If Your Household Title Is: “Cook” and you Plan family mealsBuy groceries, put them in the car, drive home, unload, and put them awayPrepare meals, according to each family member’s tasteCook while others ask: “When can I eat?”THIS BOOK’S FOR YOU!“Laundry Attendant” and youFind dirty clothes all over the house and wag them to wash areaSort, wash, dry, iron, fold, and place in appropriate closets or drawersGather “dry clean only” clothes, take to cleaners, and bring them homeTHIS BOOK’S FOR YOU!“Chauffeur” and youDrop off, pick up, and move family and friends from here to there Fill gas tank, check engine, air tires, and take auto for necessary repairsSpend as much time on the road as you do in the houseTHIS BOOK’S FOR YOU!“Counselor” and “Therapist” and youListen patiently to daily catastrophes Teach stress relieving exercisesOffer a sympathetic ear, shoulder to cry on, and/or hugTHIS BOOK’S FOR YOU!“Co-Provider” and youWork in or out of the home to bring in extra moneySpend more on family than yourselfWork harder at home than on the jobTHIS BOOK’S FOR YOU!“Maid” and youPick up, fix up, put up, make up, and clean upWipe it, polish it, shine it, and/or buff itChange, rearrange, decorate, and create Sweep, mop, dust, vacuum, and scrubTHIS BOOK IS DEFINITELY FOR YOU!
After thirty years of cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing, scrubbing, wiping, drying, shining, and shopping; I realize that I have become a slave to the house and the people who live in it. The sad part is no one cares and no one has changed. After years of yelling “Pick up your …!” “Clean up your …!” “Put up your …!” “Wipe up your …!” and “Hang up your …!” I know for sure that no one had listened because they thought I enjoyed cleaning and taking care of them. I grew too stressed and angry to say anything and worked myself into ill health.Day after day – year after year, I had gotten up early to prepare breakfast and assist everyone in getting ready for work and school. I drove the little ones to school and returned to clean house and yard, shop, make after school snacks, and cook dinner. By the day’s end I was often exhausted, disgusted, and angry.After many years of conversations with women at grocery stores, malls, doctor’s offices, and wherever life would lead me, I discovered that I was not alone. Others who had taken on the responsibility of keeping the house were just as frustrated as me. The stories we shared suggested that we all lived with people who didn’t give a darn about cooking, washing, and cleaning. What was worse, we all felt unappreciated and overworked. Fussing had not changed the habits of any of our mates. To make matters worse, the children had often taken on their bad habits. No wonder alarming numbers of women suffer heart attacks. The frustration, anxiety, and stress of taking care of a family often takes its toll on the human body and spirit. The day-to-day stress of trying to get others to do their part is a monumental task. It has taken me eight years to write these notes – “Friendly Reminders”. They say what you no longer voice. I have shared the idea with family and friends who say that it helps but takes time to sit down and write notes. I have done it for you. Consider it a cleaning aid. There will be some resistance, at first, but if you follow through with the consequences, you will see a difference in their behavior. That difference may save your life.The notes are on point and offer humorous instruction about many house cleaning topics. I find that the notes catch the eye of the reader and point out little habits that they have perfected and may not consider stressful to you. If you are not heard, you can at least be read! For those of us who have hard core folks in the house with clutter and cleaning issues, don’t worry, I also offer “friendly reminders” that are of a stronger language. Because families tend to live all over the house and dirty up every little nook and corner, this book is divided into chapters for every room. Take solace in knowing that you are not alone. Woman or man, the person who keeps the house is often alone in his or her efforts. I call us “Keepers”