What I'm Listening To: Better Do Better by Hard-Fi(um, isn't that cleaning elephant picture adorable? Just so you know, Jim and I collect elephant stuff. So in case you're stumped for something to buy us for our birthdays and stuff like that, kay?)
Sigh. A rare occurrence happened today. No, a meteor didn't hit our house, nor did I see a unicorn grazing in our backyard. (Jim said he saw a leprechaun last month. Yes, that's why we are so rich!!) Actually, I broke down and cleaned.
It all started when I was looking down at one of the area rugs, and I seriously could not see parts of the rug's pattern because of the layer of crumbs, dirt, bits of pretzel, and various other microscopic items that had made their way to the floor. That's just gross, people. If it's this bad, uh, obviously, me and the vacuum cleaner aren't that close. (um, wouldn't you avoid your vacuum cleaning duties if the only conversation you had with that particular appliance consisted of loud sucking noises, and to top that off you actually had to push the thing around? Bitch, puhleeeez! No wonder I never get that thing out!)
Cleaning at the Reagans is a big event. Usually our rationalization for avoiding cleaning is that no one ever comes over. Then whaddaya know, some idiot decides to drop by, and they are greeted by newspapers strewn all over the dining room table, coffee grounds scattered on the kitchen floor, and empty La Croix cans on every available flat surface.
So today I got my clean on. Whoohoo! On any normal day, here's how cleaning goes at Casa Reagan. I clean the kitchen, the dining room, the living room, the foyer and my "personal room" upstairs. Jim cleans the bathroom and our bedroom and sweeps down the stairs. And that's all well and good. Usually we do an mediocre job, nothing fancy, about as skilled as any two people who hate cleaning as much as we do can accomplish.
But this time for me it wasn't just the "oh, I'll wipe down the counters and maybe sweep if I feel like it" urge. It was the biggie, the "let's move the couch and vacuum under it" and the "hey, why don't we throw out all the wire hangers and reorganize clothes according to color" and "oh, so that's where we put Dolores' wedding ring" kind of cleaning. Yeah, it's spring, so I guess this is the best time to do this anyway.
My mom used to say that I was cleaning impaired, because I would always do a half-assed job. I never saw the point in moving stuff when you're dusting, or getting under the table when you're sweeping, or even doing the dishes -- hey, we use paper, for cripes sake! But when it's your own house it's a little different. So today I'm scrubbing down the kitchen cupboards, and polishing the breakfront, and dust-bustering under the couch, and swiffering every floorboard twice. It was crazy!
Okay, so maybe I didn't clean out the fridge, or wash the windows, or disinfect the kitchen floor to a point where we could actually perform medical procedures on it like some people would. But I was pretty proud of myself for reorganizing my closet and throwing out all the wire hangers and actually folding all my sweaters and putting them into storage, and changing the bedsheets, and doing three loads of laundry. That is progress, people!
I have a love-hate relationship with cleaning. I mean, I never want to do it, but it feels super good when you're done. Kinda like working out, which I also should do more of in the future. And I am lucky that Jim pitches in and does an excellent job cleaning the bathroom, which is no picnic with the amount of hair I leave in the tub drain. He must have an iron stomach to clean that out, seriously!! So now that I'm done, I have a delicious-smelling home where Joan Crawford would be pleased by the absence of wire hangers. Yay!
Happy Spring, everyone! Let's hope it warms up soon!
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