Thanks for Teaching Me How to Clean

I was cleaning the living room today, and all I could think about was how great a mom I have.  Mom, thanks for teaching me how to clean, AND for actually making me do it from a young age.  It's an increasingly UNpopular idea these days, but trust me, your kids will thank you later. 

Here's one of mom's tips for cleaning:  When you look around a room and don't know where to start, pick a spot (maybe even the easiest, cleanest spot) and work your way around the room, clockwise. 

20 minutes later, the living room was done and I could move onto something I really wanted to do. 

And when we would watch TV as a family (I remember watching a lot of Donna Reed, Mr. Ed, and Patty Duke reruns on Nick at Nite), she would have us clean up on commercial breaks.  When you've got 5 kids (later 7), if everyone in the house cleans up on a 3 minute commercial break, the house can get cleaned pretty quickly!  I still do that now.  I'm glad I don't have TiVo--how would I get anything done while watching football? 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the dreaded Saturday Job List.  Mom would list everything that needed to be done, room by room, in a numbered list.  Then she would write numbers at the bottom of the page, tear them up and fold them, and shake them in her hands.  Each of us would pick jobs from her hands.  ::::Ooo, lots of excitement--ya never know what job you're gonna get today!!::::  We could even trade if we wanted to.  I liked to sweep, so I would often trade to get the sweeping jobs, or trade so that I could clean and vacuum the room and not have to wait on someone else to finish cleaning before I could vacuum.  When we were really little (kindergarten, first grade), I remember fighting over who got to vacuum.  Crazy.  I'm sure there were many times when we complained about cleaning, but we learned early on that in life, you may have to do things that you don't enjoy. 

My first semester of college, I was 17 and living in a townhouse in Baton Rouge, and about a month after moving in, I remember realizing that the shower probably needed to be cleaned.  I got the needed supplies and tackled the job, but then picked up my cell to call mom.  I wanted to thank her for raising me right and teaching me responsibility. 


On another note, check this out:

I'm sure we all clean house in a dress, apron, and heels.