Friday, July 26, 2013

How To Clean a Bathroom with a 2-Year-Old


Today was a busy day and I got a decent amount accomplished, but I am still feeling terribly behind. Maybe it's because there are some sewing projects that have been on my to-do list for a looong time, and that list has only gotten longer and more pertinent this week. They are actually tailoring projects--quite a few waistlines to take in and pants to cuff/shorten. Of course there are some fun projects too, like finish those two denim aprons I started a month ago and make a new decorative cover for our sofa pillow (yes I only have one decorator pillow, too many just get in the way and end up on the floor; although sometimes I think two would be nice...). Anyway, I have also made a discovery; it seems Small Boy will not take naps for Mommy anymore. He goes to bed like an angel for Daddy when I'm not home, of course! The last two days have been napless, and yes I know that doesn't mean anything, and that I need to wait a week or so before I see if this is his new pattern. But sometimes two days can feel like a week. He has been super sweet though, and we have not had the usual meltdowns that we have always gotten in the past when naps are missed. Yesterday and tonight he has gone happily to bed at 6pm, woke up very upset after about an hour, and then I managed to soothe him back to sleep and don't hear from him again till morning. I also have to say that those "wake up and soothe back to sleep" sessions have been much shorter than they used to be, only 5 or 10 minutes as opposed to over an hour...So this boy is definitely going through some changes! He is talking so much more this last week or two and is cutting a new molar (maybe more, I haven't gotten a satisfactory look on the left side yet...); and I know all these things are messing with his sleep patterns.
However I can't complain too much, during his nap attempt today I did get the bathroom, tub and all, thoroughly scoured! I am not sure how I'm going to get that sort of cleaning done when he quits naps altogether since I (so far) refuse to do that sort of work in the evenings; that time goes to dishes/reading/Netflix/whatever I feel like :) I guess I'm just going to have to schedule cartoon time in when I want to get housework done---have you ever tried to clean a bathroom with a 2 year old? I mean really tried?
 It goes like this:
1. Get out rag/sponge/whatever and the Lysol. Decide you don't want to spray Lysol with him in the room so swap it for Windex--after all it does have ammonia in it to disinfect with, right?
2. Pull kiddo out of the cupboard and remove your nail polish out of his mitts. Close cupboard.
3. Wipe mirror while holding closed the cupboard that has the Lysol in it with your foot, then remove kiddo from bathtub behind you since he got in there and is using your shaver on the tub walls.
4. Attempt to wipe the sink faucet and around it; remove child from the cupboard and take your toiletries bag away from him again.
5. Again attempt to finish the sink area; simultaneously using your free hand to keep kiddo out of the makeup supplies you have stashed on the counter. Also remove husband's shaver from his mitts and take away hubby's Axe hair gel before boy gets that open too. Then reach over and catch your jewelry box before it all lands upside down on the floor. (All this time you are cleaning the sink area with your left hand and using your right hand to keep boy out of things.)
6. Remove kiddo from toilet area and give him his toothbrush to play with in the sink. But as you lift the lid on the toilet so you can clean it, kiddo dashes over with his toothbrush cause that big bowl of water looks much more fun than the sink.
7. Abandon bathroom cleaning because it's just easier to do it after he goes to bed at night, even though you will be drop-dead exhausted by then and probably won't attempt to finish bathroom cleaning for several more days.
8. Then get out those new crayons you bought a few days ago and spend the rest of the day coloring with kiddo, because all he wanted in the first place was to do something fun with Mommy! He wants to watch you and then do exactly what you are doing; and isn't that what being a Mommy is all about, after all?

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