Cleaning
One of the most ridiculous things I remember from growing up is cleaning the whole damn house before we had company. It was up there with the china cabinet full of plates we couldn't use and decorative towels that weren't for drying our hands.
So today, when my mom asked me to help her clean because we have family coming over, I was reminded of these frustrating task. As I dusted the bedside table in my parents room (wondering why, even if we were going to be showing people around, they would be taking more than a cursory glance) I thought about the people we have coming over and why we were trying to impress them with our impeccable cleanliness.
My dad's best friend, Art, married my mom's closest cousin, Liz, a few years after my parents got married. They have two kids: Laura, sandwiched in age between me and my sister, she's a brand-new teacher, and Adam, who has to be about 19 or 20 by now. As two couples with kids around the same age, we spent a lot of time with each other, especially when the kids were growing up.
My mom is acting like President Obama is coming to visit...actually no, more like the Queen of England, it's possible she's never seen dust before.
So as soon as my mom is finished cleaning the bathroom, she's going to set me up in the kitchen to clean the floor, Cinderella-style.
So alas, trying to pretend that our house always looks so shiny to people we've known certainly all of my life and most of the lives of my parents...
This kind of stuff makes me not ready to be an adult, no thank you.
edit: did not have to clean kitchen floor. I did have to vaccuum with something that sounded like it was revving up to actually take flight though.
So today, when my mom asked me to help her clean because we have family coming over, I was reminded of these frustrating task. As I dusted the bedside table in my parents room (wondering why, even if we were going to be showing people around, they would be taking more than a cursory glance) I thought about the people we have coming over and why we were trying to impress them with our impeccable cleanliness.
My dad's best friend, Art, married my mom's closest cousin, Liz, a few years after my parents got married. They have two kids: Laura, sandwiched in age between me and my sister, she's a brand-new teacher, and Adam, who has to be about 19 or 20 by now. As two couples with kids around the same age, we spent a lot of time with each other, especially when the kids were growing up.
My mom is acting like President Obama is coming to visit...actually no, more like the Queen of England, it's possible she's never seen dust before.
So as soon as my mom is finished cleaning the bathroom, she's going to set me up in the kitchen to clean the floor, Cinderella-style.
So alas, trying to pretend that our house always looks so shiny to people we've known certainly all of my life and most of the lives of my parents...
This kind of stuff makes me not ready to be an adult, no thank you.
edit: did not have to clean kitchen floor. I did have to vaccuum with something that sounded like it was revving up to actually take flight though.