I think my house is the cleanest it's been in its life. And I'm talking about the type of cleaning that you do when you move -- dusting the top of the 'fridge, cleaning the baseboards, vacuuming behind the dryer. Of all the things I'm worried about, being unable to move and having to watch my house get dirty ranks right up there with falling down the stairs.
I've always been a clean freak. Even as a teenager, I was fond of taking a toothbrush to the grout in my bathroom. This is going to be a challenge.
So this Memorial Day weekend, I've spent time cleaning everything I can think of. My goal is to get my house SO CLEAN that is actually stays clean for the next 8 weeks. Probably not going to happen, but that's the idea.
I'm also happy to report that the kids really stepped up as well. And I'm not talking about the kind of stepping up that they do when I read them the collective riot act and threaten to withhold TV, video games, computer, food and water until they actually start acting like functioning members of this household. This was the type of stepping up that comes from the fear that Mom might actually die in surgery (no, I'm totally serious. Cheyenne has asked me three times who is going to buy her clothes if I bleed to death in the operating room). Said 12-year old cleaned the microwave without even being asked!! And she also picked up her room. The fact that I discovered later that she'd taken everything off the floor and stuffed it in the closet and closed the doors doesn't diminish the fact that she really tried. Morgan vacuumed nearly every square foot of the house and also picked up his 3-year old sister's room. His reaction when he found it completely trashed again 6 hours later was priceless. Welcome to my world.
I've also made a list of "mindless tasks I can do while seated and floating on pain medication". These include cleaning out my closet of clothes I haven't worn since the Bush administration and cleaning out my pantry of things that are on the verge of becoming sentient. I figure my mother can help with these tasks and it will satisfy my need to continue to be a vital part of this household even though I won't be able to push a vacuum or operate a car.
This time next week I'll be enjoying my last evening before my surgery. Meanwhile, I'm going to find more things that are dirty.
Speaking of cleaning... I'm vacuuming guy today. Whole house. But, I can't any longer just do it as one big push through. So, I vacuum for about 15 minutes or so, then rest a while. Then, back up for more. I should be finished in about another 90 minutes, LOL! I used to vacuum the whole downstairs in 45 minutes, now its looking like a 2 hour thing. Goal is for me to get to a level of stamina and health that means I can do it in an hour! Woo Hoo!
ReplyDelete