Friday, June 15, 2012

the asking for help dilemma



i adore white furniture, white walls, white dishes, white daisies, white bedding.
white.
the way the light bounces off of it and the fresh clean feeling it can evoke.

the problem is i can not keep it clean.
(and this is only one of the reasons i don't wear white clothing)
it takes me two days to wash and hang dry one of my couch's slip cover and cushions and being we have two identical couches, it's a 4 day ordeal.

today being the end of that four day experience
 I was thrilled to notice that the first couch I cleaned earlier this week already is dirty.
yup.
it's a never ending battle if I choose to engage in it and most often I don't but being I am trying so hard to find my house, my happy place here at home, the noticing of the already dirty couch has sent me to sit in the sun and do nothing but breath deeply for the rest of the day.
the living room is upended, one of the slip covers tore when I was putting it back on, the kitten has shred kleenex everywhere, there is a random assortment of dimes and pennies and if you stopped by today you would think,
wow..that's a lived in living room...or...this girl needs help.
)where did her organizational skills go? i know she used to have them. i saw them once"

which leads me to a question.
is it okay to ask for help cleaning and organizing my house in exchange for
well, nothing but the privilidge of being in my messy presence.
imagine, if i invited a few of my friends over, promised to feed them and we just tackled it and got it done. is that okay?
i'm not good at this asking for help thing, and i'm not sure what is too much and what is just right and what is normal...maybe there are women all over getting together and cleaning up each other's disaster areas..and i'm missing out
or maybe,
this is one of those way to vulnerable, don't come see my messy drawer kind of situations and i should keep my mouth shut.

"Turning out drawers is so personal that you wouldn't want any but a good friend to see what's in there."

what would you do?
 would you ask for help? enlist the husband and children
or
  just do it yourself and stop thinking about it, blogging about it and avoiding it?

4 comments:

  1. I would be there in a minute if I could, just to be in your lovely, messy presence! Cleaning together should be/is great bonding time for women. I know there are times when I have wanted to ask for help, but sadly, there are not friends here that I would/could ask...another reason to move back to Victoria....cleaning with non-judgmental friends :) If I am able to get there this summer and you still need a hand, count me in!

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  2. Let me know and I'll be there! This is a fantastic idea, and brave! I think it would breed a wonderful sense of community and it would also be an invitation for reciprocation. (heh, that rhymes...) LOVE YOU!

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  3. I think that's a wonderful idea. :)

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  4. What I would actually DO probably falls more into the "blog about it and avoid it" category - that's my famous solution to laundry, anyway - however, I kind of like the idea of a Good Friends Housecleaning Club. As a kid, my own room was usually a mess but I greatly enjoyed cleaning and tidying my friends' bedrooms...weird but true. So if you want to found the club, count me in!

    Stoic Bear and I also have lots of fun with "organizing dates" where we stay home alone and tackle together one room that really needs sorting out. If we're both in the right frame of mind, it can be the highlight of the weekend.

    Plus, I am a firm believer in Putting the Kids to Work. If they can dirty it, they can clean it...

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