Thank God for relatives who visit. Otherwise my home might never be properly cleaned.
I’m not saying I don’t clean. I do. I dust, vacuum, scrub, polish…my mother raised me right; I can clean DAMN GOOD. I think it’s more that living in an apartment building means you clean a little differently. Dust ruffle on the bed looking a little…dusty? I’ll just vacuum it with the hose attachment. Pulling it off and going down to the basement to spend $4.40 to launder it is more of a hassle than I can take most times. Or maybe I’m just lazy? I don’t even spring clean really. Every spring my Facebook feed gets cram full of crazy people cleaning out their attics and basements and garages and “starting fresh!” Quite frankly, the mere thought exhausts me. And so it goes with most deep cleaning type activities. Until it’s time for my mother or mother-in-law to visit or even one of her daughters (‘cause you know they’ll report back, I mean I would…)
As Thanksgiving was approaching and we were preparing for the family invasion, I was scrubbing every visible surface in the apartment. Hell, I was moving furniture and scrubbing surfaces that never ever get seen…at one point my fiancé said, “It’s just my mom, it doesn’t have to be perfect.” I just looked at him like he was a crazy man, because OH YES IT DOES NEED TO BE PERFECT! Does he not know that she will totally pull back the shower curtain to make sure I am not bathing her grandchild in an unsuitable environment??? But honestly, I don’t know which is worse, his mother visiting or mine.
The night I went into labor with Jack, I sent dear fiancé back to sleep (hey, that useless childbirth prep class said we should try to rest during the early stages of labor) and came out to the living room and cleaned it, merrily timing contractions the whole time. My water broke at 11:45 pm, the contractions were ramping up – it was go time and that meant my mother was coming to town. No way in hell was I letting her see my home in disarray! I called it quits when the contractions were a little less than 4 minutes apart. Even I have limits. But the living room had been put to rights and wasn’t dusty, thank you very much.
Two days before Thanksgiving I was speaking with my sister on the phone and mentioned the above conversation, “Roger says I don’t have to crazy clean just because his mother’s coming.” My sister burst out laughing. “Oh my God, yes you do too!”
So this holiday season our dust ruffles are dust free, the shower curtain liner sparkles, the mirrors are polished, no fingerprints mar the stainless (pain in my ass) refrigerator, and even the diaper pail is freshly deodorized.
Holidays and visiting family, a kick in the pants like no other.
About Jenny
My own mother said the day before thanksgiving…”You love having Thanksgiving because you end up with a new house every year!”
Cheryl recently posted..The Aftermath…
OH how I know this all too well. Although I do take spells other times of the year when I just can’t take it anymore..
Angel recently posted..Help a miracle happen with Rachel and Itty Bit
OMG, you are so right- we had 23 family members here for Thanksgiving. Curtains were laundered, windows were washed, walls were painted, carpets, shampooed. We are EXHAUSTED.
Lauren recently posted..Thanksgiving Migraine? WTF!
23??? I’m exhausted just thinking about it.
So how long does it *stay* clean?
Not long enough. I was looking around today thinking, “my God it looks like a bomb went off in here…”
Well, I just wiped down all of the counters and cabinets last night and dusted again today. So… not long.
Lauren recently posted..Thanksgiving Migraine? WTF!
Oh Wow that is for sure!! I don’t get a lot of company at my apartment, but I’m telling you I get so concerned with what people think (because naturally, I’m not that neat.) So that’s pretty big for me because I hate to clean.
Nicole recently posted..I Give You Permission To Quit
This is hilarious! My husband always says that he likes having company over since it is the only time that I clean the house. It is not exactly true but, ok, it kinda is! It’s not like we are dirty or anything, things just need to be picked up all of the time.
Jayme recently posted..The Obligatory Thanksgiving Post
You absolutely have to clean before the in-laws visit! I think my parents wish I would also clean before they visit too..but they live very close so they are over often and this mama just doesn’t have the energy for that!
Teri recently posted..Stream of Consciousness Sunday: In My Head.
Mine lives close too Teri – only 20 mins away! She definitely sees our house at it’s worst. But, the bonus is that she cleans something every time she babysits!
Cheryl recently posted..The Aftermath…
Oh wow, my mom is 500 miles away. She sees my place maybe once a year. DEFINITELY have to be shined up for that kind of visit. If she was just down the road though…she’d just have to cope with my messes!
THANK GOD for this post:) I’m a pretty neat person – ok don’t look at my desk, my dining room table or my sock drawer – but I do go crazy clean freak when company comes over and is one reason that I invite them. My kitchen cabinets are clean, I dusted BEHIND some stuff on a shelf and much to my surprise actually organized some of the crap instead of just shoving it into a box before cramming it on a shelf in the basement.
However, if we could just spread out Thanksgiving company and Christmas company about another month or so…this kind of cleaning should be limited to every 3 or 4 months!!!
Hee Hee………. Had my outlaws for dinner the Sunday before Thanksgiving and cleaned like a fiend on speed all day………. I have issued a standing invite to them: Dinner once a month just so I can deep clean.
My mother-out-law got the giggles and said she was delighted to be of service!!
I hated when we’d go visit my family and the in-laws would come by to feed our pets. The house had to be impeccable or we’d come home to everything in the wrong place! Psst…I’m glad they’re too far away to do that now.
April Cross recently posted..Judgment Day