Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Cleaning Triage!!


Have you ever performed cleaning TRIAGE?

It typically occurs when company arrive early or unexpectedly.  The car pulls in, the people pile out and only one thought pops into your brain: PANIC!

The emergency decision typically comes down to these three
choices (I know I won’t have time for ALL of them, only in my dreams!!);
1.  Clean the house.  It’s amazing what can be accomplished in two minutes when I’m in tornado-mode: toys are chucked into (and under) anything I can find and the throw pillows are thrown (naturally) back onto the couch (which they NEVER stay on in a typical day around here!).  Everything else I can manage in an arm-full (even a kid or two sometimes) is tossed down into the basement where I joyfully pull the door closed, satisfied to know no one will need to go DOWN THERE!
2.  Clean the kids.  Two wonderful words: wet-wipes.
3.  Clean myself.  One quick glance in the mirror may yield this reaction from me: YIKES!  If this is the option I choose, it usually means racing upstairs, tossing my sweat pants aside in exchange for clean jeans and sitting down at my vanity to perform more triage: make-up triage.  I only have one minute: it’s either mascara, blush or lipstick, I don’t have the luxury of all three!  Running a brush through my hair as I hurry to answer the door is the final act: one (semi) ready Momma is coming!

Then there are the days I don’t have time for option 1, 2 or 3 because the doorbell is ringing before I know what hit me.  When this happens, I grab the TWO most important thing needed for welcoming friends and family into my home (sweatpants or high-heels): a genuine smile and a welcoming spirit.  The door is thrown open and a warm hug and happy face awaits whoever is on the other side, because after all, perfection is so overrated!

If my friends love me because I have the perfect home, perfect children and am always perfectly put together then…well, they don’t because that is NOT me and that is just NOT the case EVER!!  My friends (thankfully!!) love me in spite of all my quirks.  I don’t think they mind stepping over a toy dinosaur or getting a sticky-Popsicle-arm hug from my kid if it means we can plop down on the couch (usually void of ALL my throw pillows, of course) and catch up on life together!

When all else fails and you don’t have time for ANY cleaning triage, just throw on a smile and fling open your arms to welcome in a friend, that’s all you really need!



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