I have a friend visiting me and the housecleaning is on the front burner--I figure she might not want to sleep on the crumbs in the fold-out. The other day I was talking to a lady who said she hired a housecleaner once a week for two hours "just to have the whole house clean for a day."

Yes that is a lovely dream. A typical day in my house:

Prepare breakfast, do a load of laundry, pick up living room, clean kitchen,

Children invade living room--toys everywhere.

Clean dining room, now dirty dishes are in kitchen, clean kitchen again. Put away clean laundry, pick up in bedroom and bathroom.

Children invade, clothes and toys everywhere. Two boys in bathroom (use your imagination).

Pick up living room, sit down a second.

Realize it's lunch time. Start whole process over.

An entirely clean house? This indeed is a wonderful dream. But why hire a housekeeper if I'm home all day?