Channeling my domestic goddess

I hate housework. I mean really truly hate it. But I really like a clean house. Do you see the problem here?

I seem to be stuck in a rut. I just have no ambition to do anything. Really, it's been that way since I was pregnant w/ McKenna. I chalked it up to pregnancy, and kept telling myself (and my husband!) that it would get better once the baby came. Then I blamed it on having 2 kids and a newborn. I've run out of excuses now, so something has to change.

My biggest problem isn't cleanliness, it's clutter. It's totally overtaking my house--the entryway, the dining room, the kids' rooms, the closets, even my room. It's just EVERYWHERE, and I'm not sure what to do w/ it. Even our garage is cluttered. It's so overwhelming, and I am at a loss on how to get a handle on things.

So, my goal--one room a day. Tomorrow will be a new day, a new start. Hopefully by writing it down, I'll be able to stick to it.

On a positive note, my 2 year old, Ashlee, is finally starting to talk in sentences!!! It's been a long road w/ her, verbally. She is a smart girl, but didn't really start talking until she turned 2, and now, at 27 months, she is finally stringing words together. Today, she told me, "I did it, Mommy!" and "No, it's not." It might not sound like much, but for her it's a HUGE accomplishment. Her brother started talking almost instantly, so this was a change of pace for us. Instead of words, she was grunting and pointing for the first two years, but now it seems to be coming together. I asked her pediatrician at her 2 year checkup, but since she was progressing, he didn't seem too concerned about it. Now, w/ all the recent toy recalls having to do w/ lead paint, I can't help but have that in the back of my mind. She's ALWAYS chewing on things. Since she could sit up, we've had to keep everything away from her--even still today, I find her digging in the trash eating old mashed potatoes, or her brother's crayons. Once, I changed her diaper, only to reveal "treasure"--colored buttons and field corn from our trip to the zoo the day before. God only know's what else she's eaten that we haven't caught. So it makes me wonder if I shouldn't take her in to have her lead levels tested. What if? But other than delayed speech, I really have no other concerns w/ her. She can count to ten, she know's her ABC's and most of her colors. She can get dressed (for the most part), she can brush her teeth, and attempt to comb her hair. She's outgoing, loves her dolls, and playing dress-up. She's just like any other 2 year old. But that "What if" keeps hanging in the back of my head.

Moving on...I attempted to make the little one some homemade baby food today. I bought some papaya, mango, peaches, and apples today, and had high hopes to get some stored away.
I started by steaming the fruit--which I've never done, and found requires a steamer--of course, which I don't have. So, I improvise, and used the metal basket that we use for the fry daddy. It seemed to work well--I got the papaya and the mango nicely steamed and ready to go. Ok--onto step two. I dumped my nicely steamed chunks of papaya into the blender, and hit "Puree." One. Two. Three.Four.Five. Stop. Look in blender--and find nasty orangey grayish mess. Hmmmm....so, I think, maybe I left a couple of the seeds??? I didnt see them, but maybe, right?? Rinse blender, repeat w/ mango. One.Two.Three.Four.Five. Stop. Open blender. This time it's a yellowy gray mess. Throw out papaya and mango. Obviously something going on w/ the blender, but for the life of me, I can't figure it out. So, tonight McKenna will be dining on Gerber Organic Pears and Sweet Peas.
Tomorrow I'll have a go at the peaches and apples. These I've done before, so I know what to expect at least!