Lookin Up

I looked up today and almost wish I hadn’t.

My light fixtures had a coating of dust so thick, the light could barely shine through.  And the amount of dust on the living room fan was sickening.

I’ve always proclaimed to be a lazy housekeeper.  I do the bare minimum.  Enough to keep DCFS from taking my children.

But even I know when it’s time to do a little more.

So I got to work removing light bulbs and fixtures, washing them, dusting them, and replacing burned out bulbs. First in the bathrooms, then the kitchen.

I made the mistake of looking around while I was standing on the kitchen table, and saw all the accumulated dust on the cabinets and the sparse knick knacks I have up there.

With slumped shoulders, I climbed up on the counters and began cleaning the tops of the cabinets.

Then I went on a hunt for the extended fan blade cleaner that I’ve only used a few times in the 14 years I’ve lived here.

Not surprisingly I had to dust it off before I could dust the fan.

Before I put it back, I used it to sweep the dust that was hanging in the corners of my vaulted ceilings and draping from my built-in plant shelves.

I haven’t always been a neglectful housekeeper.

When I was a new bride and a young mom, I was determined to do it all. I let myself believe that to be successful, I needed to work, keep a sparkling home, and raise a bunch of happy kids.

Problem was… I wasn’t happy. It was near impossible to keep the house clean with 4 kids and a couple of pets.

Many times my hubby would tell me not to worry about the house.  “It’s lived in,” he would tell me.  “There’s nothing wrong with people seeing that we live in a lived-in house.”

It took many times of hearing him say that to finally click in.

And when it did, I was all for it.  No more stressin’ out about the house for me.

We still live in a lived-in house.  I’m lucky enough to have my hubby keep up with laundry, and we both share the dish washing duties.

I vacuum almost daily, but only because I find it therapeutic.

I’ll scrub the bathrooms if I know we’re having company, or when they become too gross.  Otherwise, they just get a brief wipe down a few times a week.  (Love those Clorox wipes.)

I must admit, though, as I sit here typing, I have every light on in the house to show off my hard work.  It’s amazing how bright my house can get.  It’s a good feeling, for sure.

But I don’t plan on looking up again for a while…..