Day 4 - a plan of action

Today is/was E's birthday. I'm not exactly sure how that meant that I didn't get anything done, but that's what happened in the end. I did, however, create an ingeeeeeenious (insert maniacal laughter here) diagram of my house, sectioned off into 30 colored blocks indicating what areas should be cleanable in a single stretch of hard work. For instance, the living room is all one color as it doesn't require much beyond your average mop and polish. The kitchen has 8 sections because it's that awful. And so on. I think if I can pick a block and focus on it and just it within these boundaries I might be less overwhelmed than thinking I have to mop the *whole* kitchen perfectly in one go. So, it's a plan, and it might not have been worth the time and effort but who knows? Maybe it'll be that last magic piece of the puzzle.

Day 3 - didn't try

I had a lousy day in general today. Didn't really think about cleaning at all, except to look around and think "what a dump", and to harp on B to finish his bloody chores. And truthfully I didn't particularly care about getting up and doing anything.

I'm forcing myself tonight to face what I haven't done and update my blogs anyway. (I have 3: this one, one at sparkpeople, and my own site. I'm a glutton for punishment I suppose.) I don't know yet if this shameful look in the mirror will make tomorrow any better, but I can dream.

Speaking of dreams, the other night I dreamed that we had a party for E's birthday (it's tomorrow) and the only person to show up was Stephen King. Weird, huh?

Anyway, tomorrow is a new day and all that rot, and I have a lot to get done. We're not actually having a party, Stephen King or not, but E is 2; he won't notice. I'm pretty sure he has no concept of what a birthday is, much less that he has one. But I still have things I'd like to do, and things I should do, and I believe I'll start by going in now and doing the dishes. Ciao.

Day 2: stopped before I started

I intended to work in my room today. I went in there, I took pictures of the hideous before, and I was all ready to start digging in when my computer battery was near empty and I got sleepy. I never quite made it back in there. Let's see if we can get a look at the before:

Ok, I guess we can't. I can't get any more pictures to upload for some reason. That's Sharla there, lying where she always does. She'll have to do for a before, unless I can get it to work when I have afters.

Day 1: not even home

I spent the first day of PCCX out doing the shopping I should have done Sunday. The only cleaning I got done was getting the groceries put away. But hey, I'll take any accomplishment I can get. I did stock up on a couple of cleaning supplies, so I've got that going for me too.

Summer PCCX

Whose dumb idea was it to have PCCX in the summer? When it's hot? VERY hot!!  It doesn't matter where you are in the U.S., July is the hottest month of the year.  So, let's sweat our asses off and clean like our mothers-in-law are coming over in 2 days.  Except, we're gonna clean for 6 straight weeks.  Thanks so much for remembering Amanda.  Appreciate it.  Really.

Anyways, I actually started pccx a few days early.  I decided my living room is easier to do in sections to detail vacuum and steam clean because of moving furniture around and let's face it, its easier to say "avoid this 4x8 section of the floor" then "NOBODY walk in the living room for the next 8 hours!!!"  Besides, the bathroom is off of the living room, and the cats don't listen. So, I'm doing sections.

Now, I'm going to apologize in advance.  I rarely remember to take pictures for the before/after effect.  I usually remember while in process or after I'm done.  Maybe I'll get better at it if I do this daily, right? Right???

So, to begin. I have before/after pics of my front entry.  Mind you, hardly anyone visits that area because we strictly use the back door.  The cats however, like to throw up there. Often.  Leaving wonderful stains for me to clean up because nobody else in this house has the balls (Yeah, I said it. Three men in the house and I'm the one with the balls).  I digress.  So, my only visitors to that area are perfect strangers that don't know any better and come to the front door. Isn't this the site I want them to see when first meeting us? NOT!!  So, I took everything out (a bench and about 50,000 boxes because my Dad can't bear to throw them out because we'll need a box that size one day).  THEN remembered to grab the camera

So, that was Friday.  Saturday, I did the section near the bathroom, about 4 x 8 in size.  Do you think I remembered the camera? Nope.  So, no pictures, but I swear, I did it.  Sunday I tackled the section across from the bathroom where we have a desk/computer.  If you own a pet, you'll understand the amount of pet hair in the before picture. (Oh, and I remembered RIGHT after I did one sweep of the vacuum LOL)

The next day, I took a break from the floor because I ran out of cleaner for the steam vac (except I found out last night that I do have another small bottle under the kitchen sink, which means that 1.) I can work on the living room floor again tomorrow, and 2.) I need to clean under the kitchen sink and see if I can find other cleaners and maybe Jimmy Hoffa.  Anyways, I decided to tackle the microwave.  Didn't get a before pic, did get an after shot though :)

My last group of pictures are strictly after shots, you'll just have to trust me that I did the job.  Why? Because I'm too hot to get up and take a pictures because its JULY!!! These shots are in the entryway. Today I decided to look up and dust. Can I just say, ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww...never look up!!!

Okay, so that's my last 5 days. Even though PCCX technically didn't start until yesterday. So, consider me ahead by starting a few days beforehand, or late because I didn't post yesterday LOL

Starting again

I'm not going to make any grandiose statements about how I'm going to beat this place into submission once and for all, or magically get it all together in the next 5 weeks. With any luck I'll make it onto that road, but I'm not expecting miracles.

This is a time of change for me though. I've made major alterations to my personal blog, I've started another challenge or two, this is beginning, and just in general it's the second half of the year and I'm feeling the need to revisit goals.

I'm going to take new pictures this time, but only as I go. One section or room at a time I'll post before and after photos as I work on them. I apologize in advance for the quality of said photos; my real camera is not on speaking terms with me so I'll have to use my camera phone which is decidedly less clear. But possibly better than no pictures at all so I'll give it a shot.

So once again the reminder: any progress is progress, and the cleaner things get now the cleaner they'll be when it's time - in the not-so-distant future - for the mother of them all, Fall PCCX + Holiday Plan. Here's to a productive 5 weeks. Cheers.

Confessions

I sorta bailed on the whole cleaning concept there. I did get a few things accomplished, notably: E's room cleared out (see previous post), the girls' room rearranged and C's dresser *finally* in her own room, many carloads of trash (mostly empty boxes) taken to the dump, and clothing gone through and thinned out in a major way. But the place remains a sty, laundry remains a mountain, and there's more furniture issues than I care to count. And that's just inside the house; let's not get started on outside.

I would go to bed with the best of intentions for the following day, and then I would either wake up sick or Chris would take the day off and kill my plans. And then before I knew it it was the last week and I was out of time. Oh well. *fingers crossed* It's possible that the chronic nausea and heartburn that were making life miserable have been removed from the equation, or at the very least watered down significantly with last week's gallbladder surgery.

I'm thinking what I need right now is a back-to-basics movement. Something sort of opposite of the PCCX plan. One small, basic thing at a time, building one upon another until a bare bones routine is once again in place. I think I'll run that up the PCC flagpole and see if anybody salutes.