A mere 48 hours

Today is the first of what I hope will be many innaugural events that leads to actual state of the 'union' updates ultimately resulting in commencement posts...in other words I'm actually going to try and finish something I start and both teach and learn a little along the way.  I'm moving towards a goal to start and finish those many undone to-do lists, projects, crafts and hobbies for which I've spent countless hours of research on and rediculous amounts of money getting prepared for only to find myself overwhelmed at the thought of actually beginning something I know I won't finish. Those days are over my friends.

Today I  begin the process of tackling the down stairs rooms in my house. That includes the 1/2 bath guests use, the full master bath in my bedroom, the kitchen, the dining room and the den....as well as the piles of laundry I've allowed to get far beyond a manageable amount.  I start this project knowing 48 hours is not enough time to even think about how I'm going to tackle this one. I'm not unlike most familes in America with children...they mess up just as quickly as you clean up. This is why I hope my images of the beast in front of me will not seem foreign to most of you, although they're embarassing the crap out of me but I'm done making excuses about why my house looks like it does. For those of you who have visited my house on one of the better days, be thankful you never had the need to open any closet doors or look under the beds. What you would have witnessed is the sheer and utter horror that is my reality. I share these images for your viewing pleasure and hope that for some, you'll see you're not quite as messy as you once may have thought.

 Now, you should know that I took the day off yesterday from my day job so I could start some projects. That day was spent once again gathering supplies to start my projects. I seem to have found a terrible obsession with cleaning supplies lately.  I have at least 4 full cabinets of supplies; some open, some new and unopened, some so old I don't think they're made anymore and others I think I inherited from a few cleaning ladies I once had the luxury to help me out a little....although it was just once every 3 weeks, that once allowed me to actually enjoy a full day of relaxation in my home without worry of how the toilets looked, how many crumbs were on the floor, how filthy the windows were, when is the last time I changed the sheets, how many more loads of laundry do I have before I see the floor...I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. All of that is in the past and with the current economic conditions all luxury items are off the table around here. Although, I bet if you added up what I've spent on supplies preparing to clean for the last month I could have had those ladies back to clean my house a few times over....don't tell my husband!

So, now you know the goal and you should know the supplies and resources I'll be using:

Destructo

 1.  Unsuspecting 'Destructo'...yep, thats him, that sweet little white haired angel who is presently creating mess# 5 for the day right in the den that was already in need of so much work!!!

The Interrogator

2.  'The Interrogator'...yep, ,that's her without pants and looking oh so innocent. As I snapped this one I had to run from the inevitable barrage of questions that all begin with 'Whats that mom'?

3. A multitude of cleaning products one of which is a homemade surface cleaning solution - 1/4 Cup Liquid Dishwashing Liquid (I use Dawn because it cuts grease), 3/4 Cup Rubbing Alcohol and rest hot water. I used on old Windex spray bottle to mix this solution and it works WONDERS on my granite, marble and ceramic tile.
4. 5 laundry baskets - 1 for each member of the house

5. Hand held steamer, and upright floor steamer mop, and my oh so dependable Dyson vacuum



The Swiper



And of course...look who woke up from her morning nap just in time to help  Looks like I've got a full cleaning crew (or demolition crew....depending on how you look at it) Let the games begin... I'll update this post on Monday once the family has headed out for the work and day care school week. Wish me luck....