REclaiming the house

So, when mom is depressed (intermittently) and dad is crashed and the kids don't/won't clean up after themselves, things can get pretty ugly in the house.

I decided this week enough was enough, and that I needed to get some semblance of sanity back.

I started with the kitchen. We have 4 small countertops and a bar, and it's taken me all freaking week, but I made a plan and stuck to it. The first day, I took care of clearing off one countertop and the stove. The second day, I kept that one cleared off and scrubbed the stove some more, and cleared a second countertop. That night, I made sure all the dishes were done, including the pots and pans. The next day, I cleared the third countertop, did all the dishes again, and kept the rest of the kitchen tidy, too. Yesterday, I made cinnamon rolls and kept the kitchen cleared up. Today, I cleaned up the last countertop and most of the bar, and the kitchen needs about 30 seconds of attention before I go to bed tonight.

I also cleared off the kitchen table, tidied the living room, threw stuff away, and vacuumed! the floor for the first time in a while.

Last night, I put away laundry which was covering my 9-foot couch plus an overflowing basket on the floor.

Yesterday, while I was out running an errand, my husband said he was going to have a nap while I was gone. I got home to the trash taken out, the toilet scrubbed, the dishwasher changed, and his mess in his corner in our bedroom cleaned up! He's noticed how much effort I'm putting into the house and decided he needed to help, too. Thankfully. We really want to sell this place in the spring and don't want to be scrambling to clean a lot up every time someone comes over.

I have a plan and a list for the rest of the house. It's not going to happen overnight, but if I can keep maintaining what we've already done, it won't be such a chore.