Reality struck when we went to the basement. Four years ago we moved to our current home and placed all the stuff we didn't need at the time (but also couldn't manage to part with) into the basement. All was perfect in their boxes. Ever so often, we needed one or two things from each box.... The resulting explosion slowly got harder and harder to ignore, but somehow we managed to until now. NOW, we are going on sabbatical (who's idea was this again?) and to help finance our travel, we have decided to try to rent out our main home and use the Fripp rental house as our home base.
So potential rental income means cleaning out all our personal belongings. We are finally cleaning house!
To understand the sad state our house had become, imagine a home with five people living, cooking (a lot) and growing (out of clothes), but no one home long enough to clean. I, as mother of the brood, have been working essentially two full time jobs for the past two years, writing a book, coaching academic bowl and news team, running kids to and fro and serving as president of our middle school PTA. For his part, Greg has ran our small business, taught culinary classes, coached baseball, mentored elementary students in math and reading and managed to do most of the cooking for our family. Cleaning just wasn't in the plans.
But now we have no excuse. I knew it would be bad, but I didn't dream of the snowball effect. Clean the basement - Check. Now the closets - check. Did the kids really use sharpie on Emma's dresser? Paint her bedroom furniture - check. (Thank you, Terri and Reclaim Paint!) Boy, the bedroom walls look dirty now! Walls clean - not yet, but I bought the Magic Erasers for that. No way am I painting more.
We have moved most of our personal belongings out to the garage ready for a POD or Fripp if the house rents soon. Of course, the house renting short term and furnished is a long shot, but we have mixed feelings about renting our home period. As Doris Day used to say, "Que Sera, Sera!" This year is about going with the flow so we'll see if the flow drifts a nice family our way.
So potential rental income means cleaning out all our personal belongings. We are finally cleaning house!
To understand the sad state our house had become, imagine a home with five people living, cooking (a lot) and growing (out of clothes), but no one home long enough to clean. I, as mother of the brood, have been working essentially two full time jobs for the past two years, writing a book, coaching academic bowl and news team, running kids to and fro and serving as president of our middle school PTA. For his part, Greg has ran our small business, taught culinary classes, coached baseball, mentored elementary students in math and reading and managed to do most of the cooking for our family. Cleaning just wasn't in the plans.
But now we have no excuse. I knew it would be bad, but I didn't dream of the snowball effect. Clean the basement - Check. Now the closets - check. Did the kids really use sharpie on Emma's dresser? Paint her bedroom furniture - check. (Thank you, Terri and Reclaim Paint!) Boy, the bedroom walls look dirty now! Walls clean - not yet, but I bought the Magic Erasers for that. No way am I painting more.
"...Just whistle while you work
ReplyDeletePut on that grin and start right in to whistle loud and long
Just hum a merry tune
Just do your best and take a rest and sing yourself a song.
When there's too much to do
Don't let it bother you, forget your troubles,
Try to be just like a cheerful chick-a-dee.
And whistle while you work
Come on get smart, tune up and start
To whistle while you work