In the middle of the night Tuesday the kid woke up throwing up and spent the night badly, throwing up several times. Wednesday we had no place to go because there was no preschool but I had to cancel a playdate and grocery shopping. Thursday he seemed better so I went to work and he to daycare. Thursday night we were all sitting on the couch and I was eating chocolate chips, I passed one along to him and whoops, another event, all over the couch. I am so happy we paid extra for scotchguard, it's paid for itself a dozen times. So back to sick mode, and the BRAT diet. Friday went fine for the kid but in the evening I started to feel bad and then it was my turn. I slept Saturday away waking up in time to find that My Darling had pulled his back out so I got up, made dinner and then headed back to bed. Today I felt well enough to east breakfast and so far so good. Waste of a weekend though. Eh, it's too cold out to do much anyway.

I was hoping to wash the floor this weekend. I got the half bath cleaned, laundry done, kept the kitchen clean but not much else. I am still amazed at the people whose houses are so very clean you feel as though you could eat off the floor. My MIL's house is like that. Every square inch of the place is clean, all the time. Now the place is cleaned by professionals but before my MIL got sick and during My Darlings childhood she kept the place immaculate. I grew up in a cluttered house, not really dirty but by no means a showplace. If you dropped by unexpected you might find a bit of a mess. Not the MIL, at all times the place was clean. I don't know how she did it raising 4 children (two of which were 13 months apart). It's enough to make one feel inept. I could make the excuse that I am working but it's part time and I do have weekends and extra days during the week to catch up.

It's funny, My Darling tells me I don't know how to relax but I do, I watch shows on the computer, I write and I surf around reading this and that on the net. Very relaxing. The only problem with that is I feel stressed about the condition of my house. Never picturesque, always a little messy, and as for the floor, often downright dirty. Oh, and we still haven't finished the molding (and by we I mean I since I am the one with time to mold). Don't get me started on the upstairs bath, in poor condition when we moved in and still not addressed. The joys of home ownership though, I know this from past experience. When I lived in the RV the place was always clean because you wouldn't be able to move around any other way. There is something to be said for small. Of course there is small and there is too small for what you need. We need more storage space. While the garage provides some relief there are things that can not be stored in the garage for fear of rodentia.

I was forced to consider whether we could accommodate someone as a long term guest and quite frankly it seems pretty impossible. I suppose it could be done but the person would have to be comfortable with less than ideal accommodations, and a less than immaculate house. I am proud that I have passed along a desire for a "tidy" house to the kid. He sometimes decides quite on his own, that it is time to tidy up. He also recognizes we should tidy up for guests like Meemaw and Grandpa. Of course I told him his grandparents don't really care but we tidy as a sign of respect. I wish I could believe that another would not be bothered by my poor housekeeping and that I could give what they need I am just not sure I can. I am also not sure if others think the same as me, that I am just not good enough.

I feel like my mother, always wanting the house clean but never really good at doing it. Even now I sit here when I could be scrubbing the floor, vacuuming and getting the house ready to start another week. Seems a sad way to spend a weekend though. Oh well, off to work I go.

Not to entertaining a post but there is my life right now, not entertaining just here. Be kind to someone today, they might have spent the day doing chores they don't want to do, or are feeling inept or just plain sick. A smile might just make their day.

I wish you Peace

~alison~

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