A Little Blue

I wish I had an outfit post for today, but I won't lie, it's been a rough week. It's been a rough month, actually. I haven't had a free weekend in what feels like forever (maybe early April?), and I had an annoying project, not sewing- or craft-related, that I had to work on this week that took up way too much time and brain usage and stressed me out to boot.

Ever since I got back from my Bay Area trip, I also haven't been able to get a handle on cleaning the house. It's really difficult for me to clean when I have a pre-preschooler at home who doesn't have any other playmate but me. I already regularly ask him to "help" with preparing meals and with putting his toys away when the house looks like Toys R Us exploded inside it, but it took a long time for him to willingly to help out (yes, I have resorted to threatening to throw away any toys that aren't put in a box). It's only recently that I've also figured out that having him help with more-involved household chores is a form of teaching, especially now that he's four years old and a little more articulate and methodical in his reasoning. It keeps both of us engaged with each other while the chores actually get done -- maybe not well, but well enough. For instance, just last evening I had him help me clean all the toilets in the house. I put the cleaning liquid in the water and let it sit, then we both scrubbed the bowls with the toilet brush (kid hand over mama hand) and used disinfectant wipes on the rest of the toilet. It didn't take too long, moving from one bathroom to the next, and I felt really good about having cleaner bathrooms.

Then we played Harry Potter LEGO on the Wii for the next hour until it was bedtime.

There's plenty left in the house to do. Not only do we have to reduce the clutter and wipe everything down, we also have to contend with the fact that we're still not yet completely moved in. We're having family and friends over for BBQ and swimming on Memorial Day, and we have to hustle to get the whole house in decent shape again before then. The hubby is spending a lot of time making sure the pool and spa are safe to go in, and he's been working (successfully) on clearing out the garage. He'll have to deal with the BBQ on Monday as well. I'm sure Monday will be fun, as hanging out with family and friends almost always is. They're not the kind of folks who turn a critical, judgmental eye on our hosting skills. All the same, I want to clean the floors before they get here.

But I have to admit, I plan to savor this weekend even though we'll be up to our necks trying to finish our spring cleaning. In June, I have to go to baby showers three weekends in a row, and I'm helping put together two of them. Yikes! After the holiday, things will really be non-stop around here.

(/end navel-gazing and complaints) Anyway, I know these are "first world" problems and I'm a lucky person. I just wish I was more productive and able to do MORE with my time and resources. In fact, I wish I had been able to sew something and/or take a huge chunk out of my mountain of chores this past week instead of working on that annoying project. Thanks for reading to the end. More importantly, have a happy holiday weekend (if you're in the U.S.).

xo, Gladys