Cleaning

Sometimes it feels like all I do is clean up after everyone. Because my kids are awesome at making messes. If making messes was an Olympic sport, they would be competing against each other for the gold. And there are five of them and only one of me. So, to say I'm facing an uphill battle to keep things clean around here would be an understatement.

I decided to put the theory to the test, and to prove that I am not actually cleaning ALL the time. I mean, there are those other tasks that I have to do (such as preparing food and hiding out in the bathtub with a book). So I used the stopwatch on my phone, and every time I started to clean something, I would start the timer. I kept track two different days--a typical Monday and a typical Wednesday-- and here are the results:

Monday is always my biggest cleaning day. Things have typically been overlooked during the weekend and there is a lot to do to get everything put back together. It is also my laundry day, which we all know takes a lot of time. So, for this particular Monday, I didn't do anything out of the ordinary. I didn't suddenly start dusting the kids shutters or deep clean the carpets. I just did what I would always do on a Monday. And I spent 3 hours, 41 minutes cleaning that day.

On Wednesday, I again just did the things I would typically do (which included putting the laundry away), and I only spent 1 hour, 40 minutes cleaning.

So, the results may not have backed up the theory that I am ALWAYS cleaning up after somebody. There are still clearly many hours left in the day. Maybe I should have another baby....(HAHAHA).