<img style="margin: 0px; border: medium none;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mothisblisort-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0743272862" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" />

When I had a paying career I used to surf the internet and daydream of being the perfect housekeeper instead.  In my dreams, I would have everything in order and every surface in my home would shine. I even bought <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743272862/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=frogandsnail-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0743272862">this book</a><img style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0743272862" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" /> and actually used it. While the author does some things that I find irritating (like calling grocery shopping "marketing") I keep myself going back to this book when I have a question. Which is more often than I care to admit. And to my dismay, every surface in my home does not shine. But at least I know why.

While I am nowhere near the level of obsessive-compulsiveness of the author, I do wish I was a little more like her. But just a little. She has schedules for every day of the week (Monday is laundry!) and a daily/weekly/monthly housekeeping routine.  Me, I like not knowing what is going to happen every day. I still love this book because she takes everything so seriously. I mean everything. She even shares her technique for folding panties. You've got to see it to believe it.

I laugh, but I find comfort in perfectionist housekeeping. The author even goes into the chemistry of laundry. Seriously. Her description of dust and what it is made up of is so matter-of-fact and disturbing that it will have the laziest frat boy dusting for the next couple of days, at least. But I, like many people of my generation, was not taught the basics of keeping house. At least this lady is teaching me the little and big things that make life easier. Most people have to clean and keep up their houses themselves, at least part of the time. My mother never taught me to keep house because she wanted me to become a professional. And I did. But my toilet still needs to be disinfected.