Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Home Alone: Day 6
I've realized since the girls have been gone just what a neat freak I am. I won't go so far as to call myself a full-fledged "clean freak" -- that would be implying the urge to use cleaning chemicals or something. But now that the house is completely in my control, I have been very meticulous about keeping it tidy and uncluttered.
Of course, the first thing I did on Thursday was put the toys away and clear out the clutter. I also did some vacuuming. I put food in the cabinets that Shelly insists for some reason on keeping out on the counter (like the loaf of bread and the tortilla chips). I have known for a long time that I am a big advocate of clear and empty horizontal surfaces. In fact, if I were to identify the Number One Source of Contention in my marriage, it would be the fact that I like my horizontal surfaces clean while Shelly insists on making stacks on all the horizontal surfaces in the house (the kitchen counters, the desk, and most of all and most offensive to me, the dining room table). Well, now that I'm in control, they're clear. Things are put away, and it's just the way I like it.
I discovered one other remarkable thing because today was trash day. Our trash collectors come twice a week, and each time, we throw out two big kitchen trash bags full of garbage. Today I threw out only half a bag. I even considered saving it for Friday's pickup, but there were some food-related items in there, and I didn't want them to stink up the kitchen. Yes, I know that the majority of the volume of our garbage is diapers (the load increased dramatically when each of our daughters was born), but I was amazed at the fact that my garbage was so much less than the normal volume of even non-diaper garbage. I guess I don't go through as many wrappers or boxes or Kleenexes as a family of four does. Go figure.
Of course, the first thing I did on Thursday was put the toys away and clear out the clutter. I also did some vacuuming. I put food in the cabinets that Shelly insists for some reason on keeping out on the counter (like the loaf of bread and the tortilla chips). I have known for a long time that I am a big advocate of clear and empty horizontal surfaces. In fact, if I were to identify the Number One Source of Contention in my marriage, it would be the fact that I like my horizontal surfaces clean while Shelly insists on making stacks on all the horizontal surfaces in the house (the kitchen counters, the desk, and most of all and most offensive to me, the dining room table). Well, now that I'm in control, they're clear. Things are put away, and it's just the way I like it.
I discovered one other remarkable thing because today was trash day. Our trash collectors come twice a week, and each time, we throw out two big kitchen trash bags full of garbage. Today I threw out only half a bag. I even considered saving it for Friday's pickup, but there were some food-related items in there, and I didn't want them to stink up the kitchen. Yes, I know that the majority of the volume of our garbage is diapers (the load increased dramatically when each of our daughters was born), but I was amazed at the fact that my garbage was so much less than the normal volume of even non-diaper garbage. I guess I don't go through as many wrappers or boxes or Kleenexes as a family of four does. Go figure.
Comments: Post a Comment
