Secret to a clean house

There is one, right? A secret to a clean house?

I think most of us are sure that there is, indeed, a secret that we just haven't figured out. When my first baby turned one, I set out to discover that secret.

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It started on the internet. I read blog after blog with all kinds of tips and tricks to keeping a clean house. I tried many with no lasting success. So, I got serious. I marched right into my tiny town library and checked out a book, "The Ultimate Career: The Art of Homemaking for Today," by the cutest little lady, Daryl Hoole.

I read that book and set my mind to follow through with Daryl's advice. My favorite of all her secrets? Clutter attracts clutter. (Read a great synopsis of her book here.)

But, I want to stop there with the cleaning advice, because really you all know I'm not qualified for or interested in cleaning advice.

I want to point out the true secret to a clean house.

It was after my first daughter turned one year old that I started to have the energy and desire to clean my tiny apartment.

See, the first year after my babies are born is a hard, hard year. Not only do I insist on nursing at whatever cost to myself, I am exhausted, paranoid, anxious, depressed and insanely lonely. I barricade myself in my house, too overwhelmed with the thought of going anywhere. (Add to that the fact that with baby #1, my car was covered in 2 feet of snow every morning from October to June.) Cleaning is the absolute last thing I want to do during that time.

After baby #2 and fourteen months, I am finally feeling that spark of motivation. I am actually starting to regain interest in homemaking, but with more perspective this time around. Before, a clean house was spotless with only a few toys out at a time. Now, a clean home looks like this:

Haha. Seeing this pic makes me laugh. It's true, though. It's clean underneath the clutter. I mean, come on, humans live here. It's not a children's museum. And this is my definition of clean, anyway. We all have our own.

So, what's the secret to a clean house? You feeling like you. This is the constant battle for so many women. I don't really know what the answer is for each person, since we're all going through different trials at different times. But, I do know that if you start somewhere, even if it's just going to the doctor or talking to a friend or writing a blog (so therapeutic), you'll find your vivacious self eventually. I know you're in there.

So, here's to healing.