How do you motivate yourself? Do you feel a sense of accountability? If you do, then to who? Does anyone HOLD you accountable?
I kinda feel in my family like people feel so bad for me with the kids always undoing my work that no one holds me accountable for giving up half the time. I am having a hard time holding myself accountable. So what is your motivator, is it need or desire for a clean home? Rebelling over a messy home as a child? Feeling accountable to someone? I'm interested to know.
I do it for our four kids because I want them to come home to a clean house with their snacks waiting. My mom worked all the time when I was growing up and I don't want that for my kids.
I am accountable to myself. I feel happy in a clean and organized home. I also want my house to look nice for my family and guests. My motivation comes from hating messes but there have been days where I dont' want to do a thing and those are the days I crank up the music and make lists!
I am semi retired and my kids are in college and beyond and neither lives at home- this is a new normal, the whole housewife thing.
I was meant to be a worker and have always worked PT and find housework mundane- the house always was much neater, cleaner and organized when I worked... now there is no sense of urgency.
My husband keeps getting relocated so I have had to put my career on the back burner.
That's such a hard question to answer. I guess I do it totally for myself. Beyond the stress/anxiety disorder causes me, I love the feeling of being able to provide a beautiful home for my family. I grew up in a messy home I was embarrassed of, and I don't even want them to feel that way. I do it to provide a good example for my kids. I do it because I want to take care of my things/home so they last.
It's hard sometimes, especially when I get in a slump, but I know that I have to just pull myself out of it. To do that, I'll read FlyLady emails, pretend I have company coming over, put on music and dance around, or just put 5 minutes on the timer and force myself to focus on the 1st thing on my list. It's rough.
Sometimes it gets what I consider to be "out of hand." Example from yesterday. I like to do only one load of laundry a day. Well, we were out of town Sunday, then DS3 took off his diaper both Sunday and Monday nights so I had to do his bedding both Monday and Tuesday. I was stressed Tuesday morning because there was "a huge pile of laundry" (in my eyes). Well, I became a laundry machine, and it ended up only being an extra load and a half. I actually had to go find some things for the second load! Sometimes it just seems more overwhelming that it really is. I'm at a point now where I know that, so it makes tackling it a little easier...
Quoting MamaJane:I am accountable to myself. I want the house to look nice. But that goes deeper in that I want it to look nice for others too. I like when hubby comes home to a clean house. I like when my fil drops by and the house is clean.
I love to be that mom, who when someone drops by unexpectedly, I don't have to beg them to excuse the mess. I love that my friends and family wish they "had one of me at home" and want organization tips from me. It makes me proud to be neat and organized, AND have a life and kids (pregnant with #2 now!). My job is being a SAHM, and I take pride in my mothering and housekeeping abilities, because it IS my career!
DH expects (because I've set the bar) to come home to a clean house, a clean happy wife and son, and a warm meal. Not any different from my expectation of him to go out and earn money and advance in his career.
I get told often that I feel the way I do because I'm oppressed as a house wife...that is as far from the truth as it gets for me. I applaud working women who do it all, but I love being a SAHM and I do it because I choose to.
Sorry I went off so long on this! Lol! Those are my reasons for a clean house ALWAYS! :)
Tilex turned my white tub yellow!
- Shlamoof
on Aug. 7, 2012 at 11:59 AM