Clash of the Titans: The Neat & Clean Mom VS. The Messy Construction Workers

I always knew that my mom was a little bit obsessed with clean, but for the past week or so, her love and *need* for cleanliness and order has reached new heights in my mind. Don't get me wrong. I love having a clean home, and of course, an organized home, but I don't let it run my life, and while having a clean home is important, sometimes I have other priorities, and above all, I like a house that you can live and be comfortable in.

Here's the situation: As you know, my mom and stepdad have been overseeing the renovations in our new house. What I did not realize is how much housekeeping work my mom has been doing for the past month or so. Basically there's been an endless cycle going on: The contruction workers work and leave a mess. My mom comes in and sweeps the floor, wipes the counter, cleans the windows, or cleans whatever they messed up, and the very next day there's just another mess. My stepdad told me that he's been telling her not to be going over there to clean anymore because it's pointless until they get finished working, but she won't listen.

On one hand, I see her point. I think after workers do a job they should clean up after themselves. On the other hand, these are construction workers we're talking about, not maids. I've worked with contractors and have friends who are contractors, and they're really great people, but they're messy. My husband also observed, "Even if they normally clean up after a job, there's no reason for them too. They know your mom's going to do it."

So basically this has been going on for the last several weeks. It's frustrating that the contractors are working very slowly (and delaying our move into house) but it becomes even more frustrating to hear my mom complain about how many times she's cleaned stuff.

Again, in my mom's defense, the workers have made some messes that were totally unneccessary and reminicent of the three stooges' work. But at the same time, we're not asking my mom to clean anything, and we kinda wish she would just chill out. It's good for a laugh but it's also a little crazy!

But we have learned something from the experience: My mom does not need to become a house "flipper" or take on any more projects that will put her in the presence less-than-neat construction workers for an extended period of time....I think it would be more than she could handle.

So organizers and good housekeeping moms out there, if you're ever doing any home improvements and don't want to see a mess, either do the work yourself or don't look at the progress until the job is done, and for the sake of your own sanity, leave the cleaning work till the end!