We had an appraiser out on Thursday to check out the house. I was up until 1:30 Wednesday night cleaning. I was very happy with the results. I know the house doesn't have to be sparkling for an appraisal, but I decided the time had come for spring cleaning.

When I worked part time, before new baby was born, I was able to clean the house on Wednesday mornings, and again on the weekend. Well, somewhere after going back to work full time and having a second kid, I lost some housecleaning time. I have never been the most organized or tidy person and it takes a lot of work for me to stay on top of things. I have resolved to make sure the house is orderly every day, and make sure to clean it thoroughly twice a week. I kind of liked having shiny counter tops and floors!

We'll see how long I can keep it going. I am going to try very hard, but I always seem to fall back into my old habits. It's pretty sad when a 3 year old notices the difference after you clean. The truth is, I have so many projects to complete this summer both indoors and out that I have to keep the house clean on a daily basis, otherwise I will always be behind. My Grandma Littman (God bless her) endorsed the idea of hiring Merry Maids to help out around the house. This is from a woman who took care of a house full of six kids while her husband was away 6 months out of the year in the military. Somehow, my life doesn't seem so bad compared to that! Besides, who needs to hire help when I have my own built in "Merry Maids" at home? Old baby is wicked good at wielding a mop and my poor sweet husband is kind enough to just do what I tell him to. I think if I attach mop heads to new baby's knees, he can start pulling his weight around the house too.