My Confession

I have a feeling that a lot of people think that I am a very neat, organized person.  I'll let you in a little secret:

My house is messy 99% of the time!  

I like to make lists and schedules, but I have a bit of a problem following through with them!  That doesn't mean that I'm okay with the mess in my house; it drives me absolutely crazy!  Nevertheless, my house is usually messy unless I am expecting company.  So, I have an idea to document the messies, so that I may have some accountability on getting my act together :)  

So, let's start with the kitchen today, shall we?

Maybe you can share some tips with me on how you keep your house tidy, especially with little ones running around.  Pretty please?!

Here is the current state of my kitchen.  It's pretty bad:

Notice several weeks' worth of mail on the end of the counter, a couple days' worth of dishes, and lot of other clutter!

Unnecessary clutter on top of the fridge, kitchen appliances and other things on the floor (from when we started cleaning out a cupboard that I haven't put back away).

 Clutter in the corner on the floor and on the breakfast bar:

 I need to deal with the mail as soon as it comes each day and read the paper the day it comes, don't you think? There's also more clutter here that needs to be dealt with.

 I could use the excuse that I don't have a dishwasher to explain this mess, but I will just suck it up and admit that I'm lazy when it comes to dishes.  I need to stick with doing ALL the dishes every evening, and then after each meal during the day.  It doesn't get out of control that way.

So, there you have it!  Do you think I can get this cleaned up today?

Here's my to-do list for cleaning the kitchen.  I will clean in 15 minute increments setting a timer, since that's about the maximum amount of time I have before one of my children needs me!:

• Do the dishes.
• Go through the mail: throw away junk, set aside bills to pay, file away the rest.
• Get a basket and put everything in it that doesn't belong on the counter or floor or top of the fridge!
• Put those things away where they belong, or put in bag for Goodwill, or throw away.
• Wipe countertop and top of fridge.
• Wipe cupboards, fridge, and oven door.
• Dust shelves and windowsills.
• Mop floor.
• Clean stove surface.
• Clean inside oven.
• Clean out fridge and wipe shelves.

After making this list, I'm not sure I can get it all done today!  I'll do my best and share my progress tonight!