Spring Cleaning

Spring showers may bring pretty flowers but they also force us to remain indoors even though the temperatures are warm outside. Ever since Emma discovered the great outdoors, she spends the majority of her waking hours banging on the back door begging to be let out. Sometimes, she and the cat join forces in their whining to be outside - Riley meows loudly while Emma puts on her most ferocious frown and bellows "MAAAAAAA!"

When her complaining fails to win her freedom, she decides to camp out in front of the door. It's her own version of a sit-in.

So, what does one Mom and her babies do while stuck inside? Some Spring cleaning!

First, we put up a new shelf for Emma's books in the nursery. I think it turned out pretty cute!

We cleaned out all the closets and drawers, packed away the clothes that no longer fit the children, and separated them into bins to be placed in the basement storage. This also involved unpacking all the clothes in the next size up for both Matthew and Emma. We also donated any clothes that no longer fit or that we no longer wear on a regular basis. As I was doing this task, I began to realize how many clothes my kids have. Why do they have so many? They should just have five pairs of pants/shorts and maybe 10 shirts to coordinate with them and a couple pairs of PJs. Done! Why do they have a wardrobe with enough clothing to dress them in a different outfit every single day for a month without ever having to do a load of laundry? Insanity!

I love that Matthew is old enough to help transfer the loads of laundry.
And he actually enjoys doing it! I wonder how long I can milk this before he realizes it is a chore?

We built a new shelf to help keep the play room organized. And by "built" I do not mean to give the impression that I picked out some wood, cut it into the appropriate sizes, and nailed everything together into a piece even a master carpenter would be proud of. No. I went to Target and got one of those boxed bookcase sets that claim to be so simple to put together that even our cat could do it (I specify our cat in particular because, being polydactyl, he actually does have thumbs). Anyway, Matthew had a grand old time helping me put everything together. He only smashed his finger with the hammer once. Emma tried her best to eat the nails and screws. These babies are a danger to themselves!! Needless to say, the bookcase-building was more stressful than it should have been for me.

Sitting atop all the bins of clothes to be taken down to the basement for storage!

We then proceeded to clean everything! Working one room at a time, we cleaned out all cupboards and wiped them down. All walls, floors, and surfaces were wiped and disinfected. Expired items were tossed from the pantry, medicine cabinet, and refrigerator into the waste basket. I tried to put the children to work where I could, but they still proved to be two major hindrances. Emma more so than Matthew. At least Matthew does not desperately want to eat the cleaning solutions. Are you noticing a pattern here? Basically, Emma wants to eat everything. She's a human garbage disposal.

Now our house is clean and organized! And it's still raining. All we have left to do is play. And in these blessed moments I am privileged to share in play and silliness with my children, I realize that sometimes rainy days are not so bad.

Emma thinks Matthew could use a bit of grooming. I agree. A haircut is needed soon!