My house is rarely clean. It’s usually cluttered, there is almost always a minimum of one or two dirty dishes, a basket of laundry waiting to be folded and put away (I HATE putting-away), more than a basket waiting to be washed, and a fine coating of dust and dog hair on top of it all.

What can I say? There are two teenage girls living here, one of whom works 25-30 hours a week and goes to school, I work full time and write part time, my husband works full time and we have three dogs…It’s gonna get messy.

So, walking the line between messy and outright nasty is a constant challenge around here. Through the years, I’ve tried just about every strategy imaginable to keep it clean – from chore charts to allowances to a half hour of required cleaning time a week and everything in between. All of it works for a week or two, then we return to our normal state of utter chaos.

Last week I tried something new. Before anyone could go anywhere on Saturday, we all four (plus an unfortunate spend-the-night friend) had to clean for one hour. The three girls put on aprons and ipods and decided to work as a team, tackling first the kitchen, then the bedroom and bathroom. My husband cleaned his “area” next to his chair (yes, it did take the whole hour) and I took on the living room.

Unbelievably, it worked! The house was cleaner than it had been for quite sometime. And, bonus, since it was relatively clean, it was easier to spend a few minutes every evening maintaining the cleanliness and this weekend there are just a few must-be-done chores. Even the plants look happier.

I don’t know how long it will last, but for now, the one hour of cleaning has motivated us all to try and keep the mess under control.

Choosing to take on new projects, striving to reach new goals or working to build something unique challenges and inspires but sometimes also drains and dispirits.  In deciding on topics for this blog, I make an effort to focus on those things that help me keep working toward my goals and that might help others feel motivated or inspired.  But there are days, even weeks sometimes, that I just feel too dispirited to even pretend I feel motivated.

The last week or two has been like that.  Every day has presented its own obstacles and barriers and simply getting things done has felt like winning battles.  One of the teenagers in my house has dealt with various health problems for most of her life, and it appears she may have more to face.  Nothing life-threatening, but certainly long-lasting and painful.  Watching a child suffer pain is torturous, and then add to that petty and unhelpful doctors’ staffs and insurance companies…well, it doesn’t leave you feeling like you can take on the world.

It’s humbling, though, to know that our problem is small compared to many, and we are lucky enough to have insurance coverage despite a chronic condition.  It feels petty to focus on the hard stuff when there are so many others with much harder stuff to handle.

Stories of people who overcome insurmountable odds to succeed when success appears impossible are inspiring, and maybe a little overwhelming.  Watching my daughter keep up with her schoolwork and do normal teenager things while in constant pain is inspiring in a different way.  Knowing that she smiles and gets on with it certainly means I can take a few minutes to finish writing an article or post.

Even though the last few weeks have been less fun than we like, in a strange way, it feels good.  Maybe even inspiring.