List Lover

If you know me you know I'm a little OCD about keeping my house clean, and if you have been around my house in the last year and a half you know that having a baby really puts a crimp in my style. As the old adage goes "sleep when the baby sleeps" is great advice for those that don't hit the sofa with good intentions of napping and find themselves only thinking about the dust bunnies under the stove, or the hair in the sink or how long has it been since I scrubbed the toilets again? So in order to keep the Mr. Clean voices out of my head I have devised a system that works pretty well around here, my lists, and how I "heart" my lists. Similar to a runners "high" I get a cleaners "high" (and not from the chemical fumes either, as we are pretty much a chemical free zone here thanks to the best cleaning cloths in the world my sweet, sweet Norwex) when I see a totally completed list, and then I can finally spend a few guilt free mommy minutes doing something for myself.

I consider myself a master mulitasker, and I'm not saying that you have to be a good mulitasker to be a good mom but it sure helps to keep everything organized before you find yourself in the middle of the supermarket with out a list, with a screaming child who wants a snack and has a wet ass, and no wallet to pay for the groceries. I can honestly say I haven't been in this mess because I love my lists, but have been witness to many friends suffer a near meltdown themselves. To get out of the house I have a mental checklist that has saved me many moments of stress. Maybe it's just that when you have one kid you can keep your brain on track for a few moments of clarity, or maybe it was 10 long months of really broken sleep when we brought our little peanut home that made me rely on writing everything down, but what ever got me into the habit has defiantly made my life simpler.

Even though my house isn't as clean as it used to be I can sleep at night because I know there are better things to spend my time on, this was a process and I'm learning to let go. But when the cleaning bug hits and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed I just have to go spend some time with my PVR and partake in a few episodes of Hoarders and I feel just fine :) I might have a few dust bunnies dwelling in the far corners of my house, but their day's are numbered and it's only a matter of time before they get added to the list.

L