cleaning for the cleaning lady.

i know someone, maybe everyone, is going to make fun of me for this. but today, between 12:45 and 1:45, I have cleaning ladies coming to clean my apartment.

yes. my apartment. my 867-sqare-foot apartment.

i've been manning the basics since ellie was born, and i've done a pretty darn good job of keeping things straight and organized for the most part. i've gone through quite a bit of our stuff and have a HUGE pile over at mom's for a theoretical garage sale. i'm doing a tiny bit better on the laundry lately. i'm trying to get rid of things to which i do not have a fairly sizable sentimental attachement.

but the apartment needs a deep clean. you know, scrubbing the baseboards. taking apart the entire stove. mopping all the floors. hard-core disinfection of the bathrooms. that type of thing.

so, since i just cannot seem to find four to five hours in my schedule to get all of that done, i hired someone. then the plan is to do great maintenance and keep everything lovely.

i'm really so excited.

tonight when landon comes home, everything is going to be spotless, sparkly and lemony-fresh smelling. i'm going to light candles and buy fresh flowers and i'm just going to marvel for a moment at my perfectly clean (pseudo-)palace.

then landon's massive shoes will begin filling the living room again. the dog will barf or poop or both. the baby will spit up. i'll spill while cooking. and someon, hmm, will pee all over the toilet seat.

and then i will cry.

or maybe i'll just call the cleaning ladies back!

this could be dangerous if i get addicted to the cleaning ladies the way i am to other luxuries like really nice haircuts or pedicures.

no, no. i won't do that. just today. for the deep clean. then i'll keep it up myself.

i think.

*note on the headline: growing up we often had a cleaning lady, and mom always made us "clean for the cleaning lady." that never made any sense to me until now. writing this blog was a short break from the frantic straightening (read: stuffing) i've been doing all morning in order to make room on all surfaces for the cleaning ladies to clean. i can't wait!

*one more note: landon doesn't know i hired the cleaning ladies. umm....yeah.