About Me

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Douglas, Alaska, United States
I have lived in Alaska since 1978, having come to Juneau as a Jesuit Volunteer. I fell in love with Alaska and now live on Douglas Island with my husband and two dogs.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

A Slightly Crazy, But Maybe Good, Idea

Flotsam
 The other day, at the parish picnic, I was talking to a friend who was bemoaning the fact that she was so far behind in her housework that she was afraid she would never catch up.  I said that I have a bunch of things I want to get done as well, but I can't seem to motivate myself to do them.

Then I said: "Wouldn't it be great if we could form a group that would commit to spending a few hours every couple of weeks to help each other with these kinds of things?"

It would be like a chore co-op.  One person might need to paint a room, another might need to refinish her wood floors, and a third might just need to deep clean her house.  The group would meet at each other's houses, work for a few hours and then order pizza, break out the wine and celebrate their accomplishment.

My only problem would be revealing how disgustingly filthy my house really is, how scuffed the floors, how dingy the walls, how embarrassingly high the piles of flotsam and jetsam my family can produce.  But, if I could get a group of women to help me with my chores, I could be persuaded to get over this particular hurdle.  Not to mention how happy I would be to help other women with their house keeping jobs.  I always work better when I have someone working with me.  It would be like an old fashioned barn raising, or a quilting bee, only slightly different.

Am I crazy, or is this a good idea?
Jetsam

13 comments:

  1. Why not give it a try? At the very least, you would get together with friends and have a good time!

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  2. Good idea? GREAT idea! I would have many shame issues around letting people see my house, but like with all confession and sin, revealing it to the light and sharing it would bring healing! And a neater, cleaner house!! Wish I lived closer to you!!

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  3. I think it sounds great! Maybe I can join you after Christmas. With my schedule right now I end up cleaning at 6:00a.m. and 10:00p.m. (that could explain why so little gets done.) Do keep me updated!

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  4. What a great idea! It's social, so you won't blow it off. Six people arriving at your door means you can't procrastinate (though I would try). Plus, with all those hands, you'll be done faster than you could have imagined.

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  5. I have a carpet cleaner to contribute. I would love color on my walls but they stay white because I'm awful at painting... I wonder if the co-op could help me with that. Ah! Am I possibly getting excited about cleaning?

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  6. GREAT idea, Paula! IF you are like me, it is SOOOO much easier to clean someone else's home because there aren't the distractions of your own belongings and decisions about "what to do with this". A burden shared IS a burden lightened. The idea of sharing big jobs that need to be done like painting and floor refinishing, etc. are great too.! Will be watching your blog to see how this idea works out!

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  7. This is a great idea! I have helped out in this kind of thing on different occasions and it was a blessing for all involved. xo

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  8. Such a great idea!

    Paula, I just wanted to let you know that my blog is now on wordpress. You subscribed to my blog through Google Friend Connect, which will no longer work on my blog. I have the same URL: mockingbirdhillcottage(dot)com. If you drop by, you'll find that you can subscribe through my RSS Feed or by email or you can bookmark my site or put my URL in your blog roll. Please stop by! I'd miss you if you went away. I noticed the blog isn't updating on your blog roll - maybe you could just update that listing.

    Best wishes,
    Claudia

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  9. Fabulous idea.....you will whistle while you work and forget about your floors everyones look the same! Have fun!

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  10. Oh no..this is a wonderful idea....sign me up! Thanks for visiting me the other day...happy September.

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  11. Paula
    why didn't I think of that? It's a wonderful idea.
    Please let me know how it all works out!

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  12. It is a very good idea! Not only do you have good company while you are doing the work, but you set a "date" to do it. So it doesn't keep getting put off. If I lived nearby, I'd join your group. Last year I gave my best friend a "gift certificate" to come and help her clean/organize her son's room. His room had turned into a storage/junk room while he had been away for several years in the Airforce, and she wanted it to look nice when he came home. So we picked a Saturday that worked for both of us, and we worked for 4-5 hours, with a break for lunch, and we got that room so fresh and clean. Cleared out, cleaned til it was spotless, fresh linens on the bed, with a few childhood items put back in so it would still look like it was his room, but not cluttered, and could still serve as a guest room. The rest of his boyhood items were packed away carefully in a box so he could take them back to his own house. And there were sacks and sacks of things to be donated, too. Anyway, you have a great idea and I can see it being a blessing to all who participate.

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  13. I think it's a great idea! Recently, my neighbor and I worked on her living room. It was so much fun. I'm now as enthusiastic about her house as I am my own.

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