I swiped this book off my moms shelf last Friday. Considering I ALWAYS peruse her shelves when I am there, I don't know how I missed it before, but I am so glad i found it.
I was a pretty crummy housekeeper before I had Honey. I think I was a bit overwhelmed since I now had to do it by my self, instead of my little part I was responsible for, or helping my Mom and the kids with our house . (No comments from the peanut gallery kids. Joel- I know where you live.) The house was picked up, but I couldn't seem to get into the swing of a routine. Then I had a baby. I don't recall that it got worse, it was still picked up, but dusting? Floor Mopping?
We weren't having company, so why bother?
Around Honey's first birthday, I developed a routine that worked fabulously, and still managed to stay on top of things after Biscuit was born. Then came my Merry Little Muffin.
Everything got thrown to the side, aside from most cleaning up. Yeah yeah, I did spring cleaning, and the house looked great for quite sometime, but you have to keep up with that. Not so easy with three kids 4 and under. Fast forward to Friday, June 26, the wonderful day, I discovered this book and diagnosed my self: I am a Messie. So while you are all saying "duuhhh", let me clarify: I am a Old-Fashioned, Clean, Perfectionist Messie. Here is the books definition of each of these:
THE PERFECTIONIST MESSIE:
All the spoons in your kitchen drawer are neatly nested up, while all the pots sit in the sink and sulk.
This person has very high standards for individual jobs. The house may be a wreck, but she decides to begin by cleaning the oven. And it is well done, *very* well done.
Here indecisiveness is cloaked in the guise of perfectionism. Generally this housekeeper cannot decide which approach to putting the house in order is best, so she decides not to decide. This is a bad decision.
THE CLEAN MESSIE:
After you come back from the dry cleaners , how long does it hang on the back of your kitchen door?
As long as things are clean, such Messies reason, they can be left out. This is the reason clothes are left in the basket and not folded. (after all they *are* clean, and that's the main thing.) The dishes are washed and left out on the counter. But they *are* clean. Isn't that what counts?
THE OLD-FASHIONED MESSIE:
Do you truly believe there is something sinful in serving children a pie from the supermarket?
( I will insert here that the author doesn't seem to have a real high opinion of *anything* done old-fashioned. Consider yourself warned.)
For some reason, there are people who just enjoy doing things the old fashioned way. For them, the only good way is the old way. This is a definite matter of principle- though it is hard to know what the reason is.
This might mean our Old-Fashioned Messie will have as a principle that the only way to do floor is on her hands and knees with a brush. Now actually, the floor never gets done that way because it is too much work. But believe me, if it ever did get done, it would be done *right*. There motto is " Do it right- or not at all." A lot of the time it turns out "not at all."
Some other ideas the Old-Fashioned Messie may have are to bake pies and cakes from scratch instead of using a mix, to wax and buff the wooden floor with a cloth instead of a buffer, to beat the rug instead of vacuuming, or use cloth instead of disposable diapers. It's not that some of these things aren't appropriate sometimes, but to do things hard way just because it is an old fashioned way is a hindrance to progress in housekeeping.
She has me pegged so well, its like she secretly lived in my house and observed my ways, never mind that I was 1 year old when she first wrote the book, and 4 when it was republished.
And, I like that there is just enough humor in there to keep you smiling or chuckling.
Cleanies (who Messies are striving to become) just automatically know how to clean. Messies don't know where to begin, and are easily distracted. Or in my case, have 3 little distractions running around. I tend feel guilty that I don't just go through a room, see what needs done and do it.( after all getting married and having a family and home to look after is what I always wanted to do, doesn't an automatic knowledge and skill of keeping house go along with that?) But I can't. I see that the toys need sorted through, not just cleaned up. I see that the drawers need straightened, not just clothes put away. I don't have time just now to do all that, so why bother ? Then I go drown my sorrows in chocolate chips.
Tomorrow, (or Wednesday), I'll get to her solutions for these problems, but I need to make my Flipper, Box, Notebook and File (or a combination of the four) first. I really think this is gonna work!!!!!
