Lists, Lectures and Laundry

I called my dearest friend Maternal Mirth last week for a chat. We got into discussing housework, and she told me she had lists.


Now I often hear of lists that people make, and prior to our conversation I had just started the week before of making a list for the next day, of things that had to be done. It all started when Sophie had to take antibiotics and get a foot soak twice a day (upper toe nail infection) so to remember I would write it down. I also started to add things that were random, like calling the Village Hall to find out what that ungodly noise was coming from the bathroom when you used the water (I thought the pipes were going to burst the whole damn floor humms and shakes. The Village Idiot  Plumming inspector said to push a button inside the toilet. I seriously thought he was blowing smoke up my ass because I was a girl, but needless to say he was right. We have to do it each time it happens. To weird though. ANYWAY off track here...)

So these lists were becoming a daily thing, and quite useful. My thought process on lists prior to this was, What the fuck, I've got 704 things to do today, and NO time to write it all down. Fuck it.

Not fast forward a week to my conversation with Maternal Mirth, and how she has a "list" that she hand wrote, and she photo copied it to check off. She says she tries to do this list 2x's a week. She also has a "maids list" of more detailed work (think dusting baseboards, cleaning blinds) this list she tries to do 1-2x's a month.

Key word "try". I asked her to email me her lists, and as soon as I got them I printed one copy, then sat down one morning with my cup of inspiration juice, Starbucks coffee! in my hand and tweeked her list according to my house...lets just say her one sheet is my two sheets. I also have more rooms. She has more square footage but mine is divided up into tinier rooms.

I wasn't too crazy with my list, keeping it simple for me, but enought that I could keep up with housework. The maids list is probably not going to be used for quite some time, because I need to get into a routine of simple housework before I get out my rubber gloves and Q-Tips for the detailing.

So I called her a few days later, because I was sitting on Facebook for hours, I had a messy house, and needed inspiration to get off my lazy ass and do something. I was looking for a lecture, possibly some yelling and screaming, telling me how horrible of a housewife I was. What did I get?

Sweet Maternal Mirth saying "Don't be hard on yourself. I said in my email that I TRY to do my lists. So just try. If you make your housework evil and chore, you won't want to do it. If you just do a bit at a time, and reward yourself with things like the art room, and facebook, you will feel much better."

As much as I was looking for a screaming lecture, or at least a stern voice, she has known me for close to 3 decades, and knows that force doesn't work for me. Glitter, sunshine and rainbows is what inspires me to work. So be it.

I do need to keep with the lists, I picked Thursdays and Sundays as my work days. Thursday is the day after my classes I teach so I am not concerned with them, and Sunday is like everyone elses Fridays (Spaghetti is off work Mondays & Tuesdays)

I am hoping that I can keep with the lists, and my laundry, if anyone cares (is anyone still reading this excitement?) is doing well. I am keeping up with it for the most part, I am trying (again key word is TRY) to keep it off the floors, and keep it moving. I know Maternal Mirth can do her's twice a week, I do believe if I did that, I would never keep up. Maybe someday, till then I do laundry almost every day.

There's your update on life around here. It's been cleaning, and purging. I have an enormous garage sale coming up on May 1st, we set up April 30th, and let the early birds pre shop a bit, it's a subdivision thing and people come from as far as Chicago to shop! (Were bout an hour away)

I will be spending all my free time from now till then (besides Weaky's birthday Sunday!) getting ready! Oh and Happy Earth Day!!