Dirt

 I try as a wife and a mother to keep our house clean, but dirt is a never ending battle. I can sweep daily and dust weekly then turn around and it seems like there's more dirt than when I started. It's a tedious chore that has to be done and unless you're a perfect little Suzie homemaker it's also one that is dreaded. Dirt accumulates at our house in three different forms: mud, dust, and pet hair.
  Although we are only a family of three there's a lot of foot traffic at our house and foot traffic means mud. My husband is probably the biggest culprit for tracking in mud. His job and size 13 work boots are two major factors in my battle against the clumpy brown goo that every one who lives in Maine has to deal with. The two dogs contribute a lot to the issue also. We have a swamp behind our house and unless they are hooked on their chain, you can bet your last dollar that they will take a trip through the wonderful, knee-deep playground.
  Dust is a constant issue for every household, but I believe it's especially thick at ours. For starters, we have cement floors. I don't know if you've ever swept a cement floor, but with every push of the broom a dust cloud is sure to follow. The wood stove is also a major player in the dust battle at our house during the winter months. Between the wood that's brought in daily to fill the ever hungry stove and the ashes that are a reminder that the wood pile is dwindling fast, the dust collects at a pace that you can almost measure daily.
  I know that pet hair isn't considered dirt, but it might as well be. It has to be swept up and thrown away, dusted off furniture, and pulled off upholstery.  We have an over abundance of pet hair in our house. Two labs that seem to shed year round can make a pretty good pile of dog hair after a good floor sweeping. The five cats  that call our house a home are the biggest contributors of the pet hair though. Their hair clumps up and lands in every nook and cranny of this house, and shows no mercy for the person trying to keep it under control.
  Dirt comes in many forms and can be found anywhere in most peoples homes; it's the battle to keep it under control that's the issue. I have come to the realization over the years that I will never be the perfect little Suzie homemaker, so I do what I can, when I can, to keep our home presentable. After all, haven't people been saying for years that "a little dirt never hurt anyone."