Just An Amateur Homemaker

Once again, this is harder than I thought. Writing about spring cleaning, surprisingly, does not come naturally to me. On top of that, there is a wealth of information on the web that is mostly overwhelming and redundant, intuitive or impossible, and/or self-serving and a bit patronizing. Its just cleaning, right? Why the attitude? I just want to provide a few universally helpful tips . . . not a dissertation. (In law school, I once wrote a 60 page paper on the extension of the "special needs" clause of the 4th amendment to extracurricular school activities. Don't doubt my ability to write a dissertation).

Despite how complicated spring cleaning apparently is, I did find some useful, albeit simplistic, rules.

1) Have a plan. This advice sits well with me because I love a good to do list.

2) Set aside a specific time. Wise, but sometimes difficult when we have so many demands on our time.

3) Get your kids involved. Even though this creates more work for us when the kids are young, the hope is that the ritual will be instilled in our kids so that when they are older and are more able to help, they will . . . willingly and with a sweet spirit. (I think I just heard the collective laugh of all mothers of teenagers).

4) Prioritize. Decide which of the 100 chores you have to do are most important.

5) Be realistic in your goals. Don't set yourself up for failure. We all cannot be Martha Stewart. (Oh Martha, why did you have to set such a high standard?)

6) Reward yourself. I added this myself. I can never resist an opportunity to deserve ice cream.

Here are some helpful websites:

Spring Cleaning Guide:
We can try to be like Martha:
Breaking it down into manageable projects: