Chores

I'm a terrible housekeeper. 

There, I said it. 

The fact that this is a very true statement haunts me.  I long to be a better housekeeper.  I desperately want a clean house.  A house with no clutter.  A space that doesn't make me die of embarrassment everytime the doorbell rings unexpectedly.  In my head, I'm very organized.  I see the problem and I know what I can do to fix it.  I see the mess around me and I know if I just got the broom out, I'd feel so much better.  But the truth is, I hate cleaning.  Sure, once it's done, I feel better and the clean brings about a sense of calm in me.  But getting the motivation to clean is my biggest struggle.  I would rather do just about anything else. 

I could give you a million excuses as to why things don't get done.  I've heard of every plan in the book, and I've even tried to institute them into our routine.  The one I like the best is the "get one thing done every day" plan.  Sounds easy, and it breaks the cleaning down into manageable chunks.  I still hate it, and avoid it like the plague.  Some days it works, some days it doesn't. 

So what's my problem?  This is my job, and to be honest, I'm not used to being so terrible at my job.  Maybe that's very 1950's of me, but we are very blessed that we're in a position for me to stay at home and raise our kids.  I feel that because I'm home, there are certain things I'm responsible for.  Child rearing is one aspect of my job I take very seriously.  I want to soak up every minute with these kids because they are growing way too fast for my liking.  Playing, reading, hugging...this all takes time.  It's all stuff I'd rather do than clean.  Having said that, I do feel that certain house chores are also my responsibility.  I like making dinner, I like baking, and I love laundry.  Other than that, I could be perfectly content if I never had to clean another bathroom. 

However, what impact is the messy house having on my kids?  I don't want them to think that clutter is okay.  I want them to start helping with small chores.  The toddler sometimes will help clean up his toys, and he loves to help vaccuum.  Obviously I want to encourage that behaviour, which is hard when I hate our vaccuum! (For some reason, I can't convince my husband that buying me a Dyson will make me want to vaccuum)

I need to get a handle on the problem.  But where do you start when you feel so overwhelmed?  My mother is a wonderful motivator.  It's the Victoria Day long weekend, and while my husband is away fishing, my mom is usually over here, helping me start a big spring clean.  However, she's away this year.  Leading up to both my mom and husband being away, I was more focused on the fact that I was going to be alone this weekend.  It wasn't until this morning that I realized I really do look forward to a big clean-up weekend.  It's nice having someone else around to motivate me, and the results are always worth it.  So somehow I need to harness that feeling to motivate myself. 

sigh. 

I suspect this will be harder than actually doing the work.  Anyone have any motivating tips for me?