Method To My Madness

This Easter weekend my family is going to attend a 150th anniversary celebration of when my husband's ancestors arrived in NZ. It's a pretty cool thing that we have been planning for about a year. The in-laws have paid for it. And guess what? I am staying home! Officially, it's because my back is sore and sitting for long periods of time is quite hard on me--hence the driving, boat riding, show watching, dining, cultural experiencing is not good for me. If I sat around for the next 3.5 days I would be in bed next week. But exercise and housework (if I am careful) is quite good for me. ;-)

Yes, there is a method to this madness. If I stay home I get 3.5 days of uninterrupted time to myself. Things have not been progressing at home as I would like over the last, I don't know, 8.5 years. Just kidding. But we have been super busy the last 6 months and in the midst of that decided to convert our garage into my counselling office and basically rearrange the whole house. Needless to say the house has not been Bonnie clean in a very long time. So while I am not sitting on my bum which hurts my back--I will be making my house Bonnie clean. Yea. I feel better just saying it out loud.

Would you like to see my To Do list? I will break it down by rooms.
Master Bedroom:
Clean out closet
Change sheets, make bed (so I have some place to lay clean laundry later)
Clean out drawers
Straighten Up
Vacuum
Make Curtains (currently using Winnie the Pooh curtain--not very adult or romantic)

Kid's Room:
Clean out closet and drawers (after I was gone for two weeks nothing was put back where it goes)
Clean windows and walls
Take down Sissy stuff
Paint

Laundry:
Wash/Dry about 15 loads (it's been raining for 2 weeks straight--I miss my clothesline)
Put it away
Iron

Garage/Counselling Office:
Organize Trademe stuff--sell it!
Paint
Mop
Set-up storage area
Finish screens and put up
Make Curtain
Arrange Furniture
Move Computer
Recover Office Chair
Fix Coffee Table
Decorate

Play Room/Sissy's Room:
Tidy-up
Move posters
Move little table/chairs
Clean bathroom
Make Curtains

Hallway:
Clean walls and baseboards (how do they get so dirty)
Vacuum
Shampoo? (I doubt it--it's too wet outside)
Deodorize

Hall Baths:
Scrub bath and shower
Hand mop floors
Clean walls
Organize drawers (still part of the rearranging the house and moving our bathroom)
Dust photos

Kitchen:
Clean out pantry
Clean out cabinets and drawers (wipe out)
Wash cabinet fronts and tops
Clean out fridge
Clean front of fridge, oven, dishwasher
Wash walls
Clean rubbish bin
Hand mop floor

Dining Room:
Clean walls and baseboards
Empty red cabinet, move it to Living room (really light when empty)
Clean play room table and set-up in dining room
Mop Floor

Living Room:
Clean walls and baseboards
Clean off piano and dust
Clean window sills
Clean windows
Vacuum floors, under furniture and in furniture

Outside: (all of this can only happen if it quits raining)
Clean around office door
Move bins
Pick-up rubbish from side of the house
Finish Signs and hang up
Clean up cobwebs
Move plant
Get rubbish ready for dump (when DH gets home)

Organization:
Clean out LR drawers
Organize boxes of papers
Make a menu plan
Set-up schedule for housework and home school
Get home school stuff ready to start next week

If I accomplish this list I will look like Maxine in this picture! I know it seems like a huge list, but it is all of the tasks set out. I have high hopes that I can get it all done as I am kid and husband free for 3.5 full days and 3 nights. Yay!

You see I feel like if I can get back to a place of order than maybe, just maybe, I can train my family to keep it that way--so that it is easier to maintain. I can't live in disorganization and mess, but I do and I have for 8.5 years. Then I get so overwhelmed and depressed that I don't want to do anything except hide. That's not the way I want to be and not the way I want my house to be. I want to feel free and good about anyone coming over at any time--like speech therapists, care givers, friends, small group, and family. We have company coming this month and next month.

So, as you are going about your life this weekend think of me and say a quick prayer that God will honour my efforts and maybe even help me get this stuff done. You also might say a prayer for DH who will be in charge of two small children (with the help (?) of his parents) for the whole weekend and the weather is bad (!), raining and windy. I would be eternally grateful!