Take this broom and shove it

I have a problem. I am a cleaning addict.

Ironically, this was never really a problem for most of my life. But it seems to have kicked into high gear while I'm out on maternity leave.

Mommy, Esq. and Natalie are probably laughing at reading this since I was far from clean while we all lived together in Boston. But in my defense, neither of them were particularly motivated to clean so it was easier to just go with the flow.

When we bought our house and our furniture morphed from 80% hand-me-downs to 80% new I became a lot more motivated to clean. But the house is a lot bigger so it takes most of a morning or afternoon of a weekend day to do it right. DH used to help quite a bit but that has declined sharply in the past 9 months or so. Mostly because he is doing a lot of work in the yard or other projects around the house. Partially because I'm convinced he doesn't see the dirt and grime as readily as I do. I think that's common man vision...

I never really nested in the cleaning sense while I was pregnant but I was doing a good cleaning every 3-4 weeks. Now, however, I am all about the cleaning. I pull out the vacuum at least once a week and usually multiple times for the TV room. I sweep the kitchen floor every other day. I take the swiffer and run it over the hardwood floors once a week. And I dust.

Am I going crazy? Probably. But I think it's more a combination of nesting kicking in and the fact that I am now home all day long. I sit in the TV room breastfeeding and see the crumbs and dirt that the dog tracks in and I need to clean it. I walk up the stairs 8 million times a day and see the dog hair collecting in clumps. I walk across the kitchen floor and see the crumbs as I prepare dinner (I'm doing most of the cooking now too). DH thinks it's because I'm bored. I'm not sure I buy into that but it's true that I'm used to having a list of projects to get done for work and for these 3 months, I don't have that. So I guess I'm inventing it on my own.

I get satisfaction out of having a nice clean (and very organized) house. I suppose I should enjoy it while I can before Cameron is mobile and brings her own version of organization to the house. But right now I have the time and the energy to clean and pick up constantly. I'm with Cameron all day so I get the quality time with her and still have the desire to do things around the house. I have a feeling that will change radically when I'm back at work. I doubt I will want to take 3 hours on a Saturday to clean like I have in the past. My solution? A cleaning service. DH has been very resistant to this idea in the past because we've had the time and energy to do it (motivation, not so much). Now with Cameron in the mix that won't be the case any more. I figure with what I'm saving on formula by breastfeeding I can afford a bi-weekly service.

Help me gather some ammunition to convince DH that this is the way to go. Do any of you having cleaning services? Did you get them before or after having children? How much are you paying for a cleaning service? What problems, if any, have you had? DH works from home so he is concerned he will be bothered.

Here are a few pictures of Cameron playing on her mat or with her Daddy.

Nesting Saturday

Today I woke up with the desire to clean out my kitchen cabinets and linen closet. I was out of bed by 8 AM and went down stairs to survey the kitchen. DH (that is Dear Husband for those of you not familiar with the acronym) was pouring his second cup of coffee. I immediately started clearing out some cabinets in the mud room and sorting into piles. Because he is taller he helped me move a few things which somehow resulted in him helping me clean out and rearrange all of the kitchen cabinets and drawers. Thanks, honey!

I took advantage of the built-ins we have in the library to move some of the less used serving-ware out of the kitchen cabinets. I also got rid of an old George Foreman Grill which hasn't seen the light of day for at least 2 years. We ended up with a nice pile of kitchen-ware to donate to GoodWill. Now that I am more organized in the kitchen I am amazed at how much space we have! There should be plenty of room for all the baby stuff that will be residing there. Assuming I don't fill it up with purchases from Target first!

Speaking of Target; I went over there after having breakfast with DH. His job was to trim all of the million or so bushes we have around the property. My parents are coming to visit next Friday and the house must look nice. Or at least like we are responsible home owners. While Jeremy was doing that, I was doing what came naturally to me: spending money. I picked up a bunch of clear plastic storage bins and a few other knickknacks. Did you know it is impossible to leave Target for less than $100? I think it's a law or something.

Anyway, upon return home (and being distracted by weeding out the front bed) I tackled the linen closet. I organized all of our extra blankets in one bin, sheets in another, table clothes, linen napkins in the last one. It totally opened up a ton of room.

Being on a roll I moved on to my closet. I did what I probably should have been doing for years and put away all of my summer clothes. Not only do they not fit me any more but the weather is getting noticeably cooler. I also moved all of my nice work closes into the spare bedroom's closet. Now I have plenty of space for the maternity clothes. Thanks, Mommy Esq. for the selection!

I am feeling nice and organized now. I'm not sure how long that will last but for the first time in weeks I don't have any clothes sitting in a laundry basket! I think Sunday will be a nice and relaxing in comparison. Even if DH does make me watch a ton of football.

Any suggestions on another organizing project for me to tackle?