The House Smells Like Lemon Pledge

I am exhausted.

I spent all evening yesterday & most of the day today cleaning my house in order to show it to a prospective buyer. I consider myself a somewhat tidy person, but there's nothing like seeing your rooms through someone else's eyes to make you SEE YOUR CLUTTER. I whipped through every single room, trying hard to make it devoid of anything that would draw the eye to a clutter spot. I wanted the rooms to seem open, airy, pleasant and, well, roomy.

Basically, I staged my own house.

And it was hard work!

Now, I just want it to stay this way. The entire house is clean at one time...when does that ever happen? We got a good start on it last weekend when I cracked the whip and I honestly thought it wouldn't take long to get it ready to show. Um, nope.

I'm going to try in the next week or so to be extra attentive to setting aside a time for my kids to pickup. We do after-school jobs and they usually have to pick up their bedroom floors before bed, but the "kid stuff" that is scattered here and there throughout the house starts to accumulate. I think maybe as part of our evening routine, everyone in the family will be in charge of a different room and be responsible for getting back into the state it is now. (Is it obvious that I am feeling tense? I worked fast & furious and I dread tomorrow's breakfast mess.) I did have Mike's help last night--he deep-cleaned while I picked up kid-litter. ("kiddy litter!" ha! a new colloquialism is born!) He also spiffed up the garage and then inside today from 4-6pm. And I think I broke the child labor laws today, ordering all three kids around. But still. I just really want it to stay perfectly clean. It feels so good! I don't know if that's real life, though.

Okay. Enough obsessing. Here is a peek into the master bedroom. I usually keep this door closed because there is laundry being folded or toys on the floor. It's nice not to have to worry about it being cycloned if the door is open & someone arrives unexpectedly.

I did a massive clearing of my desk.
Desk Before:
Desk After:

Somehow, I've got to keep it this way--even though the calendar and school papers will need to come back out of hiding. Also, I need to find a magnet board or something to display the pictures and notes the kids give me; it makes me happy to look at those kid scribblings.

If this house sells, we will move across the street to the new house. And hopefully we will be able to stay there after a disappointing financial year. I love my neighborhood and ward and feel very at home here.