Motivation

I never used to have trouble staying on top of housework. Having been raised by a father slightly OCD in nature I've always found cleaning to be enjoyable...even therapeutic. Then I went and had children. And, wouldn't you know it, the hours of the day are somehow consumed by three little rugrats and I find less and less of it left over for my ever-so-missed hobby of cleaning.

To compensate I've contrived a Housekeeping Priority List (all in my head...not on paper). The kitchen is number one, particularly the counters. The family room and living room are neck-in-neck for second place. After that the rest of the rooms in my house all garner attention based on a) their likelihood to be seen by a person outside of my family and b) need. I'll be honest...the List, with it's variables of "a" and "b" have led more than one room in my house to be severely neglected at times. Here's where it gets interesting: if any one room has been slighted for too long I find I am often provided with compelling motivation in the form of a child.

Case In Point: If the hallway bathroom has been left too long to it's own devices and is in need of a good scrubbing I will be faced with either:

1. A toddler picking "something" out of an un-flushed toilet and smearing it on the walls and floor

or

2. A three year-old standing on a stool in the middle of the bathroom floor watching (quietly) as water gushes out of said un-flushed toilet.

Both of which have happened in the last 10 days. True story. Now, these little "reminders" to scrub and disinfect one little room in my house may have caused less-than-kind words to be hurled at my sweet little ones...but, I certainly have one spotlessly clean bathroom. All in spite of my incomplete housekeeping list. The glass is half full, people. Half. Full.