Carol Paul - Team Clean: The Ultimate Family Clean-Up-The-House Formula

A Little History

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

George Santayana

In 2000, I would have said my husband Steve, our four kids, and I were middle of the road people when it came to cleaning. We were definitely not obsessive (in fact, not anywhere close!), yet we didnt live in filth (maybe chaos, but not filth).

We taught our kids to help, but we never gave them job assignments or specific duties like dinner dishes. We used more of an individual ask for help method. After dinner, I might ask one of them to clear a dish or two. If I brought clean clothes into their rooms, I might say, Hey, can you put these away in the right drawers? In the fall, my husband would have the kids help rake the leaves. They never had a task that they called their own or a duty they knew they were responsible for. At this point, we had never taught them that someone was counting on them for something.

As for how we kept the house cleanwell, I guess we just did what we needed to do to get through the day. I did what laundry needed to be done, picked up clutter and toys the best I could, took the trash out when it was full, and cleaned up after meals; that was about it.

Every time we wanted to have people over for dinner or even just to hang out and play cards or a board game or have drinks, it was a crazy, mad rush to clean the entire house. Steve and I had to take on every room in the house and all in a matter of a few hours! We first had to find a place to put all the clutter, and then after that was done, we had to go back and clean it!

Steve loves to cook and I love to entertain, so we found ourselves in this hectic situation quite often. The sad part was, we had to rush through the part we lovedthe cooking, decorating, and setting upbecause we had to put our energy into cleaning.

I loved to set out candles, build an inviting table, and create the perfect atmosphere for a wonderful party. Steve loved to pick out great food and even concoct a special themed cocktail. We always got it done. We pulled it off without a hitch and the house looked picture perfect. Our secret was safe, but I am not sure it was the best way to be doing it, for us or for the kids.

The whole day leading up to when we would entertain that evening, I would find myself annoyed if the kids took a toy out or wanted to do anything that might mess up my progress. The nerve of them wanting to play on their day off! This was how we spent many weekends. We became quite good at it since we entertained a lot.

Twelve years later, we are still middle of the road people when it comes to cleaning (not obsessive, not living in filth), but the chaos part is gone. We still love to entertain (often!), but we no longer spend our weekends cleaning and we never clean before company
comes over.

(Not one thing!)

We enjoy the fun of getting the party ready instead. Our children spend time with us on the weekends but not a moment of it is on housework.

We have discovered a concept that we call Team Clean, and it has changed our lives in oh, so many ways!

About the Author

Carol Paul is the author of Team Clean which was published in the Summer of 2013. She is a professional speaker, Team Clean coach, and co-owner of a basketball camp. She lives with her husband Steve (of over twenty-six years) and her four children in Bowie, Maryland. She and her husband established Team Clean in their family home in the Fall of 2000. Since 1991, she has co-owned a basketball camp with her father and brother. She spends her summers, with her family, in Frostburg, Maryland, where the camps have been located since 1998. Each season, they instruct 2,500 boys and girls and over 300 coaches from all over the world. On the side, she manages a couple of beach house rentals and loves to help at the EPIC Brands Reach-the-Beach Cheer events (her sisters company). She has chaired several community non-profit events over the years, including St. Pius X FUNDAY, Ascension OKTOBERFEST, and The Chorbajian Childrens Fundraiser. She serves on numerous committees including two annual events: The St. Ambrose Spaghetti Dinner and The St. Ambrose Golf Tournament. She formed and coached a school dance team for her local elementary school in 2002. She started the ACT youth group in 2007 and built it around four cornerstones: faith, fundraising, free-aid to the needy, and fun. She served quite a few years for her local schools Home and School Association and the school board. She often shares her belief that to be happy, you should live by four Ps: marry the right person (and be the right person to be married to), make and keep priorities, be positivealways, and play (have fun). She truly enjoys running events, but her main passion is her family. (And spending time at the beach!)

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