Mom on strike goes to therapy

I went on strike two months ago. I was on strike against the Homemaking Union. We have no rights, no freedoms, no pay, no one standing up for us making sure our work isn’t ruined.

I, like many of you, was so exhausted from constantly redoing housework that I tried so hard to do that was constantly being undone. It’s seriously like chasing your tail. And since I’m an intelligent woman, I finally admitted I wasn’t ever going to catch it. So I said, “Screw it.”

Buried alive

Today, the walls around me are caving in. I want to cry. My chest is tight.

I try so hard to be kind, thoughtful, forgiving, compassionate and mostly, nonjudgmental. I really am a good person with a very open heart.

It crushes me, though, when someone sees my messy, chaotic home. It feels like my home is seen as a direct reflection of my character; that when it's filthy, it must mean I'm a slob; that when it's in shambles, it means I'm not caring for my kids.

Mom Exhibit: Another mom fights the dust

I'm not alone! My girl, Deb, sent me this email the other night and I just about peed my pants. Let's give a shout-out to our newest Mom Exhibit contributor. I know she'll feel welcome here!

My name is Deborah — and I am the mother of a messy house.

For 6 years, my family and I lived in a fabulous neighborhood. I was surrounded by amazing people, and yet...I can count on my left hand the number of people I ever invited INto my house. And I know of only ONE person whom I ever felt 100% at ease with just "dropping" by at any time.

Clean House In 1 Hour: Mom Exhibit

"Clean your ENTIRE house in 1 hour" was the claim of an article on Yahoo last week. My eyes lit up as I clicked on the link, hoping for a breakthrough. The article states that if you spend 9-15 minutes in each room, working your way down and out, you'll be done in 1 measly hour.

I'm going to re-name this article, "Clean Your Childless Loft In Less Than One Hour."

And just to prove my point, I tried it. Here's how it went down.

I started in the catch-all of the house, my bedroom. I hope this makes you feel reeeeeally good about yourself. Otherwise, I've published these humiliating photos in vain.

Let's Talk: Removing baby stains

Becky,

How can I remove stains from my baby's clothes? I don't exactly know what the stains are. Some are just general food and spit-up. The ones I am having the most problem with are from Grandma's and I have no clue what they are. I'm guessing dirt and other food particles from crawling around on their floor. Can you help?!?

Amber

Let's Talk: Homemade laundry soap doesn't work?

Becky,

I was wondering how to make homemade laundry detergent. Do you have a recipe you could share?

-Grace

Grace,

Interesting that you'd ask this question now. My Mom-in-law, Lark, started making the detergent for all of her kids (including me) two years ago. She has been using it non-stop for that entire time. I wish we'd kept track of how much money she has saved by not purchasing commercial detergents!

After a year of using the homemade laundry soap, I started having major problems. I wrote about it here. Until yesterday, I thought the only problem was hard water. So, what happened yesterday?

Laudryopath

I'm a bit obsessive about a few things.