I was sure it’d be better, easier. Once we moved to our new house, had our new kitchen, we would have a much better floor. The “oo” and “goo” would not be as bad. I wouldn’t battle the nastiness like I did before.
The flooring in our old house was a nightmare. It was supposed to be this high end flooring that you could only wash and clean with certain approved cleaners. What a nightmare for a mom with young children.
The only way to get it clean was to get on my hands and knees and scrub like Cinderella. The sparkle only lasted until the next meal time, or the next moment my sons came in from the sand box and back yard adventures. I blamed it all on my floor. It was the floor’s fault.
I’d go to other homes and be envious of their floor choices. If only I had what they had. My mom was sure it was me. She bought a new mop and scrubbed away. She humbly admitted that it was my floor. She had great empathy for me after that.
We’ve been in our new house about a year. It is a lot better. I don’t have to scrub and crouch with mop bucket by my side; however, it still gets nasty. What’s the deal? The constant battle, the pit of hell, is around the kitchen table where my little gentlemen eat. Why do I find large hunks of hard cheese, bits of bread, globs of jelly, and crusted pasta underneath this place of family connection? Why can’t it stay on or near their plates?
I hate monotony. I hate repetition. I love to do something once and check it off my list. This is why kitchen floors are my enemies. If I wanted my floor to always look presentable I would need to sweep, vacuum, and mop that baby three times a day, and then once right before bed.
Last night I tackled the demon head on. I moved the furniture, placed the chairs on top of the table, got out my scrub brush, and attacked with a holiness not seen before. It sparkled. I thought, “I must not let this abomination win! I should resolve to do a simple scrubbing after each meal. Then I would have less work in the long run.”
I know this resolution will last a week at tops. That is just me. That is how I function. I will slowly let the crumbs creep back in. Soon the watermarks will blend in with the other stains. My middle will finger-paint with the margarine. My oldest will turn his fish crackers into bombs, and my baby will spit up all manner of mashed veggies and fruit.
This is my reality. I think I need to accept it and not try to fight the beast. But I don’t have to like it, right?
8 comments:
I HATE my kitchen floor. It is white! It shows every single speck and crumb! I complain about it all the time...you are not alone.
Ha! I so feel you on this one, friend!! When I told my wonderful grandmother that I was moving to a place with hardwood floors she said, "Oh, you'll hate that! You have to dust them three times a day to keep them looking good!" And, the sad thing is, she really did sweep her hardwood floors that often. My mom says she was never without a dust mop:)
Wow....I think you have visited MY house recently. It is time for me to meet the same demon, but I must admit that I have a bit of fear in my chest. There is that chance that I will become STUCK to that mound of *something sticky* and be stuck under Mackenzie's chair for life. However, reading your post has inspired me. You have put hope in my heart that I can and WILL conquer those hardwood floors.
And no, we don't need to like it. =)
This is too funny! We rent in a house that is all carpet - even the kitchen and dining areas. So, I put a huge picnic table cloth under the kids as they eat. This catches almost all of the mess. Then, I take it to the garbage disposal sink or outside and shake it out and then throw it in the wash with the bibs and washclothes. It has "saved" the floors and my sanity. :)
What a great idea for the table Ms. Anonymous!
Carrie, love your comment. I keep hoping that with age my floors won't look so bad, but this last weekend we had 30 high school soccer players to our place. I had them all take their shoes off in the washroom, but still bits of dirt were all over my bathroom, washroom, and kitchen....not to mentions the stench all those footless sneakers produced in the washroom! Awesome! All moms must unite for support. Moms of stinky boys must sign up for counseling!
I too have been amazed at what accumulates under our kitchen table. Our old house had carpet in the dining room that we always planned to replace, so we weren't careful about keeping it nice. I always cringed to think of what was in that carpet, since we ate all our meals there and I only dragged the vaccuum out every few weeks. Well, now we're in a house with laminate flooring under the table, and I do (try to) sweep it after every meal - otherwise the babies crawl in there and eat the leftovers! I can't believe how much dust and STUFF I get every time, even if it's only been a few hours since I last swept! Really gross to think we were living with that in our carpet at the old house!!!
I agree...there are plenty of just plain bad books out there! Like you, I have often wondered why in the world some of them have been published! We have had several in the last month that I just didn't even finish reading....the poor attitudes of the children that was accepted by the adults in the story angered me. Of course, some of these types of things can become talking points with my kids, but for goodness sake! When I have to "undo" every book that they read!
I like your book reviews...keep 'em coming and maybe I will start some of my own as well. If I ever get around to it! =)
Oh...and I totally scrubbed my dining room/kitchen floors today. Thanks. =)
Great article, lots seem to identify with you. I do think it gets easier as the kids get older, or is my memory deluding me? There's still crumbs under Don's chair!!
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