I've read a few posts today about dealing with busy times at home. You can find them here, here and here.
Anyone who knows me and has been to my house over the past 7 or 8 years would know that I am not exactly Martha Stewart. In our place at Leichhardt, it was a constant challenge to find somewhere to sit down because of all the mess in the way! The carpet, which started out sort of blue, was more brown and grey, not to mention hairy, by the time we moved out. And in our place now, you can walk through without touching anything and you'll still come out covered in pet hair.
Clearly I don't have a huge desire for cleanliness. But I do have a desire for order and since being home full time, my standards have risen to a perhaps unrealistic level. Being on top of the housework makes me feel like I've achieved something, and gives me a sense of being in control. Unfortunately the price I pay is exhaustion and an increase in stress.
The challenge for me, from the posts I linked to above, is to decide what's really necessary to get done, and what isn't.
The answer isn't to do nothing, because that would be unhelpful too - but to do enough so that the house runs relatively smoothly and our basic needs are met.
So my new plan of attack is to carefully consider what needs doing, and to try to get it done in the mornings, leaving the afternoons free for rest. And to not feel guilty for the things I don't get done!
