I have been overwhelmed this last week.  I know part of it was not having Jake around for 3 days and there was another part that really had to face what living with a toddler is going to be like.  Now that were done with the nursing, she really isn’t a baby at all any more so we made some big organizational progress and packed up all the small baby toys and sealed up the baby clothes.  No more baby.  I know there are complicated emotions here, but there’s more to this story.

When Jake has gone out of town for business before, I’ve always lazied away the first few days then gotten my act together just before he came home–so the clean house would make him think that’d I’d been productive the whole time.  This trip, I cleaned the first day but by the time he came home, we’d degenerated into mild chaos again.

Cleaning is very near the bottom of the things I like to do list. Having a clean house is pretty dang near the top.  I’m so stressed when the house isn’t clean, and even worse so when I clean and can’t see the results a few hours later. Not only is it terribly discouraging, but it invariably sends me into a downward spiral of feelings of inadequacy.   I know that having a clean house doesn’t make me a better person, wife or mother, it just would be really nice if it was clean.

So–as I was clearing up the accumulated clutter this afternoon, I had a brilliant (perhaps) revelation.  I walked up the stairs, carrying my sewing machine and basket, and almost set it down next to the little storage cabinet in our bedroom.  My first inclination was to leave it on the floor and add to the mess on our bedroom floor.  Then, I thought, I bet it would only take 30 seconds to finish putting this away.  It took 26.

Most things only need 30 more seconds.  We rush around all day and when I finally get some no-baby time, the last thing I want to do is spend an hour cleaning up the day’s mess.  I think that if Jake and I each spent 30 more seconds at the end of each task, it will significantly cut back on the time I’m spending to clean.  And, most importantly, the time I’m spending feeling guilty for not cleaning.

I know I can’t make a major change right away, but my goal is 30 seconds/30 days of a clean car.  If we can do it there, I know I can bring the system into the house.

What works for you???  Is it possible to wrangle a toddler, run a freelancing business and keep the house moderately tidy?  I don’t need perfection, but I’d love to hear what you think.