I admit it. Just because something is written in my task list does not mean it gets done. Sound familiar? I have my house cleaning scheduled for Wednesday. In the old days before husband was home all the time and my schedule went topsy turvy this worked. On days without appointments I would wake up around 9:30 am normally or 10:00 am on a lazy day. I would work in my home office most mornings until around 1:30 or 2:00 pm and then I would go out for the days errands. Most days this would be a quick run to the post office - send out any mail and pick up mail at our post office box. Then lunch at home (except Fridays - my day out alone) and then back to work in the office. On Wednesdays however, I would do my housework. When during the day I did it, depended on which Wednesday it was. I also start the laundry Wednesday night - right now while I am writing to you the second wash load is in and the first dry load.
I have different chores to do on different Wednesdays. On the first Wednesday of the month I have my embroidery chapter meeting in the morning, so I have a lot of normal stuff to catch up on during the day of daily things, so I keep it light. I am suppose to dust upstairs and clean the floors. We have only three rooms with carpeting - our office, the Teddy Bear’s room (aka the just about never used guest room), and our craft studio. The rest of the house is easy cleaning - either 1950's hardwood floors or some sort of vinyl flooring. I used to do this in the afternoon after I came home from my meeting and while husband was at work. It includes dusting the computers and related in the home office. Well, now when I get in there husband is working at his computer. He does not find it funny when I try to clean around him. So this is no longer such an easy thing to do.
On the second Wednesday of the month I am suppose to clean the floors and dust downstairs as well as clean the downstairs tiny bathroom. I used to do this when I returned from the post office - long before he was home. If he is working at his computer this is not too bad to deal with in terms of dealing with him about it as he is not near where I am working. If he is weaving or otherwise working downstairs - I have to clean around him - and invariably he will need the bathroom immediately after I have cleaned it and it is still drying. Downstairs are not the hardest floors to clean - they are basically “swiffered” and the kitchen and bathroom floors washed. BUT the dining room often has items in transit which makes it hard to clean around them and the living room has some of the furniture out of place (the coffee table is wedged between two chairs to clear the middle of the room for example) and has husband’s warp table and loom in the middle of the room which also makes it hard to get around and clean.
On the third Wednesday of the month I am suppose to again dust and clean the floors upstairs, as well as cleaning the bathroom upstairs - only slightly larger than the downstairs tiny one. This used to be a “do in the morning” job, but no longer. Now, again, I have to work around husband in the office - and like downstairs - if I clean the bathroom, he will immediately show up and need to use it.
On the fourth Wednesday of the month I again do downstairs - dusting and floors and clean the kitchen - same problems as the second Wednesday.
If there is a fifth Wednesday I would find some special project that needed doing.
Well, now the days are later days then before. In addition I have a new project on Wednesday nights when I should be getting the cleaning done - writing my post for all of you. Now, I am suppose to do this on Tuesday night, but never get to it.
SO, I have decided that as of September I will move my cleaning to Tuesday nights. I will see how this goes in terms of actually cleaning. It won’t help with husband, but it might work on Tuesday to get me up and doing it.
Late this afternoon I found my desk clear of things to do and an hour before I had to go make dinner. Too late to make a phone call to our local real estate tax assessor’s office - which I have been calling for a couple of weeks and actually get a message telling me that no one is available to take my call - call back another time. One more try and I call my county legislator. What to do?
Ah, now that the Teddy Bear Christmas village was packed away and the boxes moved to the dining room (see what I mean about it being a holding area) to go to the basement, and what needed to be stored in the trunk the village sits on, I could put away the line of bears and Cabbage Patch Kids waiting to see Santa. First I had to take the bears sitting on the bed in the Teddy Bear’s room and put them on the trunk in the hall - where they are suppose to be. Then the crew that goes on the bed went there. Wow, one could actually walk into the room again. I then started poking around to see what else I could deal with. I pulled out the empty boxes that were floating around in there and put them in the hall - husband is going to store assorted papers he has collected on movies in the boxes, which will free up the shelves they were on for books - which we need space for. But that is his to do. I then went through some bags and boxes in the Teddy’s room to see what I could get rid of - I found in the closet there when I cleaned it out for husband to use for storage an entire carton of Teddy Bear items packed away when the house was treated for bed bugs - in 2009 - which have never been put back in place. Not enough time to go through it , but a quick look showed I did still want most of what was in it. Perhaps I will get a matching box to use for my storage in that closet. Well, now at least I can get in and out of the room and I can get to the bear figurines I put out in the living room by month again - right now March is still out!
Why am I suddenly trying to get things done and get back on schedule? I think it is the dish drying rack. Since the dishwasher broke, I would wash the dishes and put them in same to dry. It was large. It was out of sight. I would then take out what I needed each time we were eating, add whatever else I needed that was not in the dishwasher and put that all in to dry. So basically nothing was put away unless it became too overcrowded in the dishwasher or it was a holiday and I knew I would need extra space. Now after each meal the dishes (and of course etc. is included in dishes) are washed and piled in the rack. When next we eat I take out what we need as I go along. Then before I wash again - everything else is put away. Not easy - some items had no place to go, such as spare pudding size cups which I use for storage of extra half can of soup, extra frozen tomato sauce, etc. - but I have found homes for them. Generally the glass we each use for the day end up never being stored away as it is used meal to meal and sometimes between. I am not sure that this putting away of the dishes has not gotten me motivated to clean, declutter, and organize more again.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
Sometimes a small change can inspire you to do more. Go with it. I use anything I can to help me get the inspiration to make the house cleaner and more organized.
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