Not much time left, i have grandkids and quilting, camping and sooooo many other things to accomplish, no time for housework. lol

I love the comment on hoarders. My house looks downright picture perfect compared to that. I do hate clutter, as it makes me tense, but can't say I don't have it. Especially my desk. But my living room always looks nice, and the kitchen mostly in order. Do laundry every week, and vacuum most every week. Now and then I do what my husband calls 'Lynda' cleaning. That's when I make a particular room look like it has had a makeover. It makes me feel good. I do spend less time cleaning now than before I started quilting. At my age, I figure I need to quilt at a pretty steady pace to be sure all the grown kids, and grand kids and worthy friends get a quilt before I die. That is more important than having a show case home.

You guys sure make me feel a lot better about my messy house. My wonderful DH tells me I should quilt if I'm feeling creative. The mess will still be there when I feel like cleaning. I keep up with the bathrooms, kitchen and the laundry. The rest is kind of the house has that very lived in look. He doesn't care as long as I cook.

I'm thinking this would be a good sign to hang in my house.

I had the opportunity to retire from teaching at age 55. At first my priority was to have a clean, organized house. Ater a few months I realized I didn't retire to be remembered as having a clean house but to spend time doing things I enjoyed. First I did my "work" in the morning and sewed in the afternoon. That didn't last long. Now I just clean good when I know someone is coming, etc..... Much, much better!!!!

hehehehe funny that you should bring this up . BUT I have a solution to running yourself ragged. This is what I do......I leave the vacuum out in the main room with a dust rag hanging on the handle. That way I never get "caught " with a dirty house. Is that not wicked???? hehehehe Hasn't failed me yet.

My house was beautiful when I was younger. Now the children are grown and it's time for me to do what I want to do. I'm not going to waste my days cleaning. Even if I don't quilt a day I still don't clean. I do the necessary chores. like cleaning baths, making bed, dishes are stacked in dishwasher. As long as it's neat that's good enough for me.

Ladies,

I have read all the comments and Good Advice.

My question: "If this Board was a "men's Board, do you think they would spend even one moment discussing CLEANING???

I follow the FLY Lady (google her) method of cleaning 15 minutes each day. Keeps the house presentable with LOTS of time for me and my hobbies.

Housework? what's that? I notice my husband runs around the floor from time to time with a machine that scares the dogs; of course, I never learned how to use it, so I don't touch it.

Is there anyone who does not let their house work go?

I have never seen a tombstone that says She was a good housekeeper.

Glad you came o your senses, Jeanne!!

I have a picture that says " Creative clutter is better than idle neatness" ! Indeed!

LOVE that!! I, too, have greatly relaxed my standards. When the kids were small everything was clean and done. I vacuum once a week (darn that cat!) and dust about every 2-3 months. I don't get alot of quilting done, but I always have it on my mind to get up to my sewng room. Now that I'm retired it seems I don't get much accomplished. I got so much more done when I was working all day. I sewed in the evenings and usually on Sundays. Now if I sew once or twice a week I'm lucky.

I love all the responses! Between quilting and looking at the posts on this Board I find all days are just too short. So, I prioritize and naturally quilting comes first!

I would probably need a month LOL:D

My house was once very clean too. That was before arthritis, age, and a yellow lab entered my life. Most of the clutter is under control. However, I still long for the days when I could do everything. I know that won't happen again, and I'm finding I simply don't have the stamina that I once did. In addition, in the summer there is yardwork, and flower gardens to play in. The dog hair bothers me, but I no longer vacuum everyday. I try to keep it presentable, and a decent evening meal on the table. DH does not help with anything, unless asked, and I'm tired of asking. If he doesn't like something he can do it himself.

Ever notice that the older you get, the harder it is to see cobwebs unless you are looking closely? See, if you don't look for dust, cobwebs, and dustbunnies, they simply aren't there!

I hate house work, I don't like doing the dishes I find myself waiting till my cupboards are running on empty dishes which is about three days then I know I need to do them. I figure friends come to vist me not inspect my house-my house is made to be lived in not a palace where you have to take off your shoes before you can enter after all I do live in the country no place I'd rather be than in my home living comfortably

I used to have garden hoed ,yawn mowed, all weed-eating ,driveway sweeped and the whole house cleaned, cars washed and waxed and I have 2 small buisnesses, one of which is cleaning at one time 17 houses. Now i only have only 10 houses. But now my house is live-able and we all are happier and my family loves my quilts!I decided quilting is something that makes me happy and I do for ME( and anyone I come in contact with). You know keeping a spotless house does not matter to anyone but being a great person to be around matters to everyone! So if quilting makes you happy GO FOR IT!

Here's a good "fix" for all our housework "worries"... LOL!

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Jut love love love Your answer!!! It's so so true!!! ;o)

I just spent 3 days of a vacation week cleaning and reorganizing the kitchen, giving the bathroom a thorough cleaning, dusting(which is often neglected) and cleaning the floors. I work full time and just don't have the energy to do more than cook dinner and clean the kitchen at night so any cleaning gets done on the weekend along with errands, cooking meals for the week, etc. I'm really beginning to resent cleaning the house because many times I don't even get to do any sewing before the weekend is over. Glenn is in charge of laundry and keeping the family room clean but the rest of the house is mine. Mind you my standards of cleaning aren't all that high but with 4 hairy hounds running through the house the fur tumbleweeds can be quite prolific by the end of the week. Floors have to be done every week or we'll be drowning in fur.

I have Merry Maids once a month an spot clean in between,which isnt much . but then its only me,sew who cares. joyce j

I have theory to clean my house twice a year whether it needs it or not

That really works. My last cat was mostly black and his fur you could see all over the place, the new cat is a siameze color and it blends in with the carpeting and everything. It's so nice.

I'm a horrible house keeper, I'm a perfectionist and when I start cleaning something, I notice something else that's bad, then that leads me to something else and before I know it I've cleaned for an hour and have nothing to show for it.

Now I try to do the flylady thing, the 15 minute fling and hot spots.

Right now my house is a complete mess. I was studying for a big certification exam and let everything go. I really need to just tackle the house. I tend to do a big house clean 1 or 2 times a year and the rest of the time keep the toilets clean and dishes washed, sweep the kitchen floor once a week and spot mop the floor. My next floor is not going to be white.

My inlaws came for an extended visit once, 6 weeks. We did a big clean before they arrived, like we were selling the house type clean. And then we were working full time and they were staying at home the entire time. After about 2 weeks, they started making comments about the cleanliness of the house and how I wasn't cleaning enough. I told them, "Your son and I clean up after ourselves. If the house is not clean enough for you, allow me to show you how the vaccuum cleaner works and here are the cleaning supplies. 3 days is a visit, longer then that you live here and need to contribute to the upkeep of the house." Needless to say they were not impressed.

:thumbup: Good for you! I wish I'd had the gumption to say that. My attitude is "If you come to see me, wonderful. If you come to see my house, stay away."

Lisa, that is hilarious!

Exactly the same here - I think my DH started a hobby just so he doesn't have to clean!

You think keeping your house up while quilting is a problem now, just wait until you get older and slower like me. Just joking but there's a bit a truth in the statement. I just lowered my standards a bit and try to quilt and have a sort of neat looking home. Don't get that much company any longer (many friends and family have moved to warmer clients) and most company is family so they know there's always plenty of food to eat and tea to drink so they're happy. There is always stuff that needs to go upstairs so I hide it in large colorful shopping bags I picked up at Joann's and leave it on the stair landing. DH usually takes it upstairs and puts it in my sewing room and closes the door. What I don't see doesn't need attention, LOL.

PS: Always hated leaving a messy looking kitchen before going to bed but a dishwasher takes care of that, I run it late at night and DH usually empties it while he is waiting for the morning coffee to brew. Now that's team work, LOL!

MY housework? MY chores? No, OUR chores. Hubby does help greatly, mostly doing the laundry and floors, dishes on a rare occasion.

But he is inclined to do things like this morning. I have a charity quilt that really needs to be done today and my 6 year old granddaughter is visiting today.. So he brings in a paint can, why don't you go ahead and paint the hall today Then after a foray in the garden brings in zucchinni that needs to go in the freezer, tomatoes that need attention, reminds me to get the bills paid online, and,"gee, it's lunch time, can't you make me a sandwich instead of playing on the computer?"

I would be happy to let my housework go anywhere it wants. But it never leaves until I or my husband do it.

My home was never spotless, just clean with clutter. There's really no change there, except that my husband does the cleaning and I do the cluttering. LOL! We're both experts at cluttering... but he does do most of the cleaning because of my fibromyalgia.

If we only cleaned after company leaves, the house would never be clean!

When raising my children, I kept the "clean enough to be healthy, dirty enough to be happy" sign in my kitchen. I had more energy when I was younger. The sign has since been discarded. Now I've been retired for 2.5 years and have to use my energy wisely.

Hubby is very laid back and we enjoy being together. I treasure the time spent with him and we manage to keep up on the basics. My major responsibility is to continue to downsize as I have so much stuff - both mine and that which I inherited. (I feel good about the two bags dropped off at a charity shop today.) Earlier this week, DH cleaned the kitchen and dining room windows, inside and outside, which look out at the lake. It was his idea and I am walking on cloud nine! Our home was presentable for guests yesterday and we can play for a couple of days. We seem to have a good balance of togetherness, separate interests, and sharing responsibilities at home.

We have had several laughs as I've shared some comments from this thread. Our favorite was eating off of the floor!

Thank you for starting this thread. I have a strange tolerance to clutter and dirt, it's like I don't see it until one day I look around and think "when did this place become such a pig sty?" I came home from work swept the floors and mopped. Decluttered some of the counters and then rewarded myself with some computer time.

LOL I think we are all in the same boat I clean, vacuum and dust once a week or if we've had wet weather a little bit more. Dishes are done 98% of the time (dishwasher lol), beds are not necessarily made but the pillows are on it and the quilt is pulled up. All of our family and friends know your there to see us not be a dust inspector! The couches and chairs are clear (well I take that back as I look up there is a pile of fabric on the top of one chair, and well the dining room table never gets used other than for special occasions so it's buried as my work table. If I know we've got friends coming over I mutter under my breathe that I have to move everything back and forth.

I have found this out, too. My knee is too wonky for me to be on it very long so cleaning, while I don't mind doing it, just doesn't get done like it used to. I'm quite fortunate in that my DH doesn't see dirt... LOL! He's good to hekp but y'know how it is... nobody can clean your house like you can.

I can tolerate actual "dirt" more than I can "clutter" -- and I'm horrible about leaving clutter around myself. What's with that???

When our kids lived at home the house was always spotless. The kids did their chores and Mom and Dad did theirs just to set a good example for the kids :) But like so many others here...now that the kids are gone and we are retired, the housework thing has gotten a bit more relaxed around here.

My house is not cluttered, and not really dirty. I don't mind if company stops over, nothing to be embarrassed about here. However....I don't always do the dishes right after dinner, they often get done after breakfast the next day. I should vacuum more often as I have black cats and light tan carpet, but these days if it gets done once a week then I'm doing good. What really motivates me to vacuum is when someone comes over and asks what happened to my carpet. At times the fur gets bad enough to look like oil stains all over the carpet. Hubby and I are both good about not leaving clutter around. Laundry gets done weekly give or take...as soon as we start running out of clean shorts or whatever to wear :)
There are a few things I still do daily. Clean the cat litter boxes daily is a must. I don't like my house to smell like cats, gotta keep those boxes clean! I give the bathroom a quickie wipe down daily....just something I grew up doing. Used to cook dinner daily....getting lazy about that though. Now I cook maybe 3 times a week, Hubby cooks once or twice, and we eat out on the rest :) I also keep my sewing room very clean. Eat off the floor clean. That is because of the cats for two reasons. One is to keep them safe from pins, eating threads scraps etc. The other is to keep the cats from leaving cat hair all over the room. Nothing worse than sewing a project and finding you have sewn long black cat hairs into every seam.

Love it, housework is a bad word in my house and as most of my visitors are quilters they understand. But as I like a tidy home I have a professional team of quilters in twice a month and they sure have their work cut out, heehee.