In March, Two Writing Teachers hosts the Slice of Life Story Challenge. Everyone is welcome to share writing and comment on others in this special community.
I am fairly certain that my daughters will sit around a table one day and talk about their mother. They might talk about the Slice of Life. They might talk about my chocolate chip cookies and struggles to follow recipes. They will definitely talk about my cleaning tendencies and my propensity for throwing away still-necessary items and papers.
Every now and then, I enter a bit of a cleaning frenzy. Usually it's because we're having guests or we're going on vacation. Feel free to pass judgement. If you come to my house for dinner, you're likely to enter a house that is misrepresenting its usual state of cleanliness.
Nearby friends are hosting a 60th birthday this weekend, and since out-of-town friends are attending the said party, our guest quarters has gotten the nod. That's awesome, except that the current bedroom that is available for guests shares a bathroom with a current resident. Generally, I steer clear of the resident's bathroom. #notmyterritory. Every now and then, I'll need to borrow a tweezers or a spritz of perfume (okay, that's not really a borrow), and I'm impressed at the number of products. Sephora giveaways receive close attention in families of four girls.
I didn't think it was fair to ask the non-hosting daughter to deep-clean her bathroom because not-her-guests would be sharing the space on Saturday night, so I carved out cleaning time. Once I start, it's hard to stop. I cleared counters and shelves, scrubbed and wiped, and okay, I might have even tossed some almost-empty bottles. (How many drops can you squeeze out of an already over-squeezed bottle?)
You're likely to read a rendition of this story from Clare because later that evening, she commented on my post.
I opted to continue the conversation in a more personal space. She wasn't home, so our text conversation went like this:
And this morning, you'll all be happy to know that her bathroom is clean, and she was right about the receipt.
Maybe one day, I'll do better with my impulsive cleaning and tossing.
Oh, I can easily get caught in the just throwing it away type of cleaning! I've dug in the trash a few times. It might be why whenever Al can't find something in the house, he asks if I threw it away! At least you found it in there- the worst is when you dig and don't find it!
ReplyDeleteWe share the exact same cleaning routine. And yes, I've dug back into our trash can too. Too funny! We are cleaning twins!
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your cleaning frenzy on so many levels. I had a friend stopping by last night to pick me up on the way to a concert (later post) and just in case she came in (she didn't) I spot cleaned the carpet, and wet mopped the entry area. I did have 2 loads of laundry to put away and dishes tucked deep in the sink clearly, in my mind, out of sight and out of mind not to mention the income tax (another post) scattered over the desk.....you get the point,
ReplyDeleteMelanie,
ReplyDeleteick to that garbage can! lol! I can relate to this post because I spent years as a cleaning obsessed young woman, but as an old one I clean sporadically. I don’t like counter clutter and have been known to toss others’ stuff. Having only boys means there was never an opportunity to borrow either.
I am cackling. Also for the readers-- the house is not in a state of disarray at any point... there isn't even a true junk drawer here!
ReplyDeleteLet it be known that I didn't know about said guests coming! And I'm happy to have a scrubbed bathroom! (ps. did you find the nail polish? the sewing machine?) Love you. Good luck today.
I threaten my girls, “do I need to get my garbage bag??” ❤️Jess
ReplyDeleteI am the sssaammmmmeeeee. My son (who is 10) is a bit of a hoarder, and remembers everything. He will draw a thousand comics, which will be dispersed around the house. I will recycle. I will then have him track me down and ask for the specific comic I recycled (how could he possibly remember out of the hundreds?). I love how you use a second person vibe to describe the other residents. Great slice.
ReplyDelete