by Melissa Willets posted in Parenting

Okay, I?m about to confess something that isn?t going to gain me a lot of friends or playdate invites. But here goes: When I go over to moms' houses, I judge them based on how clean it is. There, I said it. But there?s more to my take on how clean your house is, so I urge you to read until the end!
First, a little background. I usually keep a very clean house. Like, ?I?m about to have a showing for potential buyers? clean. That?s because I?m my mother?s daughter; a type-A clean freak who Swiffers after every meal, shudders at the sight of toothpaste globs in the sink, and insists you take your shoes off at the front door.
I don?t do a full-on cleaning of my house every day, but I usually perform one or two cleaning tasks at some point in the day. So maybe I?ll vacuum on Monday, dust Tuesday, clean a bathroom Wednesday, mop on Thursday, etc. Then, throughout the day, I?m picking up after the kids so my house doesn?t look like a ?before? photo. My children also know that they have to clean up after they take their toys out. But let?s keep it real. With three kids, my house still often resembles the stuff of an anal-retentive mom?s nightmare, with stuff scattered everywhere, and doll hair ground into the rugs, and lipgloss on the counter, and fruit snack wrappers next to, instead of in, the trash bin.

This is when we stop what we are doing, and everyone pitches in to get the house picked up. Especially if we are having someone over.
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