I’ve always been a proponent of cleaning, decluttering and organizing. There are lots and lots of posts here on the CHK blog about those topics. It was important to me as a young wife and mom because I had a house full of people to keep organized and clean. I like a clean house on a daily basis and an organized home helps me feel peaceful.

I never have liked the trend where young moms complain about how they can’t get their home clean and organized and seem to be proud of that fact. It’s as if some of those women want to brag that they’re home is dirty and they’re proud of it.  I don’t understand that mind-set.

What I do understand is how stinking hard it can be to clean regularly and keep a home clean and organized, especially with a bunch of kids in it. Goodness, it is overwhelming sometimes. And sometimes it just can’t be done consistently no matter how much you want to.

It’s just me and my husband at home now.  A couple of grandkids are here in the afternoons after school, sometimes they eat supper here.  So really, there isn’t much going on in the house these days. But I STILL have trouble keeping it clean!

What is up with that?

I guess now it’s because I have less energy, I’m older, I have less stamina and my back hurts like crazy some days.  I dunno.

But still I struggle with keeping it done. So I went looking for motivation. YouTube to the rescue!

I found some videos on YouTube that are very motivating. One is Scandish Home, this lady has her stuff together and I like her home very much. She has two teen boys, a husband, a business and a home to run. She does a good job and you know what? She is minimalist. I am not minimalist but I do admire it. I like her recipes too, they’re very simple and healthy.  It was from her channel that I made the decisions to go back to cleaning with rubbing alcohol and baking soda.

The other channel is Olesya and House. She is in Belarus in the country, she has one son and a husband and they have another channel where they are renovating an old house. Olesya’s world seems to be a small kitchen/dining room and she makes some magic with cooking, cleaning and sewing.  Her personality and home are warm and comforting. I really enjoy her channel and that of her husband where he shows what he is doing with the old house.

One other is Feral Tradwife. Oh my, it bothers the fire out of me that this lady waits so long to clean her house, that she doesn’t seem to keep up with it on a daily basis. She waits for it to get unbearable and then tackles it all in one day. I guess if she didn’t let it get dirty, she wouldn’t have a channel, right? She gets it done though and I admire that.  Anyway, she works hard and her videos are sped up a bit.  I like how she works.  Her marathon cleaning in her children’s rooms reminds me of when I had children at home.

Finally, I watch This Mainer Mom. This is the channel of my friend Karen and she has some great motivation to clean and organize and keep her home working smoothly. Karen keeps it real, she has a way of making you feel like you’re her friend and she really does give great cleaning and organizing advice.

Those channels really motivate me to clean these days. They are part of my morning routine. Feed animals, start breakfast for husband, make coffee, pray, watch videos. Then I get busy in my own home. Sometimes I stop a video and go do something that I need to do in the house!

I made a vow to myself that I would do at least ONE thing every day that I didn’t particularly want to do. And I’ve been keeping that vow.  I have gotten quite a lot done in the house. The videos help me to stay motivated and give me ideas about how to go about cleaning or decluttering/organizing. Sometimes a video will suggest  cleaning/organizing an area that I had not thought of and that is needed in my home.

I know how to do all the things. I wouldn’t have written all these blog posts about it if I didn’t. But it really helps me to have some motivation to actually WANT to get things done. This is just the season that I am in right now.  And right now, these videos are filling that need.

Check them out, I think you’ll like them!