Is it Because "Cleanliness is Next to Godliness?"

It has come to my attention that I am "always cleaning." This will come as a tremendous shock to those who have known me for most of my adult life. I'm sure my parents, sister, and college roommates are picking themselves up off the floor right now, having just collapsed in a fit of laughter. Abby, however, insists that it's true and Abby has been correct about nearly everything for the nine years she has spent on this planet.

I suppose I have been cleaning more often than usual as of late, but I attribute that to a number of factors:

• I dismissed my latest cleaning service. I've gone through at least three or four over the past few years and have tired of the substandard work, random breakages, and unsolved disappearances. It's also expensive and I'm always looking for ways to save a buck (so I can use the money to eat out instead). 
• Home renovations. We just had our bathroom and much of our bedroom gutted and renovated, plus we had hardwood floors refinished. No matter how often I clean, the dust seems to appear again the next day. 
• I finally have areas of my home that are worth cleaning. We redecorated the living and dining rooms and they really deserve to stay looking nice now. That wasn't the case a year ago.
• Dog and cat. Dog went swimming again today. Cat is shedding her winter coat. Enough said. 
• Two children. Requires no further explanation.

While I suppose I'll never be able to blindly accept the dust bunnies, hair balls, crumb hills, or sink overflowing with dirty dishes, there are some efforts that I'm beginning to rethink, including:

• Folding my children's clothes. It's rare that they put them away without being reminded a minimum of five times, but even putting them away doesn't ensure they will stay in the condition I delivered them in. This morning, Abby took everything in her drawer and tossed it around like a salad in search of one particular shirt. Ian has limited space so his idea of putting clothes away is to shove them in his drawers in whatever manner will allow them to fit. Spending time on laundry is clearly not a good use of my time.
• Making a decent dinner. Short of frozen steak sandwiches, waffles, or pancakes, my children express their displeasure with nearly everything I make. Another waste of time.
• Picking up "stuff." Every mom knows this is a complete joke. I've been tempted to leave a dead body on the kitchen or TV room floor just to see if anyone even notices. 
• Cleaning the toilet. I could paint it neon green and still the men in my house would aim for the floor instead. 
• Washing the glass on the front door. Does anyone even know there's a handle that can be used to open the door?

I'm definitely going to give my household efforts a bit more thought in the future. After all, no one would believe I'm "always cleaning" once they see my house!

Share your thoughts. What household chores do you consider a waste of time and effort?