With an active, mobile baby roaming the home, cleaning the house is more of a requirement - and not just because she makes a mess (although, if we didn't vacuum once or twice a week, our carpet would be hidden under shredded paper, crushed Cheerios, bread crumbs, mashed bananas, etc.). On more than one occassion we catch Kristin reaching into the toilet bowl or sucking the kitchen floor. Things like that encourage a degree of cleanliness.

I will admit that one of my obsessions is washing dishes before going to bed at night. I do not like getting up in the morning to dirty dishes stacked on the counter or in the sink.