Spring Cleaning for Chinese New Year

CNY is in another 6 days. This year, we started spring cleaning early because we expected that there will be days when we will be busy cleaning Sophie than the house. While I'm the one pointing out the areas to be cleaned I would never be the domestic goddess at home and Alexis would be the first to second that.

In the home, I'm the hoarder because I feel that somewhere sometime down the road, this is going to come to good use although I have absolutley no idea what to do with it now. And my reasoning is that I spent money on it (most likely an impulsive buy), got it as a gift or a free gift so why throw away something good. Alexis on the other hand believes that if you have no immediate use for it, it must go since it does nothing but make the house more cluttered and messy. God knows how many arguements we have over our different styles at home.

So in my attempt to keep the house tidy, I borrowed this book titled Clutter Free from the library.

The author of the book is a more extreme version of me. She came realize how messy her place was when one day her door got forced open. But because her home was so messy, the burgular couldnt even push open the door! And when the police came by they told her that her place was ransacked... And to her embrassement she had to admit that the state of mess was her doing! So this book is written by someone who have difficulties keeping the home neat because it's just not natural to them unlike some authors who make it sound a breeze because it's just in them to be organized and neat.

Alexis's idea of neat

okay, I'm really not like that

I joked with Alexis that perhaps we could write a book on this topic too. In it will be stories of the fights we have over different housekeeping styles and how I find it an absolutely pain to keep the house tidy while he does it so.. more naturally than me. I'll give them pointers on things you dont do, like hiding stuffs things right at the top of the cupboard so that once its outta sight, it's outta mind or the story from Alexis's side about how being clutter free starts from having the liberation to throw things that you don't need.

So anyway Alexis is very excited over this project to give everything in the house a home that he has decided that as my Valentine's present, he shall do exactly that...Give everything in the house a home.

So there goes my idea of having a present that goes bling bling. The only sparkling present that I'll receive is a sparkling clean new house...which I told him feels like the equivalent of receiving an iron as a present :P Maybe just maybe I'll appreciate it more in the future...as for now, how about a more decent Valentine's Day present?