All day long!!

Literally.

I only have two of them…

but they’re everywhere! 🙂

It’s a good thing though, I enjoy them incredibly much.

Mom always cleaned on Friday. As far back as I can remember: Friday was cleaning day.

So for me, it just seems natural to clean on Friday and doing it any other day just feels a bit off.

Yes.

I am one of those people thats stuck in my ways.:)

The first 3 years of our marriage I worked Fridays, so I cleaned on Saturday or Thursday.

When I became a stay-at-home mom and found myself at home on Fridays, I thought it was awesome! Finally I could clean on Friday. (the way its supposed to be.)

When we had Kenzie she changed our entire world. Everything we knew to be normal and orderly, she found a way to change. She cried and fussed more then she was content.

So for awhile I gave up even having a cleaning day and instead I cleaned all week long. I cleaned one or two rooms a day and it made my life a lot less stressful. 🙂

‘Prioritize’ became one of my favorite words when Kenzie was a baby.

If I put away laundry and the drawers are a mess, I’ll take a few minutes to organize them, or when I’m in the middle of  washing dishes  I might find myself doing a load of laundry because I picked up a dirty bib on the counter and then remembered that I need to wash her clothes.

Because I only had about 30 minutes before Kenzie was needing attention again it often felt like I didn’t get anything done.

So, I learned to prioritize.

The big messy and ‘can’t wait’ jobs were my priority and if I found myself organizing a drawer when putting away clean clothes… I forced myself to close that messy drawer and reminded myself: “Prioritize Grace!”

Life went on and as Kenzie grew she became much more contented and I found myself with enough extra time again to do things in true ‘grace fashion’ again. 🙂

Then we had Kynaston and he was a contented, happy and easy-going little guy since day one, but he still had needs and I once again found myself reminding myself to ‘Prioritize!’

I have also come too the conclusion that maybe I need to go back to cleaning a couple rooms every day instead of cleaning everything on Friday, because too be honest, this ‘one day cleaning’ thing is stressful with two kiddos!

A Friday in this life of ours…

It’s 6:30 A.M. and I’m sitting in my chair having my quiet time and just simply enjoying the fact that no one is demanding anything from me.

Checker’s left around 6:00 and the kiddos usually sleep till at least 7:00 or 7:30. I’m thinking about how I should get started with the cleaning before the kids are up but I don’t because this moment of quiet is too precious to ruin just yet.

6:35 A.M. I hear Kynaston stirring upstairs and I’m thinking: What?! He’s up already?! Then I hear Kenzie giggle.

Oh.

They’re both up already!!

Just like that my day was in full gear.

I organized the bedroom, changed Kynastons diaper and got him dressed. I helped Kenzie get dressed which is always a circus…

She jumps, hops, talks and dances all while I’m trying to stick her flailing extremities into clothes.

Finally, with all that accomplished we head to the kitchen and find some food for everyone. After everyone’s fed and I’m cleaning up the breakfast mess which has this way of ending up on the floor, table, chairs and anything else within a 3 foot reach I glance at the clock…

8:30!

It’s 8:30 and I didn’t even do anything yet!!

I get the vacuum and head back to the nursery.

30 seconds later a very curious Kynaston peeps in the door, after watching for a bit he decides he needs to touch this loud thing so he crawls over an sits right where I want to vacuum. I push the vacuum (gently) up against his feet. He looks, then turns around and crawls away as fast as possible. I pull the vacuum back and almost knock Kenzie off her feet.

When did she come in?!

After apologizing to her and assuring her that she will live, I managed to complete this task that once upon a time was pretty simple.

Next we cleaned the playroom.

As I started on the living room, I hear Kenzie moving stuff around in the playroom. “Grace!” She hollers. ” You can’t put the chairs here because they need to be on this side!”

More banging is heard from the playroom.

Seriously?! I just cleaned in there and it’s organized for like the first time all week!

More banging. I guess I shouldn’t name a room ‘The Playroom’ and expect it too stay organized. 🙂

“Grace, I told you already I don’t want this in the closet, it needs to be here!” Kenzie continues.

I’m cleaning the bathroom and I hear Kynaston coming back the hallway and he’s whining that whine that I know means he’s ready for his nap.

Already?! I barely started cleaning yet! Didn’t he just get up?! 

I clean faster, because he’s coming for my bucket and that never goes well. I try to block him from reaching it but he struggles to get around me, complaining the whole time because he can barely get through.

As I’m backing up and washing the floor I keep running into him so I sit him in front of me, yes it goes down a bit hard that he will be crawling across the wet floor now but at least he’s not in my way and the floor will still be a bit cleaner then it was before.

My goal is too wash faster then he can crawl.

Since when can he crawl so fast?!

I’m staying ahead and keeping my bucket protected but just barely, and  I push my bucket backwards (without looking) and shove it right into kenzie…

Water sloshes everywhere.

Where did she come from?!

“I’m weeeeeeeeeet!!!” She shrieks.

Kynaston not missing a beat is headed for the puddle, so I’m trying to hold him back while apologizing to kenzie and trying once again to convince her that she will live and she must go to the living room so I can wash the floor here.

There’s two steps down from our kitchen to mudroom. As I’m cleaning out there I’m thinking: well at least my bucket is safe down here since Kynaston can’t come down the steps.

Kenzie’s in the bathroom helping me clean when I hear Kynaston at the top of those steps.  I drop everything and head in that direction at a fast pace but almost trip over Kenzie in the process, she’s telling me a story but I literally pick her up and move her aside in my haste to get to those steps.

She does some kind of fancy twist/jump to demonstrate her story and somehow lands right in front of me…

I trip over her again and  move her out of the way again and get to the steps to find Kynaston sitting there wide eyed, much to fascinated with the big scene me and Kenzie were making to even be trying to manage the step.

Sigh of relief.

I put Kynaston down for his nap, thinking how well the rest of my cleaning will go since he’s sleeping. I head downstairs with full intentions of being finished before he wakes up.

“I’m hungry!” Kenz says.

I look at the clock.

12:00.

Yes, I’m sure she’s hungry.

I dig through the fridge trying to find something I can whip together quickly.

Finally she’s fed and happy.

Now for the kitchen floor, the last big thing to clean before Kynaston wakes up.

I get my bucket and I’m just  ready to start…

Why is Kynaston crying?!

I head upstairs and put him too sleep again. (he’s teething so his naps haven’t been going the best.)

Meanwhile Kenzies downstairs complaining very loudly because she didn’t appreciate the fact that her ‘floorwashing plans’ got interrupted.

She let’s out an extra loud complaint and Kynaston’s eyes pop open and he looks at me horrified as if to ask, “what is happening to her?!”

Ok, there goes that plan. I know he won’t be falling asleep again.

I take him downstairs, barricade him into the living room and start washing the kitchen floor.

Kynaston somehow manages to break through my temporary wall and comes skidding and slipping across the wet floor. He sprawls out on his belly as his hands and knees slide in different directions. Complaining he pushes himself back up only to sprawl out flat on his belly again.

I get a serious giggle fit even as I’m hoping he doesn’t end up face planting into the floor.

The floor got washed, the rest of the cleaning got finished. I was exhausted. (and grumpy 🙂

And I still had to make supper…

Maybe… I need to reevaluate my priorities.

Maybe I need to quit cleaning.

Well not completely…

but is it really that important to have a clean house??

Especially if it seems to last only an hour??