The Genetics of Clean

I come from a family where women are immaculate housekeepers. Forever I thought all women of their generation were that way, but I've learned that some women really are normal.

I visited my aunt yesterday - she and my uncle moved here about a year ago and is raising her 6 year old grandson. Going into her house... well, it's kind of depressing. Only because, you see, my house is never going to look like that. HOW on earth do these women find the time to make every surface free of clutter, every floor sparkle, every bed wrinkle free? And why can't I figure it out too?

Do I not spend enough time cleaning? No, that can't be it. On an average day, I'm constantly walking around picking things up and putting them in their place. Is it because we don't have a big, fancy house to store all of our crap in? That might be part of it, but to me that's just a hint that we need to decrease the amount of crap. Is it because I'm the mother of two small children and we home school, which means there's never a break during the day like school kids give their mothers? Hmmm... I might be on to something there.

I love interior decorating. My living room is beautiful, full of lovely things and arranged in such a matter that is pleasing to the eye. Except that once the eye has passed over the littering of toys, books, blankets, balls of yarn, and miscellaneous shoes and socks, the eye no longer has any desire to even look at the "pretties". I can clean up all the "litter" and I swear to you, by the next morning it looks exactly the same. My aunt's house looks like it came right out of a home decor magazine - everything so perfect and neatly arranged, and you can even see the carpet for lack of "litter". It's fascinating to me, because I've never been able to accomplish any of that.

Some day - I hope - I'll accept the fact that my home is never going to look like a model of perfect decor. It's just not in the cards for me. And maybe I'll avoid going to the homes of the elder women in my family so as not to make myself feel so bad for my shortcomings. :o)