Where is All Your Stuff?

You guys, I've been having a real complex lately. I cleaned my room and bathroom last weekend, like really cleaned it, and it took me all day. All day for one bedroom and one bathroom. I had to empty my vacuum canister about 4 times just for the tiny amount of floor space in my room. It really got me to thinking, am I the only one who has to work this hard at keeping my house clean?? Am I the only one whose house gets this dirty?? I have some friends whose houses are always perfect; not a hair ball to be found on the floor, not a dish in the sink...meanwhile, any time anyone says they're coming over, it's literally a mad scramble to get my house into decent shape. Presentable shape. Enough shape that friends or family won't leave being like dang, Rissa needs an intervention.

Guys, am I the only one with this problem?? Why is it a constant battle to keep my house in order? I like to blame it on the two labs that live with me that perpetually shed and drag in dirt and grass from the backyard into the house.

I sometimes (read: most of the time) blame it on the husband who lives with me who has so much stuff it spills into every single room of our house. I sometimes take the blame myself because I'm a procrastinator by nature so dishes sit in the sink because "I'll get to them later," or ten loads of clean laundry pile up because "I'll fold them later."

My favorite is to blame it on my small house and that I just don't have room for everything (cause it definitely couldn't be that we just have too much stuff).

I usually do most house cleaning on the weekends but, who really wants to house clean on the weekends?? I want to do fun things on the weekends! Kayaking! Fishing! Swimming in the lake! Drinking lots of wine!

Not dusting or vacuuming, that's for sure. I could spend more time spot cleaning during the week, but who wants to house clean after a long day at work and all you really want to do is take off your bra, sit on the couch and watch a baseball game??

I constantly find myself asking questions when I'm house cleaning like, "Whyyyy am I literally vacuuming my walls?? Am I the only one who has to vacuum my walls? Is this normal? Why are my walls so dusty??" "Can I just leave my dogs outside for like, 2 hours so I can enjoy a clean house for two hours?" "Where am I supposed to put all this stuff?" "Does it take anyone else this long to scrub their bathtub?"

Nate constantly reminds me, "Rissa, we don't live in a showroom." "We actually live here." We have stuff. We use our stuff." And it's true. And I forget that sometimes in my elusive quest for an organized, clean house free of clutter. Pretty, picture perfect kitchens and living rooms and bedrooms on Pinterest just aren't a reality for me and I think I've (reluctantly) come to grips with that. Some nights I'm brushing actual dirt off my sheets because the dogs tracked it in the house and up onto the bed. But you know what? I love snuggling with my dogs. I love having them on the bed and falling asleep with them resting their head on my stomach. So if that means there's dirt on my bed sometimes then hell, that's what it's going to be I suppose.

And if that means my house is going to be less than spotless because I want to have fun on the weekends and relax on the weeknights, then I think I'm ok with that.

...but ask me again after I've binge watched HGTV for an entire afternoon. I've never seen any of those people vacuum their walls...