The Overwhelmed Housewife

     My home is overwhelming to me, and with the life we are leading it should not be. I just do not know how to get past the overwhelming feelings I get towards our home. I begin by trying Monday mornings to get the home clean. It is a task to get the three main rooms clean the correct way. The week consists of the gathering of much clutter that comes with having a large family. I am ok with clutter if it had its place. I have tried several times to create a place for clutter; to organize it. It just does not seem to stay the way I put it. I get to a point where I give up and just tidy up so the home is livable, until I can't take much more and do another full day of deep cleaning come Monday morning. It seems to last a day. Then things begin to pile where it shouldn't; dirt, papers, toys, food, odds and ends accumulate to the point I get exhausted. I know my role is to continue day and night to pick up after it. This is the only way to stay on top of it. It is how any good housewife and mother does it. My Grandma did it, my mother did it...so why do I have a hard time? It goes back to motivation I guess. I need to get back into a mindset of early rising and getting work done first thing, most of which would be done before the husband and kids rise for the day. I started a good "schedule" a few months back. I got pretty motivated, but I exhausted myself and it has been hard to get back into the routine again. I disappoint myself as a housewife and mother for not staying on top of things like I need to; like I want to. I aspire to be like my Grandmother. The prime example of how I want to live. When she began her family she was taking care of elderly folk in her home for income. They were family in her eyes though. She would be up and ready by 3 am - 4 am everyday. By the time her 3 children and husband was up for the day she would of had 2 or 3 loads of laundry done, and not just clothes, bed sheets, towels, etc.. She ironed everything, had bread baking, breakfast going and dinner started. Home was picked up, dusted, vacuumed/swept, dishes washed mostly all before the rooster crows. The rest of the day was maintaining, cooking, and any other chore of the day. This is my inspiration I need to live up to. So how do I do it and stay sane? I just do it. The trick is to continue it and not give up in frustration. It does feel great to get up and shower and get myself looking nice, getting the home cleaned up first thing and be able to enjoy being in our home. I do not enjoy it when I know I have been lazy with it. Another excuse I let myself have is that I am so tired come Monday morning after working 24+ hours over the weekend. My job is physical and can be very emotionally draining as well. To begin first thing Monday morning can be a hard challenge, but I know it is just mental. It is a mental block I need to fight past. Thankfully, my grandmother is supposed to come for a visit this upcoming Monday morning. It is going to make me get out of bed early and clean. I refuse to have my "perfect" grandma come and view me as a disaster. I know she does not view me this way as she tells me how good of a mama I am all the time, but my home looks nothing like her home. That is what I want to achieve and I believe with the right motivation and aspiration I will do it correctly forever.