Spring... Yay?

It's finally here... the first day of spring. Birds are chirping, snow is melting, mud is... mudding and the kids can barely contain themselves. While I am excited about the prospect of warm weather and sunshine, spring  also brings something that I dread... spring cleaning.

I know, I know, it's not that bad. And really, it isn't, because I've become such a slacker when it comes to spring cleaning that I don't know why I stress about it. I don't really do it anymore. That really bothers me because I love a freshly spotless house. But this year, I can't avoid it. It has to be done. My house is a disorganized pit and I find it only stresses me out more than I need to be. My husband laughs at me, because on days where I am supposed to be relaxing I can't. Not if the sink is full of dishes, the kitchen table is piled with the kid's homework, the dishwasher needs emptying, the living room needs vacuuming, and my favorite fat lazy pants are dirty and need to be washed. Relax when all that is sitting there? Ya, not happening.

When I was a kid, I remember watching my mom go through her spring cleaning routing. Walls were washed, carpets were steam cleaned, anything that needed painting got painted, and the cupboards were all washed, inside and out.When we bought our house, I had made up my mind then that I was going to follow in my mom's footsteps. My house was going to be clean. Two kids later... ya, not so much. I have no idea how my mom did it with four of us little angels running around. She was a saint.

I am bound and determined to get organized this year. The cabinet in the kitchen that holds the kid's craft stuff and crayons will be cleaned out. The junk table (yes, not only do I have a junk drawer, I also have a junk table) will be cleaned off and a new method will be found to organize the mail, bills, cell phone and game chargers, school things that need to be kept handy, and various tools that get used but not put away. (I'll just leave that screwdriver-hammer-wrench there until the next time I go down to the cellar.) It will happen!

My walls, well, they are in a pretty sad state. With the woodstove that we use for supplemental heating in the winter, they always seem to be dusty or dirty. This is the year to repaint, so I guess I'll get out of washing those this year. But I will keep up with dusting them so that next spring they will only need a quick wipe down. Oh, quick little tip that I learned along the way about washing walls... warmish-hot water, splash of white vinegar, little shake of baking soda, and a little squirt of dish soap. It does a great job (little streaky, but I probably don't have the ratio of all the products right) and doesn't smell like an obnoxious chemical... it just smells clean.

The kid's rooms will get a complete overhaul. Broken toys, outgrown toys, toys that have had juice spilled on them, toys that have missing parts will be tossed! My spare room/ computer room will be completely emptied and cleaned until it sparkles! That is a big one right there. Have you ever seen that show on BBC "How Clean is Your House." My spare room is like an episode of that. Kim and Aggie would have a field day in there. Maybe if I'm feeling brave enough when I tackle it, I'll post before and after pics. You will be amazed!

I'm not  relaying all this to you because I want to sound like some over-achieving neat freak, because I am far from it. I just want the rest of the slackers with messy houses out there know that you are not alone! I'll let you all know how I make out.

Until next time... :)