It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life."
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I tell myself it is all about the guest room, and I begin dusting and straightening there. Of course, I notice ‘junk’ that shouldn’t even be in that room at all, so I gather these and wander away. I am an awesome culler when company is coming, so several of these find their way to the donation bin or to the trash. The donation bin is in the laundry room, so I throw in a load and fold what’s hanging out in the dryer. Then I begin to tidy that room, too. I remind myself that the priority for cleaning is the guest room. I grab the vacuum and head back upstairs, but I go through the kitchen and the counters need wiping. Look over there, I say to myself, I should vacuum the family room rug. In the midst of vacuuming here, I notice that the dining room table needs another leaf in it, because there will be ten of us for dinner tonight. Where is the leaf? The leaf is stored in the basement – and of course, it is very dusty. Let me clean that…
This is how I clean before company – I begin highly-focused, honed-in on one particular room of the house, and then it’s this wild spree where I am cleaning any and all things in my path. My route is up, down, over, under, around, around, around, faster, faster, faster.
Let me draw you a diagram of my house cleaning process:
I’m not sure why I get so worked up about having everything “just so.” My brother and sister-in-law are visiting, and they are dear and easy-going guests. The kids are going to join us for dinner, it will be a joyful and fun time together.
And the house looks great, lol!
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This is terrific in every way, Maureen. The drawing only supports the “If you give a moose a muffin…” approach you have to getting things in order. I laughed, the best thing to happen this morning so far! I remember reading a Times article about why we invite company over—to invite us to clean. The conclusion? Wait til the company leaves; it’ll only be messier, after all. I hope you have a wonderful family get-together.
Thank you, Trish! I am glad you enjoyed.
Thanks for sharing. I was wondering if this was going to be a procrastination post as that’s when my cleaning is the most frenetic. I start and stop and move to a new area to clean in order to avoid doing something else.
I like how you articulated your thoughts here.
This is normally how I clean. Luckily I married someone who is better at it than I am. We’ll take areas – I’ll do the bathrooms while you do the living spaces. It works out better for me. (Of course, he is also the don’t-let-it-get-messy kind of person, which is helping me be less messy. Mostly. I try to confine my messes to spaces that won’t bother him as much. It’s a work in process.) Thanks for the laugh today!
Retirement allows me to clean on a more regular basis – not as frenetic as it once was. Still, an enterprise! Thanks for commenting.
I love this cleaning – it is what I do. It also seems to be how I do all tasks. A little here and a little there. Enjoy your family – sounds like fun!
Thanks, Joanne. I was thinking that my cleaning process is a lot like my writing process – I wander and get off-course.
Maureen,
I feel seen! And that drawing is hilarious. Next time get Bird or Frog to help w/ that! LOL. These days Ken does most of the cleaning in our house, and I don’t worry about it as much as I once did. Still, this time of year I get bitten by the spring cleaning bug. I have lots of closet weeding to do.
Thanks, Glenda! I notice the windows this time of year – all the yuck that has accumulated over the winter. They are a workout to clean!
Oh my gosh, Maureen, I have the same cleaning gene as you. I think it is the ADD of cleaning. Your post had me laughing aloud as I read this line: I am an awesome culler when company is coming. This is so me!
The diagram is fantastic! The spaghetti model of domestic engineering. It’s easy to get distracted and add things to the list. I’ve worked room by room and left to right, but it never fails – – I always end up spaghetti-ing it just like you did. And the great thing? It will all be amazing.
I was thinking about the Family Circus Adventure cartoon as I read..and yeah, I do the same thing sometimes. If no one is in the house, I get a LOT accomplished with this style of cleaning. 🙂 Enjoy your company.
Maureen, I hope you had a great visit! I love the diagram of your cleaning adventure. It sounds about like me when I’m cleaning, crafting, writing, cooking, anything really. I hope that chair on the left is after you finished you were able to put your feet up.