The Final Hours

My mother and Aunt Christine, recognized chairpeople of the Perfect Stay-at-Home-Moms Club, arrive today. I have to applaud my superior planning skills with regards to asking for Monday off from my evening job in order to have optimal time and motivation to clean clean clean my house. I had a list, which spanned two days and included every tiny detail. No offense to anyone else who has ever had the pleasure (ahem!) of entering my all-too humble abode, but I did not pull out all the stops for you. I do these things for the woman who cleaned (and had us help her clean) the home I grew up in once weekly and deep-cleaned once monthly--exterior windows were seasonal. I do these things for the woman who decorated in matching colors and kept unsightly things (like children's toys) in the basement. The woman who bade me to make my bed and put my dirty clothes in the hamper every morning (dastardly!), who even kept the garage neatly organized and swept. I am not trying to mock this wonderfully meticulous lady...the one who says "Oh, my house is a disaster!" when shopping bags are left on the dining room table... I commend her efforts, now. Back then, in my teens, I did not realize just how much went into the museum-like quality of clean that our house always boasted. I like to think that when we (my sisters and I) were younger, her house was littered with empty boxes, discarded playthings and tiny clothes. It is comforting to imagine her noticing the boxes of cereal that never made it into the pantry, instead being opened and used straight from the bag on the counter, and shrugging her nonchalance at the matter. I tell myself this phase of stay-at-home parenthood will pass... One day, my body will relish in the task of daily cleaning and bask in the glow of a freshly scrubbed toilet. But, alas, that time is not now. And I do these things only for my mother.

Another revelation that comes along with this comparison of myself to my mother is: people in general (but specifically my little family) are filthy!

The End.

P.S. I really am very excited to have company!!