I would’ve been embarrassed, but I was too happy.
My fiancée and I drove from our college campus to my hometown. It was our first visit with my parents since we announced our engagement. Excited to show off my diamond ring, I heard wedding bells. Randy didn’t. He listened as my mother said, “I’m not sure I could live with myself if I didn’t tell you: I tried to teach her to clean up after herself.”
I may be slightly off on the quote, it’s been a while. But I promise, the sentiment is accurate.
After my mother’s statement, Randy and I looked at one another and smiled. I knew, when I wanted to, I could keep a neat house.
Mr. Organization and I handled the household until our second child arrived. Then my mother’s words replayed in my mind.
I wanted a clean and tidy home, laundry caught up, meals planned, and our children cared for and loved. How?
I wasn’t alone in my struggle. Lisa told me about a book she’d bought as we chatted on the phone one evening. I was excited: help seemed to be on the way.
The next day, at my request, my husband stopped at the local bookstore and picked up a copy of: Sidetracked Home Executives: From Pigpen to Paradise. My favorite quote was, “We change lives with 3 x 5’s.”
The sister-authors were right. My life was changed by working through my daily, weekly, and monthly index cards.
Not long afterward I talked with Paula, my sister-in-law. She told me about a book she’d checked out at the library. Her life was changed too.
The book was inspiring and hilarious. Since then, I’ve read dozens of books on housecleaning, organizing, and time management. Each one offers new insights and tips for my role.
But Sidetracked Home Executives remains my favorite. The index cards were tossed long ago but the text provided a tangible job description and equipped me with the tools to fulfill it.
If you feel as desperate as I did, I assure you—if you truly want to, you can keep a clean and orderly home. Flylady may be your life-changer. Flylady’s method is based on the slob-sister’s book.
Naturally neat and tidy? Perhaps you need a little structure, consider the Home Routines App to keep up with household tasks. It’s replaced my index cards and Flylady emails.
My turning point came when the Sidetracked Sisters showed me the extent of my role and I realized being responsible is easier than being irresponsible. (See my previous post: The Lazy Woman’s Guide to Home Management.)
Unfortunately, my mother didn’t live long enough to see how well I learned to clean up after myself and others. I think she’d be proud.
What resources have aided you in your role as a home executive?
This photo shows my mother enjoying our first two children. She died two months before our third child arrived. I hope her qualms about my homemaking skills had ended.
The Power of One Hour 