"Maid Mode"

When we were growing up we had a "maid" come every once in a while. It may have been once a month, or maybe it was just when my mom decided we really needed it... I'm not sure. However, I do remember her announcing it was time for "Maid Mode". That meant we had about 24 hours before the "maid" would show up and start cleaning. We all had to get ready by picking up the house. Every "Maid Mode" came with a lot of yelling and complaining... why in the world would we need to clean the house before someone showed up to get paid to clean the house? What a waste of time.
Well, apparently Santa was tired of me complaining about how jealous I was of the neighbor's "maid".  I would see her car across the street and jealousy would take over! I would count the hours she was there and think about how clean my house could be if I had that many uninterrupted hours of time.
Santa had heard enough and delivered a kind letter with a lot of money attached... for a "maid".
Here is the problem:
There is no 24 hour "Maid Mode" here. I am about 6 months away from letting a "maid" into my house. My closets are disorganized. My drawers are a mess. I am half way through switching out the girls' clothes... I will probably finish about the time the seasons change and then will have to start all over again.
This stuff stresses me out. Out of control children don't. Scenes in the grocery store don't. Whining doesn't. Fighting doesn't. Messy closets and half completed projects do.
And now I see that "Maid Mode" is not a waste of time. My mother was right. You can't let someone come into your home to clean when it looks like this. Maybe I will be ready in 6 months...