Summertime Slacker
I heard the splat before I turned around. It took me only a moment to watch half of a gallon of apple juice spill all over my kitchen floor. An overflowing fridge, a messy kitchen, and recyclables laying in a pile next to the trash can lay in a pile of juice all glared back at me with their evil eye. I lunged for a beach towel and did the best I could to soak up the mess and then used a damp washcloth to try and clean up the rest of it. The floor looked much better to me and we proceeded to sit down and eat lunch.
As I headed to the counter to grab my bowl of macaroni, I felt my feet sticking to the floor. My halfhearted attempts to clean didn't seem to do the trick so my time spent lounging outside for a bit was quickly replaced with a little bit of good old-fashioned cleaning.
I shook out the rugs, broom swept the floors and moved everything out of the way. I grabbed a bucket and a washcloth and found myself on my hands and knees in a pile of sticky. As I washed the floors, I started to get a rhythm going and then I figured that I might as well do a really great job and get the floors clean for the week.
I stood back to survey my work and felt really proud to have them clean. Two children, a sandbox full of sand, grass clippings, and dirt had made their way onto my floor and I relished this one little moment where they were clean for just a day, an hour, or a minute. I don't know how long it will last like this, but I have cleaned the grime away for now.
This made me think how entertaining others is often just a roundabout way to motivate myself to tidy the house. I wish I was more disciplined and had a better grasp on the home management, but this summer I have felt like I am in a cleaning slump and would rather be outside with the sweet children than sweeping a floor.
A weekly playdate, a dinner guest joining our table, a birthday party, a friend swinging by for coffee- those are the things that force me into the cleaning mode. I get my home ready for those moments.
I figure if a tidy home is what I desire, I will just have to rely on my guests to help push me in the right direction.
How do you stay motivated in the summer?
2 Responses to “Summertime Slacker”
July 15th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Usually, I don’t bother because our relatives don’t come to visit. However my daughter graduated and we’ve been painting everything in site as well as clearing and repairing. That leaves us totally exhausted for the last 6? weeks. After this weekend we are not going to touch a thing and just relax. Oh wait, my son’s birthday party is the next weekend. So maybe after that? My husband hopes we won’t have to paint again for my son’s graduation in two years. I’m beginning to agree.
July 16th, 2008 at 11:05 am
My husband and I always “joke” that we invite people just we get the house clean. Sadly, it really isn’t a joke, but it is the motivation we need to get the job done.
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