Once upon a time, when I was working 60+ hours a week in the Corporate World, I always somehow managed to keep my house or apartment spotlessly clean.  It was second nature, making sure things were put away.  Possibly bordering on OCD with everything having a place and everything in its place.

Fast forward to when Princess Nagger was born and deciding to leave the Corporate World to stay home with her, I still kept the house neat and tidy.  It was a bit more of a challenge, particularly with the hubby being prone to leaving things lying around willy nilly, and Princess Nagger’s toys growing with each passing holiday and birthday.

She inherited the propensity to leave things laying about from her Dada.  But since I wasn’t ensconced in multiple hours of working away from home, I rolled with it, and things were mostly always in their place.

As Princess Nagger grew out of babyhood into the toddler stages, the number of toys continued to grow, as did the mess.  She has inherited the pack-rat mode from me, unwilling to part with things because she may want or need them “some day”. 

I had a dream that when she started school, I’d have plenty of time to surreptitiously weed out the excess and restore order to the chaos that had grown over the years. Now that she’s in 3rd grade, that dream has yet to become a reality.  It’s amazing how much you anticipate all this free time when you choose to leave the workforce and stay home to raise the kidlets – somehow those 24 hours in a day simply aren’t enough to get everything done.

When Little Dude joined our family over the summer, the collection of ‘stuff’ has doubled, along with the tornadic mess both kids are guilty of.  It’s a miracle if my house is picked up on a weekly basis, forget about the daily mode I used to do once upon a time.

Now I simply dream of a tidy house and hope that dream comes true some day.  Maybe when we move back West and secure my dream house, with extra rooms specifically designed to contain the every day messes – a play room for the toys, and a big-girl playroom for me and my crafty stuff.  One can dream, right?

Which brings me to this week’s question(s):

How do you keep order in your house? Or is your house like mine, with that ‘lived in’ look?

Have a great weekend!

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This not-quite a dream sequence Spin Cycle was brought to you part by the lovely Gretchen at Second Blooming, who has graciously taken the reins from Jen who, as Sprite’s Keeper has too much on her plate and wanted to make sure her Spin Cycle baby was in good hands.  It definitely is.  Check out the other Dreamy Spinners – let’s all dream together, shall we?

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Happy Aloha Friday!

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From Kailani at An Island Life:
In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So on Fridays let’s take it easy on posting, too. Ask a simple question…nothing that requires a lengthy response. It’s a great way to make new blogging friends!

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37 Comments

  1. My house has a slightly lived in look. I’m a huge stickler about Sprite’s crap invading the only living area we have, so at the end of the night, she has to haul it back to her room. My husband is also a leave it as he drops it kind of guy, so that tends to irk me, but at least he doesn’t leave food lying around anywhere. We stayed with friends once while our house was being finished and they were notorious for it. John and I learned a lot about what kind of mess we’re willing to tolerate. 🙂
    Sprite’s Keeper would like you to read ..Spin Cycle: Dream A Little Dream Of Me (Or Dad) (Or Fill In The Blank)My Profile

  2. Lived in! I’m a working mom, and there is never enough time in a week to get the house in order. I’m trying to get son to start doing more chores around the house.
    Barb would like you to read ..Home Alone, Sick!My Profile

  3. Our house isn’t messy, but it is not spotless, either. I’m fortunate that Beloved is a neat person and has no problem doing his fair share of housework (he will let no one else touch the laundry), and The Young One, outside of his bedroom, is also pretty neat. I don’t strew things all over the place, but I tend to accumulate piles of stuff in places that I find myself frequently – the kitchen, my side of the bed, the table on which my laptop resides, where I keep my place settings and photography equipment. Every so often, I’ll go through it all and redistribute my stuff before it starts driving Beloved crazy, but he’s really fairly tolerant of my faults and foibles.
    Jan would like you to read ..Taking It All With A Grain Of…GrainMy Profile

  4. I have the SAME DREAM. Once a year or so (when Jimmy’s family comes to visit!) I’ll go on a freakout cleaning binge. But even then, I almost never get the insides of things – closets, drawers – places where his family wouldn’t look- NEVER get organized. I think moving will help a lot. Give you a chance to purge and get everything in order at least once!

    Thanks SO much for joining in! You’re all linked up!
    Gretchen would like you to read ..Spin Cycle: Dream LaneMy Profile

  5. I try to pick up daily and put things away. As for the kids. I give them fair warning… “I am cleaning today and my memory sometimes is not good”. that usually gets the job done. That is if she cares about her things. My rule for the pick up issue is.. If I have to pick it up for a month and she doesn’t take care to put it away.. someone else gets it….donated out. that makes less to pick up.
    Auntie E would like you to read ..Aloha Friday-The Plan versus ResolutionMy Profile

  6. I had that dream. I tried hard to put things away packed away and I’ll freak out if things are too messy and closing in.

    But I know one day they’ll leave and I”ll be ablel to spend time doing nothing but tidying up. I’ll miss them in it making it messy. But I’ll still continue to teach them to clean up 🙂

    Here’s to our dream eh
    JamericanSpice would like you to read ..Fingers Or PencilMy Profile

  7. I have always managed to have my own little corner of the world, where I kept a bit more organized than the rest of the ‘lived in part of the house.’ I hated picking up one room and when returning to it an hour later finding it topsy-turvy again. Therefore, I made my own nest, so to speak, and everyone had to stay out of it, or just set around in it and not make a mess. That is how I kept my sanity, while trying to raise 5 children
    Gigi Ann would like you to read .."Aloha Friday"My Profile

  8. We have the lived in look for sure! I always wonder how some folks pull of the spotless house but I don’t know how to do it – not with the fam and animals.

  9. I sometimes think about a dream house, and then realize that getting one would mean moving and the thought just scares the dickens out of me. I really don’t want to move for a very long time.
    VandyJ would like you to read ..Confess is Good For YouMy Profile

  10. For me, it’s all about everything having a place and also keeping all flat surfaces free of clutter. It’s not easy with a 5-year-old around but seriously, my hubby is the worst offender at our house. Feels like I am constantly picking up and putting stuff away but if I didn’t the clutter would drive me around the bend.

    Happy Friday!
    Menopausal New Mom would like you to read ..Aloha Friday – Customer Satisfaction?My Profile

  11. Are you kidding? hahahaha My house is definitely lived in. I do not run a Good Housekeeping Book House. I have a musician husband and I have 2 amps and 2 guitars (sometimes 3) in my frontroom, 2 in the bedroom, and one acoustic in the office. Dogs toys wherever. I have a small kitchen there’s not too much I can do there, but although my house looks lived in it is CLEAN! Have a great weekend.
    Xmasdolly would like you to read ..ALOHA FRIDAY PHOTO FLASHBACK, FOLLOW STALK HOP FRIDAY 40 & OVER!My Profile

  12. I have the same story as you do! LOL! We have the ‘lived in’ look going on in our house as well – except for the few moments when I get a hankering for the ‘old days’ and I make everyone who lives in my house pitch in a make this place spotless. It usually lasts a good 5 minutes… 😉
    Jennifer would like you to read ..Simple Pleasures – AFMy Profile

  13. I have that very same dream! The only way I keep up with a clean house is by picking stuff up every single time I walk into or out of a room! Like, if I go into the kitchen and hubby left his trash RIGHT BY THE TRASH CAN but NOT in IT! 😉 I pick it up and throw it out. And if I go into the living room, I pick up a couple toys and throw them in the play room toy box. That is the ONLY way I manage to even keep the house a little clean!
    Kim would like you to read ..#Hop Along Friday! Gain More Followers!My Profile

  14. Even with both kids gone, the house is still a mess. Sure, there are times when we tackle the first floor because company’s coming, but that leaves the upstairs and downstairs still cluttered. I dream of a day when we can have help and can clear out a lot of the stuff because we both feel overwhelmed and would much rather do something else.
    CaJoh would like you to read ..Dream SpinnerMy Profile

  15. I’m dreaming of the same thing as you. My house is like yours. It is… chaos in living color. Whew! Thank God I’m not alone! 😉

  16. Our house looks very lived in, but we also try to clean for a few hours every once in a while. We try to make semi-regular trips to the thrift store to donate things we haven’t used in ___ years. It’s hard work!!
    Becca would like you to read ..Zucchini CasseroleMy Profile

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