This past weekend my husband and I finally closed on our very first home! We lived together for years, but now we are proud home owners. I truly feel like an adult! I was not ready for all of the cleaning and hard work that would go into a house until this past weekend. It's much different than renting an apartment where you know that you'll only be there for a short period of time. It's YOUR house, so its very important to clean it properly before you unpack. Even more important is to work together as a couple and split the cleaning! I would be cleaning the kitchen cabinets, as my husband was fixing the floor- and when we needed an "assistant" we were quick to drop what we were doing to help one another out. It's also important to leave some "down time" together during all your hard work. The more you put into your house- the more you get out of it- in that retrospect- its similar to a relationship. Now, back to unpacking!