Cleaning Day!

Yesterday I got caught up on some household responsibilities.  I did laundry and put the majority of it away for a change.  I mopped the kitchen floor, what a waste of time that was!  I vacuumed, I did dishes and I did not nap!


I wish I could afford a maid.  Cleaning is not my forte!  It's not that I am incapable of doing the things required of me.  Let's face it the act of cleaning isn't difficult!  It can be a great place to relieve stress.  Let's face it, who among us hasn't been so pissed off that we scrubbed the heck out of something?  There is something about scrubbing something clean that can make you feel refreshed.  In my case, it's a vicious circle.  I get mad/upset/irritated, clean, feel better and then one or all of my four children will come right behind me and dirty it back up!  Then, you guessed it, I am pissed again!


As I said, I mopped my kitchen floor yesterday.  It was downright dirty and in some areas quite sticky.  I imagine this is from the little ones spilling things on the floor and all of them (husband and dog included) tracking heaven knows what into the house.  Yes, I am completely innocent here! I spent a good 45 minutes sweeping and mopping and was left with a clean, sparkly, non-sticky floor. It's the little things!  About an hour later, I went into the living room with a basket of laundry to fold and  within mere seconds my floor was ruined. Apparently, Olivia, Sarah and the pink dinosaur were hungry and felt they needed some mandarin oranges.  The oranges in question come in a plastic bottle with a screw top lid and then a plastic safety covering between the lid and the product.  Instead of simply asking me to assist them, they decided to sneak behind my back and do it themselves!  What mother doesn't appreciate independent children?  May be they thought the pink dinosaur could use one of her claws to open the bottle? I don't know! I found the evidence by stepping in a puddle of mandarin juice.  YAY!  I followed the small body of mandarin juice all the way to a bench in my foyer where the empty bottle sat.  Inside the bottle was one lonely orange!  *shaking my head* Seriously, you went through all that trouble to sneak the oranges, make a huge mess on my clean floor and you have the nerve to leave one orange?  Kids, who can understand them?


A little later in the afternoon, I was folding yet more laundry in the living room.  Olivia and Sarah were not interested in watching the Investigate Discovery Channel (what is wrong with them?) with me and asked if they could watch television in my room.  I told them they could but they needed to be quiet because Bella was upstairs napping in Sarah's room.  They agreed to be quiet - at least to my face anyway.  After I had completed my basket of folding, I ventured upstairs to put it all away.  I should have just known what I was in for when I walked into my room.


As I turned to walk in my room, the first thing I noticed was a basket of clothes I had brought up earlier was overturned.  Actually, overturned implies that the basket was just upside down and this wasn't the case!  No, the previously clean, organized basket of clothes was not only overturned and being used as a step stool but the clothes were flung all over the place!  At this point, I am thinking I should have worked off my anger on the kitchen floor again! Not only was the basket upset, my bed pillows and comforter were on the floor.  To put it mildly, I was a little upset.  Let the yelling commence!  Olivia and Sarah got an ear full and were ordered to clean it all up, right after I swatted their little hineys (Yes I spank my kids when they need it!  PLEASE TURN ME IN!?!?!?!  I could use the break!).  They cleaned it up to the best of their abilities and all was well again.  Once they were settled back in and got a lecture on how watching television in my room was a privilege, they began watching Noggin again.  Here's the kicker, Sarah, who was all snuggled up on my bed at this point, looked at me and said, "Thank you for spanking me Mommy!" in an almost joyful voice.  I couldn't help myself, I had to laugh!


When Emma and Abigail got home from school, I put them to work cleaning up their previously made messes.  They kept making comments like, "Didn't we just do this yesterday?".  Ummmm yes, yes we did!  Why don't you all try and be tidier?  I also told them I was sick of them thinking that I was their maid.  I am, the truth of the matter is I am at their mercy until they all move out someday!  I will always be looked to as the hired help - it sucks! 


Sincerely,
The Queen of Insanity