Well, since I've been done with finals I have decided that it is very VERY important to have my apartment clean for when my sister, mom, and mother in law come. I don't know why, because if my apartment was dirty they would still love me. Actually I bet that if my apartment were dirty when my mom came not only would she help clean it up, she would probably chip in painting the walls too (just because that's the kind of mom I have). Anyway, I spent yesterday helping my husband purge all the clothing he's been keeping for no aparent reason for the last, oh, eight years. The conversation was SO FUNNY. It went a little like this.
Him: "So you're going to throw all my clothes away?"
Me: "No, you're either giong to throw the clothes that you no longer wear away, or give them to the Goodwill."
Him: "But there aren't any."
Me: "What about this shirt?"
Him: "That one has memories."
Me: "It also has an enormous hole in the armpit. Look I can fit my fist through it. Also its stained and I've never seen you wear it."
Him: "Ok, but I got it for wrestling my junior year in high school."
Me: "And what a wonderful year it was. I'm not taking that away. Just the old dirty shirt."
Him: "I guess you're right."
By the end he was throwing things away all on his own! He had 15 work shirts! 15! I told him to get rid of 5. I consider 10 "work shirts" is plenty. After actually looking at the shirts and thinking abuot if he will wear them or not, he ended up throwing away 6 of the shirts he calls his "dirty work shirts" all on his own. I case you were wondering a dirty work shirt is one that is permanently stained and thus gets used for dirty jobs. I do think you need these, I just don't think you need 10 of them. (He is keeping some) I also didn't make him throw away his SEVEN pairs of work jeans. I think that seven pairs is a little excessive, but I already had a little victory over the dirty work shirt situation and I thought I shouldn't push my luck. Just so everyone knows, I'm also getting rid of my old clothing that I no longer wear. Only I didn't wear it out to having holes and stains so I'm giving my old clothing to the Goodwill.
Anyway, back to my insane cleaning. My husband had no idea why I was doing it. I was talking yesterday about the list of things I wanted to have clean by the end of the day today (bathroom scrubbed top to bottom, vacuuming, washing windows, mopping floors, etc) and he said, "We have the whole week after vacation that's free that you can get all our stuff orgainzed and cleaned. You don't have to do it all now." And I said, "But I want it done before everyone gets here." To which he said, "I'm beginning to see that. I guess I'll take the kitchen." What an amazing man! Even in my insanity he offers to pitch in and help out! I love him so much!
I guess this post was more about my husband than cleaning my apartment, but let me assure everyone, my apartment will be "Mom clean." That's the highest level of clean. (Well, maybe Grandma clean is higher, I'm not sure anymore.)
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8 comments:
You sound like my mom. Whenever we had company coming to our house we always had to make everything "spick and span" (I've never thought about spelling that phrase before, so I don't know if it's right.) That's how I knew something was up the weekend Matt flew out to propose.
It's okay, indulge yourself for now. Once the kids come and you've had your own place for a bit longer, you'll get over the cleaning frenzy every time somebody comes to visit!
My mom had to have EVERYTHING spotless for company.
I remember... even when the mail man came to the door for an oversized delivery (as oppposed to the mailbox at the end of the driveway) she rushed me to get my Fisher Price 'Little People' out of the line of sight!
Seriously, the mailman is going to think you're a bad housekeeper if your 7 year old is playing with toys in the living room at 11:30 on a Tuesday!
Sheesh!
Just so you know, I don't do inspections. Even if I did, you wouldn't have to clean anything over 5 ft tall. If I can't see it, I don't have to clean it - fortunately Marc the cleaning guy is taller so all those things do get cleaned in my house. I will accept anything short of dangerous or contagious.
PS -I'm sorry about Dan's inability to throw things out -especially if there might be any sentimental reason to keep them. I'm sure it's genetic & probably isn't y-chromosome linked. At least he isn't carting around the ashes of his former pet.
Did you already throw away the shirt from wrestling? So what if it has a whole in the armpit, the front is still good. So...since Dan likes quilts and you seem to be the crafty/sewing sort, why don't you take some of those shirts with "memories" (I don't think any dirty workshirts would qualify, even it was the shirt he wore while changing the oil for the last time on the Jeep) and use them as quilt squares. That way Dan will still have them with him and you two will have something functional to use during those cold, long Logan winters.
It looke AMAZING baby.
Hope you had fun in Ashland.
Hey Maggie and Dan,
Just wanted you to know that Jenny is getting very anxious for you to get down here, so don't spend too much time reliving the memories there in Corvallis.
Hope Ashland was fun.
Nate
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