December Craziness

December always seems to arrive with too many things left to do on my household list. Amy comes home from college late Thursday evening. Last year, she was coming home from school most weekends. This year, she's only been home twice since August. It almost feels like a guest is coming to visit. I feel like the whole house needs to be spotless, the refrigerator should be full of tasty, nutritious meals, the laundry should be completed, the ironing should be hung in the appropriate closets, and the house should be beautifully decorated. It's not all going to be finished in time.

Today, we blew off school and spent the day cleaning. I've been sick since Thanksgiving and the refrigerator desperately needed to be cleaned. So, I spent the morning throwing out leftovers that have reached garbage status and washing the drawers and interior of the refrigerator. It is beautifully clean and free of germs. It is also free of any food. Shopping has been added to my list. While I was in the kitchen, I wiped and arranged the cupboards and washed the cabinet doors. One room down!

The five older children spent the morning cleaning out the playroom. They worked really hard and sorted all the various toys, removed all the stray cardboard boxes which are used to build clubhouses, and vacuuming up the dust and cat hair. My garbage cans are now completely full. Garbage will not be picked up until Monday. I need to add black garbage bags to my shopping list. The kitchen bags aren't strong enough to withstand snow and ice storms. On the positive side, two rooms are done!

The laundry has been humming along all day. I've managed to keep up with the folding, including the socks. The ironing basket has grown to become two laundry baskets. I guess the ironing can get done this evening while we watch The Biggest Loser.

Allie turns 4 on Friday and I still need to purchase her gifts. She wants to have snowman cupcakes for dessert. Her request for "Mom's Spaghetti" for dinner will not please Amy, who has never like spaghetti. Katie has tried to talk Allie into choosing Mexican items or cheeseburgers for dinner, but Allie is maintaining her desire for spaghetti. Angel-hair pasta and coconut (for the snowmen cupcakes) have been added to the shopping list.

Oh, our main computer crashed this morning, containing all our family photos for the last several years. I didn't have them backed up. Mike thinks that after he fixes the computer, he will be able to recover the photos.

Tomorrow, I'm hoping to do a whole house wax and polish session with a little wall washing thrown in. We may start our Christmas break a week early. I'm so tired from being up all night coughing that a break might be the saving of my sanity. Maybe, I'll even fit in a nap.