06 May 2009

Maternal mystery, understood and embraced

We hit the road early for family vacations when I was a kid, and my childish self never understood why my mom was always the last person in the van. (Duh. It takes like 2 minutes of motherhood to figure that one out.) What I really couldn’t comprehend was that the reason for the delay was not last-minute packing, but a last-minute cleaning blitz. The mountains were calling, the van was loaded, the camper was hitched, and she was. . . scrubbing the sink?! Clearing the counter?!

I totally get it now. There’s something immensely satisfying about knowing that the kitchen floor will be spotless for a week, even if you’re not around to see it.

Oh, but this time it's worth it. . .

8 comments:

Rebekah said...

YES!!

Melrose said...

My husband used to give me such grief for my last minute cleaning blitzes...now he joins me! :D Last time he even pulled out the vaccum! WOOHOO

Dawn said...

:D

This is most totally true.

lisa said...

haha - I thought I was the lone crazy :)

Marie said...

BK (Before Kids), my house was always clean anyway, so when I heard about these cleaning blitzes by a neighbor, I was horrified! Now, I'm a believer. There's nothing worse than tripping on toys as you drag through the door with 2 weeks worth of laundry in a suit case.

Sarah D. said...

Amen.

ζωὴν περισσὸν said...

Hate to rain on the parade, but those luxuries are a thing of the past for me... maybe y'all will do better, but it got to the point where just the packing/prep wore me out enough that I was spent when I finally climbed in the van... and while yes dh finally 'got it' and has tried to help...the last time I pulled a cleaning blitz, it took SO long, and I was SO stressed/worn/whatever, I didn't even want to go anymore.

Not to mention the kids all out in the van killing each other waiting, wondering what's taking the parents so long!

Karen said...

We usually deep-clean closets and under beds the day before vacation and then I do the final hot spots before we leave on vacation. By the time we return everyone craves the sense of belonging that home provides. If areas are grimy or cluttered, home isn't as welcoming. Also, I always spend the next 2-3 days doing laundry after vacations. The house needs to be clean.