Cleaning

I slept for almost twelve hours last night.  I didn't intend to sleep that long, but my body more or less shut me down as I was watching a movie (one day soon, I WILL see all of Rebecca again...), and I got up about 1 am and made it to bed.  I felt worlds better for it today. 

Mom, Dad, and I went to eat at our favorite local Chinese buffet after they got out of morning church, and I coerced them into a trip to Wal-Mart on the way home.  While I was there, I picked up one of the Libman FreedomSpray mops I've seen advertised lately, microfiber reusable cloth, mix your own cleaning solution.  It's fan-freaking-tastic.  I am no Happy Homemaker, but once I started using this thing, I actually caught myself thinking, "And where have YOU been all my life?"  I have reached that point in my life where I can be made happy by a high-tech mop I can fill with Mr. Clean Lavender fragrance cleaning solution.  As my kids would text, "smh...."

I had a burst of energy that I harnessed to clean things up when I got home.  I just couldn't stand it anymore.  When I got home, and there was literally nowhere to put the groceries down except the floor, I realized how bad the house had gotten.  I've been coming in and laying stuff down, coming in and dropping off a coat, a jacket, a scarf, and every surface was covered with outerwear, mail that needed to be processed, and tote bags, the endless, endless sea of tote bags.  I put away the groceries, cranked up my favorite get crap done playlist on iTunes, and dove in. 

Three hours later, I finished mopping and put a load of clothes in the washer.  I can see my kitchen countertop.  All of them.  Even the little table that holds my microwave.  I can even see the entire cushion on the bench beside my door.  And there aren't four hundred and eighty seven pairs of shoes piled up under it.  It's a miracle.

My house is by no means completely clean.  It is, though, much better off than it was earlier today.  I don't have to walk in to dirt and chaos, into things that irritate me subtly, into things that harass me because they're in the wrong place or I can't find them, into situations that are going to create messes and spill because things are untidy.  I'm glad I had the energy to do this.  If I can get the energy for one more marathon of it, the house should be in good shape.