Nov 26 2002
Run Ragged
On Friday, it dawned on me how imminent my parents’ arrival for the holidays was, which meant I better get busy and start cleaning the house. Under no circumstances is cleaning the house an easy and pleasurable task, but it’s just become monumentally more difficult than ever.
Example #1: I hate vacuuming. I especially hate it because we have a very old and very heavy canister vacuum cleaner which is difficult to move from room to room. Unlike some babies, Sam has no fear whatsoever of the vacuum. As a matter of fact, he thinks it’s a fascinating toy and likes to climb on top of the canister and ride it like a scooter. Cute maybe, but it makes an already backbreaking job even more trying.
Example #2: Once you add a baby into the mix, the amout of laundry you have to do multiplies tenfold. We dedicate an entire day to doing all the week’s laundry. Yesterday, I spent a good long while folding clothes and putting them away. As soon as I had finished, Sam emptied all the drawers in his dresser and ran around his room, tossing clothes in the air and trampling those underfoot. When I saw that, I just wanted to lay down quietly and die. I was so worn out.
Example #3: I made up the bed in the guest room with fresh sheets. Sam climbed on top of the bed and proceeded to horse around, rucking up all the sheets which had to be smoothed out once again.
Example #4: I cleaned the full-length mirrors in the guestroom and master bedroom. While admiring himself in the shiny surfaces, Sam couldn’t resist giving them a couple of excited taps with his sticky baby fingers. (Sam will never get away with any crime since we now have an abundance of perfect finger prints.)
Example #5: I cleaned off the diningroom table and placed a pretty bowl of fruit in the center of it. Sam climbed on top of the table, grabbed an orange and took a bite out of it (it was whole and unpeeled).
Example #6: I gave Sam a bath. He knocked a can of gingerale off the dining room table and splashed around in it. I gave Sam a second bath.
Example #7: While sponging up the spilled gingerale from the dining room floor, Sam climbed on my back and wanted me to give him a ride around the room. I *almost* collapsed with exhaustion.
Example #8: I straightened up the computer room while Sam colored on the walls and my computer keyboard.
Example #9: I tried sweeping the floor. Sam played in the pile of debris.
Example #10: I washed the dishes and began putting them away. Sam emptied all the kitchen cupboards. (Robert says the child locks don’t work on our cupboards. I’m going to insist that he find some that do and install them ASAP. I would do it myself, but I’m hopeless with screwdrivers. What’s more, Robert should be able to rig something up. He build a ROOM for goodness sake!)
Is it any surprise to you that my house looks just about the same it did on Friday?
