There's Clean, and then There's Goofy Clean

It's no secret that I'm not the most fastidious housekeeper in the world. I am a piler. I have piles of papers, files, books, folded laundry, and bills to pay in various corners of different rooms. I don't like them, but I have generally had the attitude that there was simply not enough time in a day to keep my house immaculate, play with my children, and do all the reading, writing, prepping, meeting, and grading necessary for my paying job. I picked the house to be the thing to suffer.

But a few weeks ago, I just couldn't stand it any more. So I decided this summer I was going to work through the rooms of our house systematically and purge them. I call my little game with myself, "Pretend We're Moving." We're not moving. But I am slowly making my way through the house and pretending we are, and either throwing out or donating every single thing that I wouldn't pack to take with us if we were moving. Things are starting to feel so much more open and free around here as I'm finally getting rid of clutter and finding proper places to store things.

I've also started a chore chart for the kids that involves putting lots of daily check-marks down for every element they contribute to household upkeep. If they get enough check-marks, there is the promise of a weekly addition to their slowly-accumulating tally of "chips" in their Good Behavior containers. The reward system is totally working. After just four days, they are already getting better about picking up after themselves. Yesterday, they both followed me into the kitchen as I started to get things out for dinner and offered to help. We had a great time cooking together, and it made the pre-dinner melting-hour completely disappear.

Interestingly, this whole check-mark-chore-chart-chip system has also had the inadvertant consequence of making Husband better about picking up after himself too. Seriously. He's been making our bed every morning! His dirty laundry lives in the hamper! It's the weirdest thing. I haven't said one single word to him about his habits, but I think he decided that if the kids were going to be on a system, he'd better set a good example. I feel like a huge weight has lifted from my shoulders.

And now we come to the reason I started writing this post in the first place. In the process of all this cleaning and purging, I've been keeping my eye out for excellent organizational strategies, gems of child discipline, basically, anything that I could cobble together into a system that would work for our family. No idea or gizmo is too big or too small to be (potentially) useful.

Until I saw this advertised -->

ScotchBrite Ultra NailSaver Sponges.

That's right, a brand new dish sponge contoured so that you can tuck your fingernails in and never have to fret about your French manicure again when you wash your already-clean wine glasses.

Because the very first thing that most of us think about when the children are losing it, the floor is gritty (as Daughter announced last night "couscous sure is droppy"), bedtime is imminent, mama is tired, laundry needs folding, the dog needs walking, and someone needs to remember to mail the bills tomorrow, is "oh, no, what if I chip a nail rinsing the couscous off these plates before shoving them in the dishwasher!"

But now, for a mere $2.50 per sponge, you never have to worry your pretty little head about that pesky couscous again.

Honestly, I just can't figure out why anyone who really cares about her manicure would buy insanely expensive sponges when she could spend $1.99 on a pair of sturdy rubber gloves that will last months, protect her nails, and BONUS! keep her from getting chapped hands from all that hot water and soap.

Am I missing something here? I think I am supposed to see these sponges and think, "Ooooh-la-la! Look at those luscious curves!" But all I can think of is that old Saturday Night Live commercial for a razor with eleven close-shaving blades, which was quite possibly the best ad ever for a useless new product.

Sadly, my two minute search on YouTube did not turn up that ad for your viewing pleasure. But you get the point.

So tell me this: would you buy these sponges? Or tell me this: what's the dumbest product you have ever purchased, thinking it would change your life, only to find out it was useless? (For me, the answer to that is an In/Out box for our kitchen. It's typically shoved full of junk and sits idly by mocking its own intended purpose and laughing when the bills fall on the floor.) Or tell me this: what should I really get to keep some tiny aspect of our house organized?

Basically, any advice you have that will get me through the next six days to Clean House Paradise (aka the day when my parents arrive for a visit) would be much appreciated. Or make me laugh. That will help too.