I'm so dizzy

My niece Rock Grrrl arrives tomorrow for Stage I of her Belgian adventure. She's going to be staying at Chez V and tending Petey the Handsome Black Cat for five weeks while we go to America and stay in her condo in Virginia and visit E's mom in Florida.

Y'all may recall that about two weeks ago I embarked on my "room a day" spring cleaning program. It sounded so wise and so moderate when I conceived of it. I wrote how I would deep clean one room a day, (no more, no less) until the whole house was done. I was off to a good start, but then the kids got out of school, we traveled out of town for two consecutive weekends, and I got behind on my timetable. The rooms I did first now need to be done again.

This morning reality slapped me silly when I realized that not only did I have to finish the stupid cleaning, but DUH, I had to organize some menus, do some grocery shopping, and get the beds made up, because geez, I'm having GUESTS. All this in addition to getting ready for our trip.  And let's not talk about washing all the sheets and towels plus our regular laundry while also dealing with a heap of funky smelling clothes that E and A brought back from their weekend camping trip.

All day long I was spinning around, not sure what to do first or what to finish. Laundry, cleaning, vacuuming, packing, writing, phone calls, e-mails.  I had to finish writing my guide to living in Belgium for Rock Grrrl, I promised Martina, Sylvie and the editor of Expatica another cat story, and I needed to pinpoint the location of some Very Important Papers related to our trip. Did I mention I need to file papers from school and clear other papers off my desk?

As I kept spinning out of control from one task to another, my list got even longer: must return library books, check on film sent out for developing, pick up framing, claim my refund check, buy cat food, remind E to get trash bags, buy bottled water...

So if I'm so busy, why am I sitting here blogging?

Because I'm TIRED, y'all.  I need to sit down. If I have to carry one more stupid load of laundry from the basement to the second floor, I'm going to collapse. And if I stay upstairs and face the pyramid of clean clothes on my bed that need to be folded, I'm going to cry. And if I stop and consider that I need to clean the toilets AGAIN, I'm going to run away from home. And let's not even talk about the kitchen and all that needs to be spruced up there. Sigh.

So I'm going to just keep blogging until I get my second wind--and tomorrow I'll post the naughty photos Di took of me at the sculpture park and make all y'all SMILE.

June 25, 2007

Comments

[RD]

Oh, I'm feeling the same way as I face looming work deadlines and guests in the next few weeks. I know what you mean by "spinning". It's nuts! And the deck whose construction was supposed to begin this week in time for our guests' arrival is apparently not getting done at all due to the builder's unplanned back surgery today. Agghhh...where do I find another deck builder? I'd rather be in denial as I visit my favorite blogs yet again today. Good luck to YOU!

[bubandpie]

I've found it time-saving to go on a cleanser-by-cleanser basis rather than a room-by-room basis. One day I pick up a duster and dust everything - and then I'm done. A day or two later I pick up the vacuum and do all the floors - and nothing else. If I can get through everything on a two-week rotation, I figure I'm doing okay.

Not that that helps you with company coming and a backlog of housework!

[V-Grrrl]

Bub,

This house is too big for a cleanser by cleanser approach. That's the one that always worked for me in the U.S. but I finally had to acknowledge wasn't practical when I moved here. I took the room-by-room approach so that I'd see results and be inspired.

[Shirl Grrrl]

I say, put those kids to work, bay-bee! E can clean a toilet and A can help fold clothes! You can pay them a small wage which will give them incentive. M-Grrrl is always asking for something to do to earn extra money... she's getting pretty good at cleaning the bathrooms and did an excellent job of cleaning out the van. The more they can help with the little chores the more you can concentrate on the bigger things.

[Ortizzle]

Grrrl... you NEED to put yer feet up, for sure. With a margarita in whichever hand is free. (Can you type one-handed? LOL.) I feel overwhelmed with what I have to finish before my summer school session begins, and I don't have nearly that much laundry. Or house guests. So now I am going to consider myself lucky and go fold clothes.

[Di]

There appears to be a need for a California red methinks.

Good luck, it sounds so much like that housewives regret feeling I'm familar with, as in ... 'why I opt for fun when really I had no place being out of the laundry room?'

Time to dig out Erica's poem ...

[Peace]

Boy, did you hit the nail on the head. Why is it that whenever it's time for vacation theres a weeks worth of preparation that only "we" can take care of? I kknow that mountain of laundry. Perhaps you could get out the suitcases and fold the clothes right into them??? Kill 2 stones with one bird!

Need a cat story, read my post. I have several I could tell you, mostly bad, especially the one that was impaled by a piece of rebar. After that, people thought I didn't like cats. It truly was an accident, I swear!

Hey have a great time, once you get on the plane it will be all good!

[maryann]

How about A and E wash that pile of laundry?

[amber]

Oh I HEAR you!! I hate that evrytime you clean a room, you have to turn around and do it again so soon. Why can't it just stay clean?! But your room a day sounds like a good fly-lady like plan...Maybe I shoudl do that, and then make packing easier. Or pack it as I clean it, so it can't get dirty again before we leave! Hmmmm...
And yet here I sit blogging. lol

:)

[mamatulip]

Blogging: the greatest way to put things off, ever.

[Peter]

From the poem by Erica Jong that Di posted on het blog today:

--
I wish there were not a choice;
I wish I could be two women.
I wish the days could be longer.
But they are short.
So I write while
the dust piles up
--

You know, I'm a single male, I have no children, no 5 bedrooms to take care of and I prefer entertaining guests outside of this (way too small) riverside apartment.

But still I found myself "running out of time"

Guess the problem must be universal: no matter how little/much we 'have' to do, running out of time is just a part of our 'overloaded' lives.

There is a rather drastic way to handle this issue: cut the dead weight.

Less cleaning, less social engagements that basically have become a burden, less of every time consuming "must do" that can be avoided.

Easy to say when you're single :-)

[V-Grrrl]

Well Peter, I've made a monumentous decision--I'm going to keep the cat and the computer and jettison the rest. Do you know a place that sells disposable clothes? : )

[Nance]

V--last year,I was bemoaning this sort of dilemma. Do you remember your advice? You must not. Here it is:

HIRE SOMEONE AND HURRY UP ABOUT IT! It'll be worth it.

[Mary-LUE]

I just realized (and might have missed where you already mentioned) that I don't know what your blogging plans are while you are gone. Will you take a blogging hiatus or fill in when and where it is possible?

[V-Grrrl]

I plan to blog from the road! Woo hoo! You can thank my Dell Inspiron for that.