “not normal”. It reminded me that I could not invite anyone over and that I had to be ashamed over how I lived. How could I be raising children in a house like this? It upset me that here was this woman whom I respected, who was teaching me so much, not only did not understand what it was like but was so open as to publicly rebuke a stranger on TV. I decided not to comment, but I wanted to tell her that Ioved watching The Biggest Loser, but never once did I declare that these people should be ashamed of living that way. I always cheered them on. I loved watching them progress. I never watched it so that I could judge people whose problems were different to my own. I know I have issues so who am I to call out other peoples? In the past, posts and comments like that brought up all the emotions I have just mentioned and it pushes me backwards. I feel like a failure, which makes me even less productive and I can get into a bit of a pit if I let it.
But this time, while I did feel all the feels, I didn’t let it set in. It did not knock me back as far. I acknowledged my shortcomings and then acknowledged how far I have come. There is still so much farther to go, but that’s okay. I’m going in the right direction. “The steps you take don’t need to be big. They just need to take you in the right direction.” I am even still a fan of the person who made the comment. Which goes to show that I am now just making progress on the home front, but also in accepting (and being okay with) who I am. Maybe I really am awesome?
I think that was all for this week. Next week I would like to take you through some of the more practical steps of “my way” of cleaning and maybe even tidying. I’ll share a few things that I have tried that have worked and maybe a few things that didn’t. I will also share a few of my recipes of how I clean my house “naturally”.
Nicky Goes Natural 