8.14.2006

Monday

Let me tell you about Monday. Monday has had a sacred ritual for as long as I can remember. My mom had the same ritual long before I was born. If this ritual wasn't performed, life was not good at our house.

I have adopted this same Monday ritual into my own home. My kids wake up with the same dread that I experienced as a child. I see myself in them as they roll out of bed, knowing what the day holds for them.

Monday is cleaning day.

When I was little I remember waking up to the scent of diluted ammonia. My mom's cleaner of choice. I remember scrubbing walls and bathrooms with ammonia, feeling quite like Cinderella when I did. I remember scrubbing the kitchen floor on my hands and knees because at our house we DID NOT clean with dirty water. I remember mixing the ammonia with warm water and trying not to get too many bubbles in the spray bottle.

Why Monday you ask? Well, Monday was the day after the weekend was over. We had done all of our playing. It was the start of a fresh week, a fresh house. That and the fact that fewer people were home to mess up our sparkling, ammonia scented house.

I have changed a few things in our home. My cleaner of choice is Pine-Sol, not the lemon or orange scented, but original piney Pine-Sol. I don’t sweep my kitchen floors before I mop them. I set my friend DY on bare floors and suck up all of the gunk. I still maintain many of my mom’s principals. All baseboards are wiped off, I still mop on my hands and knees. The house is scrubbed from top to bottom and I refuse to cook anything to pungent as to maintain the smell of clean for as long as possible. All piles are gone through and filed or disposed of as necessary. Sheets are changed, bathrooms glisten, lines are made in the carpet with the vacuum. Stairs are vacuumed and dusted. We only wet dust because as my mom would say “if your rag isn’t wet, it only moves the dust from one place to another.” In addition, I will straighten closets that have gone array and straighten cabinets and drawers.

It's a sickness really.

I am so my mother.



****Edited*****
Prime example of what "Cleaning day" does to my children.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

HA LOL. That's OUR house TODAY TOO! My girls have been cleaning for the past several hours. I say several because it's been mixed with a lot of dinking around.

So now I'm off to clean the bathrooms.

...and I have the same motto as you and your mom. Monday's are the start of a new week. Finished with the weekend and all the mess that brings.

mamashine said...

Oh my gosh. Every Monday you do that? I am a weak, sad shell of a housewife if these are the things that are required... :)

Glass Half Full said...

Are you hiring? Wanna come to my house and use some of those talents? :)

My mom had assigned day too: laundry, cleaning, etc....

I admit to the laundry day, but I wish I could be motivated enough to clean like her....like you!! :)

Anonymous said...

My mom's day was Saturday. It's the day to get ready for Sunday, after all. We cleaned the house and we shopped at the store, and we called it the get-the-work-done day. :) Ammonia was her choice of chemical as well.

Millie said...

I like Clorox cleaner, and I like cleaning on Monday too - weekends are too busy and the rest of the days of the week I have other things going on.

That's WHEN I clean. ;)

Char @ Crap I've Made said...

Mondays are usually like that at my house, too. Baby's dr appointment this morning threw everythong off! And I miss mopping on my hands and knees. I broke my knee cap about 3 years ago and haven't been able to do it since.

utmommy said...

Monday is my cleaning day too. We've kind of been off schedule since vacation and our move. But I'm ready to get back in gear.

I still mop on my hands and knees too. DH thinks I'm crazy, but I don't think mops work :)

Bright One said...

Wow! I can't say I clean like that! AND unfortunately I hate ammonia and pine-sol makes me think of outhouses (summer job for the forest service once) so I'm all over the orange scented things or clorox which makes me think of summer all year long. I rarely mop on my hands and knees though, it just feels too gross, I use a mop, but now I'm feeling bad and wondering if my floors are clean....: )

uuu said...

Girl --- you are speaking right to me!!! I inherited the sick routine (though mine is Thursday now) of a "cleaning day" from my dear grandmother. I also have a laundry day and a shopping day!! :) SICK SICK SICK!!! But it is the life I live!

Dawnyel said...

HAHA!! Saturday was our cleaning day! But I have to agree that original Pine-Sol is the BEST "clean" scent!! I know it's clean if it smells like pine! :D

Paula said...

Good for you. I use to be that way until my son got older and more mobile. He requires more attetnion right now. (He just turned 1 years old.) Now I Vacuum on Monday, Laundry on Tuesday, Kitchen and Dust on Wednesday, Vacuum on Thursday, Bathrooms on Friday and Laundry on again Saturday. This would drive some crazy, but it works for me. Small task I can get done quickly. Maybe when the kids are older, I can solicit theie help and get it done in one day! :)

Valarie said...

had to get the comments off 13 for you.

I'm way impressed. I don't think I do that much through the whole week.

Gina said...

I admire that you do this EVERY Monday. I want to do all that once a week, I really do...

Mall Worker said...

My cleaning day was friday. It was so because we were never home on the weekends. Its going to change now!

I need to have a firm hard day like that!

Tori :) said...

You rock. You really do.

Blackeyedsue said...

Oh, Ity, you are fine. I use it on the bathrooms. :)

Super Happy Girl said...

You are so my kind of mom.
Yep, you are.
:D

smart mama said...

i wish i was i could force myself to keep a routine like that- we do sat fam clean time- you can move on to my house...