Inspired Kids

Mom had to go out of town for a few days so we were left to our own devices, but as her imminent return loomed on the horizon, the kids were inspired to clean the house on her return. Mom likes to come home to a clean house, and that's the primary motivating factor to make it extra clean. It really isn't that messy in the first place, but there is always something that can be organized or tidied up.

She was to return home on Monday, which gave us the weekend to clean things up. Now that spring is here, there is even more reason to air things out and clean all the dust off. A took care of the downstairs living area and kitchen, that seems to be her specialty. She blasts the music and goes to work, doing a fine job. She actually oversees all the cleaning, employing an iron fist to make sure it meets moms really high standards, which it never really does, but comes close enough. Since the weather has been so beautiful (it isn't anymore), N and I tackled the cars, which take a beating over the winter. We took out the floor mats and washed them off, then vacuumed the interior and wiped off all the dirt. N did a brunt of the work, I mostly used the shop vac, and then he detailed both dashboards.

We also did a quick burn pile to get rid of the junk that accumulated over the winter, which was a little sketchy because it was breezier than we had hoped. There were no problems, it just makes me a little anxious when the flames build and the wind kicks up. The kids then went the extra distance and started raking the yard, which as some of you may know, is my least favorite chore in the world. I was impressed. We washed and folded the week's laundry, I started organizing the basement, and N finished it off by cleaning the bathroom sinks and mirrors. Then, after our final meal before mom's return, we did a final clean up and the house looked good. I have to give a big thumbs up to the kids for the diligence and hard work, plus the fact that they were so motivated and dare I say, inspired.

In the end, it was good enough to get mom's seal of approval, at least at first glance. I think her standards are much higher because inevitably when she gets home the first thing she does is start cleaning, but at least she appreciates the thought and effort. It's good to have her back home and now we can focus on spring stuff, and believe me, there's plenty of that.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Bertha Crowley for the pic.