My Dirty Little Secret

I am coming clean here–no pun intended (okay maybe a little).  I am HORRIBLE housekeeper.  Horrible might even be an understatement.  I am pretty sure that it is.  It isn’t that I like a messy house–because I hate it–I just don’t seem to be able to organize my house in a way that makes it easy for me to keep it clean.  It not just this house but every place I have lived.  I love it when my house is clean and organized–but that doesn’t last long.  I just can’t seem to keep it up.  I won’t make excuses–like I have two active kids, work 3 jobs, etc. because this was not always the case.  I look at photos of other peoples houses or visit other peoples houses and I am often so jealous that their houses are so organized and clean.  Then depressed I return to mine and it seems to overwhelming that I don’t know what to do.

I am a pack rat.  I have a hard time throwing things away and this in turn makes keeping an organized house.  But I am at a point now of being almost 40 that I am sick and tired of having a messy house.  A house that isn’t one I’d like to have people over to.  A house that is a little embarrassing.  But I don’t know where to start.  It’s pathetic and hard to admit.

I want to set a good example for my kids and teach them how to be organized and clean.  I just don’t know how to start.  How to begin to organize.  How to start throwing stuff out.

How do you keep your house clean and organized?  Help me out.