Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Tackle It Tuesday

Yes, it is Tackle It Tuesday again. I am really not tiring of doing a job once a week that has been put off. I could spend today getting home school planning one step closer to the first day of school, and I may do that too. I will admit that I do not always do my tackles on Tuesday, but I do them with Tackle It Tuesday in mind. Some jobs require muscle and since both my grown boys were here yesterday, I tackled the back closet. This is where I store my candle business supplies. A huge rubbermaid container of soy wax, a box of jars, the melting pots, color, tools, etc. I have a stock of candles at the natural food store right now, so I will not be making anymore until the official candle buying season starts in the fall. With that in mind, and needing to get my vacuum cleaner out of the front closet, I had the boys carry the bulk items to the cool basement where the soy wax would be safe. I will post before pics on the left, and after pics on the right. Skip this part Sweet Hubby....I know how you hate it when I show my filth to the world!

This is the upper right side of the closet. We put paint up here so it would not freeze in the winter. I'd say it is safe to go back out. Now it holds candle making supplies. Sorry the pics are not brighter. That back hallway is dark.








This is the lower right side of the closet. Before were candle supplies. Now a vacuum cleaner. I hung my grandmothers aprons in here. I would like Sweet Hubby to build me a rack to hang these on.












Upper right corner, before and after.








Lower right side. These shelves just needed wiping down. I was able to move the step stool over to the other side.











So I can cross that job off my list. It has been there a while and I was dreading it. It was not bad at all once I started doing it and only took about 20 minutes.
Now I would like to talk Floors!!!
My new neighbor has white ceramic tile in her kitchen, sunroom and entryway. It seems every time I am at her house the floors are being mopped, or they are wet. Yesterday, she called to invite us to a BBQ and during the conversation she told a child to "stay off the wet floor". I got up the nerve to ask her, "How often do you mop your floors?" She replied "Oh, I have to mop them twice a day". Alright, so I will be the first to admit I do not wash my floors twice a day and I do not want to enter a competition to see who washes their floors the most. I am competitive, however I think I would draw the line there and gladly pronounce the new neighbor the "biggest mopper". Here is my issue. Last night I told Sweet Hubby, "The new neighbor mops her floors twice a day! Don't you think that is too much?" He said, "Not at all. Ours should be done twice a day too." I went in and looked at my kitchen floor, which had been mopped over the weekend (I mop them twice a week and do swipes when needed). It was only Monday night so I felt safe. Oh my gosh!! It was filthy! Here's my question to you all. How often do you mop your kitchen floors? Remember I have 3 kids, a puppy and a 2 year old over here all the time. I am feeling pretty cruddy so I plan to wash my floor today! I will leave you with a beautiful sight. My wood floors after a bi-weekly mopping. Though I dust mop regularly, I am wondering if those should be wet mopped more often??

Update: My kitchen floor is clean. I know...I need help.


8 comments:

Unknown said...

Ouch those words must have bitten. You know what I'm not the best housewife in the world, and I'm not the worst, I do keep a clean tidy house, but I also enjoy the other things in my life. So what if a magazine is out of place or a glass is on the kitchen sink waiting to be washed. Life's too short, and there are too many wonderful things to experience to stress over whether your floor needs an extra mop. Take a deep breathe and tell yourself, I'm NOT mopping....lol..... Big Hugs to you my friend.

Joni said...

Good God! Do you think everyone will comment at your funeral about how clean your house was? Heck No!But if you spend all your life cleaning and trying to keep up with the neighbors what memories will they have? I mop my floors once a week. I might vaccum them twice a week. It is just not that important. I would much rather be outside photographing or inside sewing. I know you keep your house clean so why chain yourself to housework? Give hubby the mop and let him do it!

~Bren~ said...

LOL Joni. I think if I handed sweet hubby the mop he would do it. I really don't care what the neighbors think, but I do care what my family thinks. I really like to keep things clean. 2 times a day just seems too much for me.

Pam said...

I was just thinking I could send you a plane ticket and you could have a nice little vacation and do a bit of "tackling" here - LOL

I don't have kids at home anymore and we have a very small kitchen now -- but when I had a nice large kitchen with lovely new floor and kids and dogs walking on them -- I never mopped the floor on a regular basis, only on a "as needed basis" with a bit of spot cleaning as required.

Mopping floors twice a day comes under the heading of Obsessive/Compulsive - LOL

Marye said...

we have 100 year old heart pine floors..and we have silt from a flood that happened a couple of years ago..and we have a million or so kids...
I probably need to mop twice a day but I don't. :(

Belvie said...

Twice a day....you've got to be kidding me!!! I've got better things to do with my time than push a mop. I'm like Pam...no kids at home, small kitchen...so I mop on an "as needed" basis and try to swipe up those spills as they occur. I have hardwood in the kitchen and eating area, so I do sweep or dust mop once a day. My house is not spotless, but it isn't dirty either. I do have dust and I just call it texture until I get around to cleaning it up. Fortunate for me, DH thinks I spend too much time cleaning as it is. He says.."live a little...the cleaning will still be there a little later."

Solstitches said...

I used to be paranoid about housework - didn't like it if a sofa cushion was squashed out of shape because someone leaned against it etc.
Now I don't care too much any more.
I want a nice comfortable home and I do enough to keep it that way but no more. To mop the floors twice a day is OCD in my book.

Fingers To Toes Photography said...

I have to raise my hand I dont mop or vacuum my floors but like maybe once a week - your house looks awesome!