I knew I was obsessed when I found myself polishing the hat rack...which is usually buried under hundreds of hats...that sits in the corner of the hallway and hardly anybody sees.

I found myself with a dust rag in one hand and Murphy's Wood Oil in the other hand and I didn't like myself very much.  Don't get me wrong.  I love a clean house.  I love the smell of wood oil and lemons and crisp linen and all the rest.  But I realized today that I'm not a very nice person when I'm cleaning.

My apologies go out to:

• the electrical meter guy who probably heard me cursing...
• the neighbor's dog scared witless at the trash bags thrown out the door...
• my new beautiful kitty Morena who was crudely banished from her perch on the window seat...
• my oldest daughter who had to fix her own lunch...
• my other children who listened to me rant, rave, and holler all day long...
• and the spiders who lost their homes in the corners of the windows...

But what is a woman suppose to do who has just sent out 100 shower invitations (do not fear, I believe it is a general rule to expect at least 1/3 of that number) and needs to have her house clean, clean, clean by Saturday morning? 

And who is not rich enough to hire cleaning help?

And who does not have the patience at the moment to have her children messing it up under her  helping?

And who knows by Saturday morning that today's work will be undone?...not that today's job looks any better...

And who is praying that it all comes together because the house still looks like a bomb went off inside of it...

And who is still picking up Halloween candy wrappers off the floor...

And who discovered that the best way to get through a day of house cleaning is to eat lots and lots and lots of Halloween candy...

I can tell you one thing...my children and I would much rather live with the dust bunnies who live life to the fullest, in happy little clouds, completely in the moment, dancing in the sunlight than the way we lived today.

Comments

[Leonie]

Oh, Cay, I understand! Good luck with the cleaning - by your deadline. :-)

[Lanell]

I sent this link to my kids to show them that I'm not the only mom that gets mean when she cleans. The youngest would always tell the oldest he better not come home cause "Mom's cleaning".
Also to tell A.'s paran that he's going to owe someone a supper big time!! :D

[Jennifer]

Do you know I can't stand the smell of Murphy's Oil Soap anymore? I used it to clean the chalk boards in my classrooms (where it does a WONDERFUL job of cutting that dust) and it now smells just like a classroom to me! I used to love it but now I'm a lemon pledge girl, funny isn't it?

[Colleen]

Cay--Don't feel bad, I'm so mean when I clean that my fmaily ran away to another state while I did it. And since they've been home I've had to constantly fight the temptation to make them feel as though they've come home and messed it all up! I'm with you all the way--a managed mess makes a happy home!

[molly mcgovern]

OK, you crack me up, I can soooooo relate!!!!LOL!!!

[Maria P]

"I can tell you one thing...my children and I would much rather live with the dust bunnies who live life to the fullest, in happy little clouds, completely in the moment, dancing in the sunlight than the way we lived today."

Cay, I loved this!

[janette]

I can totally sympathize, Cay! I love the dust bunny thoughts too. Ah, to live in the moment! If *only* I could do that more.

BTW, the cake is beautiful!