Posts Tagged: Laundry

Thoughts from Mom — 5 Comments
9
Jun 09

Do you really want to be the perfect wife?

Time:   8:32 pm, 3 days ago

Setting:  Kevin and I are driving home in the car.

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Me:   :::sighs suddenly:::: It’s going to take forever to get that house cleaned once the bedroom floor is finished, and I have no desire to do any of it.  WHY can’t I just be the person I want to be???

Kevin:   ::::::turns the wheel, looks at me out of the corner of his eye whilst driving:::::::::

Me:   ….see, the person I WANT to be is inside of me.  I have this great picture of who she is.  But when I look at my life, I’m totally different than who I think I should be.

Kevin:  ::::raises his eyebrow, unsure of where this is going::::::

Me:   Well, for one, I hate getting up early.  I hate cleaning.  I rarely dust.  We eat from Little Ceasars, Taco Bell, Subway, and the Dollar Menu at McDonalds far, far too often.  The only vegetables I’ve ever grown in my life are probably about to die because I didn’t know how to transplant them properly.   We ran out of clean underwear twice last month.  And I swear, our stuff sits in the living room at night, breeding, and plotting how to take our lives over.  That, and I haven’t touched the laundry in a week, which might lead ot more trips to Kmart to buy you fresh underwear.  Why oh why can’t I just take a pill and instantly become the person I have in my mind that I want to be????  

Kevin, speaking non-chalantly:   Baby, you already do a lot.  Plus, you are with our baby 24/7.  That’s a lot of work.  Don’t make yourself sound that bad.   You know you always get around to stuff sooner or later. 

Me:   No!  You don’t understand.  I don’t WANT to be that kind of person. Period.  I want to be different than I am.  I want to be an awesome wife and mom.  See..here’s how it is.  I’m supposed to get up before you do, have your breakfast cooked, enjoy a wonderful hot meal together, then kiss you on the cheek, and send you off to work at 5:30 am with ironed clothes and a packed nutritious lunch……

Kevin, butting into my tirade:   Yeh, I remember you did that one time a couple years ago……

Me:   ::::looks at him annoyed::::

Me, continuing:   …..then after you leave, I should get the laundry caught up, do my morning routine, then wake up our son, get him dressed and feed him a hot nutricious breakfast.   I’m home all day, so the house should be spotless too, right????  The bed should be made, the floors sparkling, the dishes done, and soft classical music playing in the background.  It doesn’t SOUND like it would be too hard.  And truthfully, when I get to doing it, it doesn’t physically take that long.  Then, there should be a garden of vegetables out back.  I’d love to learn how to can things!  And all this talk about organic being the best, shouldn’t we look into learning about that stuff???  And we should see about getting a city recycle bin too as all this going green talk has me feeling guilty every time I throw the weekly circular into the trash.  Better yet, I should just turn it into paper pulp, make beads, and sellthem on Etsy!!   Also,  I want to look pretty every day and enjoy going out to lunch occasionally too. I don’t like being cooped up all the time and it’s good for Jack to get out.   Yet in reality, I don’t even want to get dressed when I wake up and by the time I return from taking Jack to the morning storytime, the hermit in me doesn’t want to do anything else, much less grocery shop or cook the evening meal every night.  But everything that SHOULD be done SOUNDS so easy in my head, and that’s the kind of wife I truly want to be.  As a Christian, that’s who I’m SUPPOSED to be, right??  Isn’t that what you want too???  Our home should be tranquil…peaceful…clean.   Anyway, that’s what annoys me – the version of me I picture in my head is not who I am in reality…..she’s there…I can almost feel her…but I can’t make myself become her….and….  

Kevin:   :::::cuts into my tirade, looking strait at me instead of the road::::::   Uh, no.  Listen, I don’t know what weird things you’ve been reading, but if you acted like that I’d kick you out or leave myself.   You don’t need to get up when I do!  You need your sleep. Plus you know I like to be alone during the morning.  And I could care less about any of that other junk you mentioned.  You’re awesome.  I don’t want you to be like all that.  Are you seriously nuts???  I want you to be like YOU.  

Me:   ::::::sinks into subdued thoughtful silence for the 2 minute remainder of the ride::::::::

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LESSON LEARNED:   Don’t try to be someone else’s version of the perfect wife and mother. 

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DISCLAIMER:  This is a true story.  The names were not even changed to protect the not-so-innocent.

Thoughts from Mom — No Comments
26
Oct 08

10 Tiny Cleaning Chores That Make a Huge Difference

There are some things that we do naturally around the house to keep it clean – sweep, mop, vaccuum, dish washing, and laundry.  While these are huge things that make a difference between a well kept home and a messy one, there are many tiny chores that can easily be overlooked, but when done occassionally, they make a huge difference in the overall upkeep of our homes. 

Make sure you eek out some time occassionally for these tiny chores around your own home!  If you are a FlyLady follower, you may also want to add one job per week to your routines.

  1. Wash the Baseboards – Foot traffic, sweeping, and dusting can cause these bottom of the wall areas to become filthy.  Yet we often pass right by them without giving them a second thought!  Soon, that gleaming white trim becomes coated in dust, and leaves an otherwise great looking room in a dull state. 
  2. Wash the Window Casings – While you may remember to Windex the glass windows, do you wash the window trim?  Those too become caked with grim.  Ours is wood, so I occassionally polish them as well, leaving them a great shine.
  3. Sweep the Ceiling – Floors aren’t the only things that need sweeping!  Cobwebs, dust and soot will collect over time not only in corners but on main ceiling areas as well, and leave them in a darkened state.  Running an occassional broom or extended vaccuum hose over them will give the entire room a great boost.
  4. Remove and Wash Light Switch & Outlet Covers – This is another thing we don’t pay much attention too!  Yet with all of the touching they are exposed too, germs and grim can build up really quickly, especially during cold season.  Removing them can be done quickly and easily.  Once removed, give them a quick wash with some Joy or Dawn Detergent, or let them soak overnight for a thorough cleaning.  You’ll be surprised at how great they look afterwards!
  5. Wipe Down the Top of the Refrigerator – Even if you can’t see it, dust from the top can cause a very unhealthy atmosphere.  The thought of it accidentally falling in food should be good enough motivation as well!  Grab a dishrag and step stool, remove the cereal boxes and tupperware, and get to scrubbin’.  It’ll only take 5 minutes tops.
  6. Hose Down the Mini-Blinds – If you have typical suburbian mini-blinds, you may already know that dry dusting them does not always help.  Furthermore, wet washing them isn’t easy either because it’s hard to apply pressure when they’re hanging.  Instead, just remove them from their hooks and hose them down outside (or give them a good soaking in the tub). 
  7. Scrub the Air Vent - Do you have one of those AC intake vents in your home?  Ours is approximately 2′ x 2′, located in our hallway, and houses the filter.  When the air flows into the vent, it traps dust that would otherwise travel through the ducts and exit in other parts of the house.  This metal vent sees far more dust and grim then I would like to admit!  Removing it, giving it a good soaking, and finishing off with a damp rag and elbow greese restores it to a bright, shining white sheen. 
  8. Wash Your Cabinets – Our kitchen cabinets catch all sorts of splatters, grease, and finger prints.  Wiping down your cabinet facing with something that is safe for your woodwork, will help restore a wonderful clean feeling to your kitchen  Be sure to pay special attention to the handles and knobs!
  9. Vaccuum Lamp Shades – Lamp shades collect surprising amounds of dust if left alone.  Washing fabric based shades is usually not feasible since it does little more than smear the dirt in.  Instead, use your vaccuum to such up the dust.  Light will shine brighter once it isn’t obscured by those dusty layers!
  10. Wash the Glass Shades on Ceiling Fans or Lights – Have you paid close attention to the glass shades that house your lighting fixtures?  Those too collect layers of dust that obscure proficient lighting.  Removing them and giving them a quick wash will make them look beautiful again.  If you’re daring, you can also chance putting them in the dish washer like I do.  To date, I have successfully washed ceiling fan glass, ceiling dome housing glass, and even gas light domes in the dishwasher with no mishaps.  The heat dry cycle always leaves them with a crystal clear look that my hand washing alone can’t achieve.
Our Homelife — No Comments
28
Jan 08

Ode to the Laundry Fairy

I love writing.  I love writing poems even better!  The sillier they are, the more I like them.  I guess it stems from all the books my mom use to read to me when I was little….the rhyming, the meter, everything about a poem just makes me all bubbly inside.

There is a joke in my family stemming back from the moment I first got married that I now had to do my own laundry (I sadly admit that before marriage I was one of those lucky spoiled ones who still lived at home and “momma did it for me”).  She was a stay-at-home mom and enjoyed taking care of us.   Unfortunately, I never gave the laundry a second thought back then.   It was always just as if my clothes somehow magically cleaned themselves.  After marriage, months and months passed before I got the hang of doing not only my laundry, but my husbands large, filthy, stinky, mud crusted work clothes as well.  Ewww….and don’t get me started on mud-crusty balled up size 13 men’s socks.  I hated it with a passion!!   “Where is my little laundry fairy??” I would often cry.

This poem just popped outta me today (yeh, yeh, I’m good like that) and I thought I would post it.

(By the way, I still dream of the day when I can have my own Laundry Fairy again though.)


It’s Monday morning,
In your newlywed life,
You sit up in bed,
And think “I’m a wife!”

Over in the corner,
Wait….what do you see?
16 pairs of pants
And 32 Tees!

But they are all dirty,
Covered with filth.
(Where is that fairy?!)
Now you’re feelin’ some guilt.

Your husband is yellin’
There’s nothin to wear!
But he hasn’t helped,
So why should you care?!

You look out the window
For her glittering wings
While your laundry lays limp,
Growing the grossest of things.

When you were younger,
She was always around,
Pickin’ up and cleaning
Your clothes from the ground.

But where is she now,
That darn laundry fairy?
You never suspected she’d
Disappear when you married!

As the weeks passed,
The piles grew and grew
Till you both were down
To your last underroo.

You finally call mom
To ask what has happened;
But get very discouraged
When she starts a laughin’.

Sweet daughter, she chimes
Why, didn’t you know?
She’s there with you now,
And she’s ready to go!

I don’t understand!
You miserably sigh,
I’m looking around
But see only my guy!

Well go to the bathroom
And here’s what you’ll see…
Staring back from that mirror
Is your new Laundry Fairy!


(Send this poem to a friend!)

Poem Copyright © 1-28-2008, Lisa,  from Little Jack’s Corner