Comments on: A Second Wind http://www.electricvenom.com/my-venomous-life/a-second-wind/ Mid-life crisis, motherhood and martinis Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:10:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Dana http://www.electricvenom.com/my-venomous-life/a-second-wind/comment-page-1/#comment-60654 Dana Mon, 30 Oct 2006 05:58:15 +0000 http://www.electricvenom.com/2006/10/28/a-second-wind/#comment-60654 That's scary. I was skimming your comments on the way down here and discovered I'd already commented. Only it wasn't me. It was some other Dana saying pretty much what I was going to say. Eerie. That’s scary. I was skimming your comments on the way down here and discovered I’d already commented. Only it wasn’t me. It was some other Dana saying pretty much what I was going to say.

Eerie.

]]> By: Dana http://www.electricvenom.com/my-venomous-life/a-second-wind/comment-page-1/#comment-60651 Dana Mon, 30 Oct 2006 04:56:53 +0000 http://www.electricvenom.com/2006/10/28/a-second-wind/#comment-60651 Look. Here is what I discovered about cleaning with a family: when they are young, its all hands on deck and teach them how to clean and train them to understand that it is a brutal reality in life that cleanliness has its own rewards. While not ever wishing to get sucked into a slothful vortex of messiness, I find that my deceased mother-in-law was so right when she exhorted me early on in my parenting to remember that the house will always need cleaning but the children will not always be small. Many was the time I let the little dirty handprints on the wall stay for days on end simply because I wanted to keep them etched in my memory. And many was the time where instead of cleaning we went and laid on a blanket in the backyard and read together while looking up at the sky. And I'm so glad I did. Look. Here is what I discovered about cleaning with a family: when they are young, its all hands on deck and teach them how to clean and train them to understand that it is a brutal reality in life that cleanliness has its own rewards. While not ever wishing to get sucked into a slothful vortex of messiness, I find that my deceased mother-in-law was so right when she exhorted me early on in my parenting to remember that the house will always need cleaning but the children will not always be small. Many was the time I let the little dirty handprints on the wall stay for days on end simply because I wanted to keep them etched in my memory. And many was the time where instead of cleaning we went and laid on a blanket in the backyard and read together while looking up at the sky. And I’m so glad I did.

]]> By: Anwyn http://www.electricvenom.com/my-venomous-life/a-second-wind/comment-page-1/#comment-60634 Anwyn Mon, 30 Oct 2006 01:16:13 +0000 http://www.electricvenom.com/2006/10/28/a-second-wind/#comment-60634 <i>I find that I wind up cleaning the next day, anyway. So do more than “big chunks” before?</i> Because after, I only clean up as much as I have to. :) I find that I wind up cleaning the next day, anyway. So do more than “big chunks” before?

Because after, I only clean up as much as I have to. :)

]]> By: Anwyn http://www.electricvenom.com/my-venomous-life/a-second-wind/comment-page-1/#comment-60633 Anwyn Mon, 30 Oct 2006 01:14:44 +0000 http://www.electricvenom.com/2006/10/28/a-second-wind/#comment-60633 More like I don't want to admit the state my house is really in right now. Make it sound like a bit of decluttering and I'm the perfect hostess ... tell you there are two whole rooms in the house given over to unpacked boxes and miscellaneous junk and you start to see why I'm embarrassed to have my friend come without doing a bit to alleviate the sitch. :) More like I don’t want to admit the state my house is really in right now. Make it sound like a bit of decluttering and I’m the perfect hostess … tell you there are two whole rooms in the house given over to unpacked boxes and miscellaneous junk and you start to see why I’m embarrassed to have my friend come without doing a bit to alleviate the sitch. :)

]]> By: Venomous Kate http://www.electricvenom.com/my-venomous-life/a-second-wind/comment-page-1/#comment-60632 Venomous Kate Mon, 30 Oct 2006 01:13:44 +0000 http://www.electricvenom.com/2006/10/28/a-second-wind/#comment-60632 Dana, I promise you're not the only one. I used to get seriously OCD before guests visited. Years ago, my mother planned a 1-month visit to our house in Hawaii. We'd just moved in the month before that, and the place wasn't "up to my standards," much less to <em>hers</em>. I spent the entire month before her visit cleaning every little thing I could find... to the point where I got an old toothbrush and scrubbed the crevice between the walls and door jambs. Frankly, I doubt she noticed, and by the time she left the house looked all messy again to my eyes. Nowadays, the only guests I do major cleaning for are my in-laws (since my mother no longer visits). Even then I've grown more relaxed over the years now that I know they don't really expect spotlessness. But regardless of who's visiting -- even if it's just friends coming over for the evening -- I find that I wind up cleaning the next day, anyway. So do more than "big chunks" before? Dana, I promise you’re not the only one. I used to get seriously OCD before guests visited. Years ago, my mother planned a 1-month visit to our house in Hawaii. We’d just moved in the month before that, and the place wasn’t “up to my standards,” much less to hers. I spent the entire month before her visit cleaning every little thing I could find… to the point where I got an old toothbrush and scrubbed the crevice between the walls and door jambs. Frankly, I doubt she noticed, and by the time she left the house looked all messy again to my eyes.

Nowadays, the only guests I do major cleaning for are my in-laws (since my mother no longer visits). Even then I’ve grown more relaxed over the years now that I know they don’t really expect spotlessness.

But regardless of who’s visiting — even if it’s just friends coming over for the evening — I find that I wind up cleaning the next day, anyway. So do more than “big chunks” before?

]]> By: Venomous Kate http://www.electricvenom.com/my-venomous-life/a-second-wind/comment-page-1/#comment-60631 Venomous Kate Mon, 30 Oct 2006 01:07:10 +0000 http://www.electricvenom.com/2006/10/28/a-second-wind/#comment-60631 Man. You must really *like* these people! ;-) Man. You must really *like* these people! ;-)

]]> By: Anwyn http://www.electricvenom.com/my-venomous-life/a-second-wind/comment-page-1/#comment-60630 Anwyn Mon, 30 Oct 2006 01:01:46 +0000 http://www.electricvenom.com/2006/10/28/a-second-wind/#comment-60630 Oh, and, of course, pulling out infant apparatus since her younger son isn't a year yet. Bouncy seat, baby bucket carseat, baby swing. Oh, and, of course, pulling out infant apparatus since her younger son isn’t a year yet. Bouncy seat, baby bucket carseat, baby swing.

]]> By: Anwyn http://www.electricvenom.com/my-venomous-life/a-second-wind/comment-page-1/#comment-60629 Anwyn Mon, 30 Oct 2006 01:01:04 +0000 http://www.electricvenom.com/2006/10/28/a-second-wind/#comment-60629 *laugh* You have to define first what "big chunk" cleaning is ... because I have to say, dusting anything does not appear even several levels deeper than "big chunk" cleaning for me. :/ On the list before the friends get here: finish decluttering a few specific areas that have been collecting clutter for more months than I can count, vacuum traffic areas, prep guest room by getting my piles of clothes out of it and changing the sheets. And last thing before they come, make sure the kitchen and kids' play room are presentable. And the bathrooms. Voila. Still in the decluttering stage at the moment, but hey, I still have three days! :) *laugh* You have to define first what “big chunk” cleaning is … because I have to say, dusting anything does not appear even several levels deeper than “big chunk” cleaning for me. :/ On the list before the friends get here: finish decluttering a few specific areas that have been collecting clutter for more months than I can count, vacuum traffic areas, prep guest room by getting my piles of clothes out of it and changing the sheets. And last thing before they come, make sure the kitchen and kids’ play room are presentable. And the bathrooms. Voila. Still in the decluttering stage at the moment, but hey, I still have three days! :)

]]> By: Dana http://www.electricvenom.com/my-venomous-life/a-second-wind/comment-page-1/#comment-60627 Dana Mon, 30 Oct 2006 00:48:00 +0000 http://www.electricvenom.com/2006/10/28/a-second-wind/#comment-60627 ...I'm so happy to hear that I am not the only one has the 'big chunk' cleaning mentality...and here I was afraid my standards had just sunk to new levels! Which even if they did simply leaves more time to read and and read more...ah! …I’m so happy to hear that I am not the only one has the ‘big chunk’ cleaning mentality…and here I was afraid my standards had just sunk to new levels! Which even if they did simply leaves more time to read and and read more…ah!

]]> By: Venomous Kate http://www.electricvenom.com/my-venomous-life/a-second-wind/comment-page-1/#comment-60623 Venomous Kate Mon, 30 Oct 2006 00:06:06 +0000 http://www.electricvenom.com/2006/10/28/a-second-wind/#comment-60623 You are so much more hospitable than I am. Whenever someone's coming to visit with young kids, I make a point of only doing "big chunk" cleaning (dust table tops, sweep kitchen floor, change sheets and run vacuum through main traffic area) since I know whatever cleaning I do before the visit I'll be redoing after the kids leave. And then some! You are so much more hospitable than I am. Whenever someone’s coming to visit with young kids, I make a point of only doing “big chunk” cleaning (dust table tops, sweep kitchen floor, change sheets and run vacuum through main traffic area) since I know whatever cleaning I do before the visit I’ll be redoing after the kids leave. And then some!

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