Mothers-in-law are not always so easy to love. Anyone who has one can tell you that. Today, though, I am feeling all about the love for my MIL. She came over and played with the girls from 10 till around 3. In that time I was able to:
- Scrub the upstairs bathroom till it is about as clean as I have ever seen it.*
- Vacuum the upstairs carpet (no more crushed cheerios!)**
- Change the sheets
- Dust the bedroom (and there were real, live dust bunnies hiding under the night stands!)
- Take a load of dirty diapers to the basement, get them through two wash cycles and the dryer and back upstairs folded before bedtime.
- Scrub the downstairs bathroom (which is much easier to keep clean)
- Wash the kitchen floor
- Feed everyone lunch
- Go to the grocery store by myself
I can not begin to describe how happy this makes me. To have so many chores out of the way all in one day, to not have them hanging over my head, to not walk through the house and feel lousy every minute for not having the energy to scrub toilets and keep an eye on the girls at the same time, etc. And best of all, I have not had two little girls literally hanging on me all day – despite having worked my tail off today, I actually have a bit of energy left.
Oh, how I wish my MIL would come over like that at least once a month, but I’d take her every week if she’d be willing! But for today I am incredibly grateful and happy. I must try to think of something nice that I can do for her that she would actually like.
I’m off to bask in my own glow and do some knitting.
*We have some mildew issues up there, plus some idiot decided that the grout needed re-grouting, and instead of picking out the old grout first, they just slathered new grout over it – so any time I try to scrub the shower, I end up scrubbing away big chunks of loose grout. I’ve been trying to use non-toxic household cleaners, but the vinegar-water just wasn’t working on the creeping mildew, and so I finally broke down and bought a bottle of the evil mildew-remover stuff, and suddenly what used to look like the shower of a shared bachelor apartment with five roommates now looks like something I can step into in the morning without cringing.
**Sometimes when we sleep in on weekdays and I need to get a shower in even after Joe has left for work, I bring up a little snack for the girls consisting of little bowls of dried cheerios mixed with raisins. They love it when I do that, and the raisins are usually no trouble to spot and pick up off the floor. The cheerios happen to match our carpet exactly, though, and can be harder to pick up before someone steps on them. Also, we don’t buy actual cheerios, which are full of sugar, but instead buy the organic non-sugary version from the local co-op. They taste at least as good as the big-business name-brand ones, but are a little more expensive.
Great effort. I love that feeling you get when the house is clean. Not a sensation I get often though, with three kids and a puppy.
I had a MIL who was a dear. She’d come over to babysit when our DD was a little sick, too sick to go to pre-school but well enough to run and play. She’d play with her for hours. Then she’d ask me “Is there anything else I can do for you?” A good MIL is such a blessing.
technikat
Oh my gosh. You.Went.To.The.Grocery.Store.By.Yourself. No, Im not jealous. Not at all.
I hope you hugged your MIL before she left. haha.
OK, I’m confused about the “non-sugary” cheerios. Cheerios were the only cereal I was allowed to eat growing up because it wasn’t sugary. But then again, I grew up in the 70s, so maybe it’s all just relative. So I checked the box. Cheerios have only 1 gram of sugar per serving. Grape Nuts has 4 grams.
I mean, the less sugar kids eat, the better, but does the “non-sugary” kind have no sugar at all? I eat unsweetened oatmeal, so cheerios with zero sugar sounds fine, but is that what you’re talking about?
I’m all for eating organic, less processed, etc. but seeing someone call cheerios sugary is bending the walls of reality. Or at least my perception of it. Please unconfuse me.
Sounds great! I also have a little snacky that I give my kids – a bowl of cheerios mixed with dried cranberries! They love it! I use the honey-nut cheerios, and don’t feel bad about it a bit – they want the dried cranberries more anyway! They’re so sweet and chewy – they would eat the whole bag if I let them hold it… I have to ration that stuff out!