Tuesday, December 14, 2010

How I Do What I Do.


I'm sure you all remember the 1980's anti-drug TV commercial where someone fries up an egg in a pan and says, "This is drugs...this is your brain on drugs.  Questions?"

Well, I just discovered my version of that commercial last night, as my husband and I stayed up till 1am scrubbing the area of my house that has been most neglected since I started blogging in earnest just one year ago:

My kitchen floor.


Seriously, this is embarrassing.  For me this is the equivalent of posing for a picture sans make-up.  I would never, ever do it.  But, because I know how nutty Christmas can be, and how easy it is to look at what others are doing/blogging about and to compare our inadequacies to other people's strengths, I wanted to humble myself enough to share this with you.  Because I love you that much!

(See I don't have super powers...I just have a super husband who helps me do what I what/need to do around here...and he turns a blind eye when I decide that crafting, baking, or reading with my kids is more important to me than cleaning the floors!) 

So next time, you think about comparing yourself to others...or to me...just whip this picture out and realize there's always a trade-off.

By the way, my kids woke up this morning to see our gleaming white floors and their reaction was better than on Christmas morning!  Scarlett said, "Who painted our floors white, Mommy???"  And Guy asked, "Did you paint the walls too?"  It's like ten times brighter in our house now!  FYI, it took 3 cans of comet, a long-handled scrub brush, my husband's brute strength, three wet rags, and me on my hands and knees to get the floor this clean.

So there!  Now you know how I do it all...I don't!

29 comments:

  1. sometimes it is nice to know everyone else isn't on top of everything like we think. helps us to be easier on ourselves :) thanks!

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  2. I'm so glad to know that I'm more normal than I thought! My floor is caked in glitter this week. I have to tell myself that I'm trading a clean kitchen (or house) for memories with my kids.

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  3. Hahaha, thank you SO much for sharing this. You and your "on blogging" floor make me feel so much better about the piles of laundry and everything else taunting me right now. I am SO glad I am not the only one whose answer to the do-it-all question is, "...I don't."

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  4. Thanks for sharing-love the photo and caption. I have a blog too, stay home with my two toddlers, run an etsy shop, and work PT at my church. I JUST scrubbed my kitchen floor this a.m. with my kids. How funny! I do it a few times a year only. It makes me feel good to know I'm not alone!!!!! Ellen

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  5. In the words of my husband who just came home from work, "Our floors are unnaturally white."

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  6. Love it! That is amazing! And it's so true the time doing other things like crafting or playing with our kids is more important. I just wish I could get rid of the nagging list in my head of other things I should.

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  7. take down that picture! you had to have photoshopped all that grime! it wasn't like that at Thanksgiving, was it? Say it wasn't.

    And no competition but not a lot else to do around here in that state up north. OH-IO

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  8. Whew!! I am so glad to know that I am not the only one to cut corners!! (And by the way, I am so NOT posting pictures of my floor!) Sometimes, it is nice to know that whatever we are doing, we are normal in our own way. Love the fact that you are so supportive of the rest of us!!

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  9. wow, I'm impressed. reminds me of my neighbor who was down on her hands and knees with a toothbrush and clorex-cleaning her grout-looks great but I like mine brown. Of course, I don't have kids dirtying up the place although the grandkids are stopping by on their way to disneyland this week. I'm certainly not doing any floors until after they have come and gone...lol!

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  10. Okay, I have been in awe of you since I discovered your blog via ornament :) and I'm happy to say - this puts a human element on you! haha! Now, I'm off to go look at my floors. Or maybe I'll just keep the lights dim. ;) Thanks for sharing!

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  11. Yes, Mom it did look like this, but you'd never notice except that we did such a great job making it shine...so in contrast it looks gross. But I make it a practice never to look down!

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  12. Thanks for the laugh today (and for making me feel better). I've always felt that there are many other things in my life that take priority over my house, but it still embarrasses me when someone comes to visit. :)

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  13. One day I had a friend mention that my house was rather messy. Since then my motto has become "if you don't like it, don't come over"

    My kids and family is the most important thing to me, and sometimes my house is left to the very last! :) It is super nice to know that I am not the only one who has a surprise underneath all that "love" that others call dirt. :)

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  14. This is the exact reason that we chose the darkest grout and the most "dirt-like" tile we could when we were building our house. It makes me smile!

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  15. my husband is similar to yours. he continues to look the other way when things don't get done because I wanted to do something else. Thanks for making me feel better and that I am not the only one who "neglects" my "Wifely duties"

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  16. There are days that an hour before my husband is supposed to come home I run and pick up as many things as possible just so it looks like I did something in our home that day :)
    Right now, my season and purpose are my children. I just keep telling myself one day I'll be on top of housework, and for today I'll have fun with my boys.

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  17. Congrats!! So brave to post pics. I couldn't. :~)

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  18. This post made me SO happy! I feel the same way right now with a few spots in my house, namely my garage! My floor has looked like that! YOur great and we all know non of us are perfect. But no I am not going to take a picture of my bathroom drawer with makeup all over in it :)

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  19. This is probably one of my most favorite blog posts ever!! You seriously made my morning! Some people really do seem to do it all..and it is nice to know that maybe.. just maybe, they really don't. You are a sweetie!!

    :)

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  20. Thanks for sharing! You've inspired me to be more humble and honest in sharing on my own blog. It's nice to know no one's perfect, in our media saturated world it's so easy to to forget that simple truth.

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  21. I know you are a superwoman in so many areas. Thanks for sharing.

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  22. Oh, I so relate. Except that I think I just saw a tumbleweed blow through my blog, so I don't have that excuse for the state of my kitchen floor.

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  23. Amazing. It's like a renovation!

    Good work.

    =D

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  24. I love your "real men" post, but really, I love this "real women" even better. :D

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  25. Haha! I love the kids' reactions. :) I'm glad I'm not the only one either that can't juggle everything!

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  26. I think I just fell in love with you! ;-) I have such a hard time balancing and then end up resenting when my hours of cleaning get spoiled in one afternoon. This kind of reminds me that there are more important things than a floor you can eat off of (That's what tables are for anyway!).

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  27. Thanks for posting that pic! I have the same color tile. For quick, easier upkeep (not as good as comet, but faster) try the magic erasers. They work wonderfully. :)

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    1. Thanks! I'd probably spend a fortune in Magic Erasers though!!! :) Comet is the poor man's magic eraser! ;)

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