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Now, before you go getting all excited on my behalf, thinking I'm making some sort of announcement regarding babies...STOP. We are NOT pregnant.


And, now that's out of the way...here's what I'm really talking about.

Have you ever noticed that on the days when your calendar is empty of appointments and obligations you wake up thinking (or go to bed thinking, or both) of all the things you're going to do that day? You know what I mean...you think "Gosh! What a great thing today will be! I'm going to do all the laundry, clean the whole house, banish the dust bunnies and cobwebs, scrub the nooks and crannies, wash windows, make cookies, make dinner spectacular..." and on the list goes...

And then, somehow, as your darling calls you to tell you he's on his way home, you suddenly lurch into a panic, wondering just how you're going to cook dinner, feed and bathe the children, pick up the toys, crackers stuck to the carpet, clean the apple juice off the floor for the umpteenth time, and oh-by-the-way, the clothes he needs for tomorrow are still in the laundry basket in your closet...and you run around, like a chicken with a recently removed head, trying not to scream at your children "Stop touching that! I just cleaned that up! Put that BAAAACCCKKK!!!!!!". And somehow, you throw together something that resembles a nutritious meal, while the laundry is washing on the shortest cycle and you pray that the toys will not fall out of the basket, the apple juice will come off the hardwood floor, but leave the finish, and somehow manage to appear calm, cool, and collected when he walks in the door 15 minutes later...

Well...today is a good argument as to why I should always be a busy person, with people coming to my house at scheduled intervals...

We've had a couple people come to our house to look at some items we're pondering having done professionally...and so, in an effort to not freak people out, or make them feel like they need to call the Health Department, or CPS, I've been working hard all week at making sure our house does not appear as though it has just thrown up on itself, or that my refrigerator has not exploded into the kitchen.

This morning was especially difficult for me, as today was my Moms' Group at Church. I had to be up, dressed presentably (and clean), have the kids fed, dressed, not smelling of last night's dinner, or over night diapers (you know what I mean!), and at Church by 8:30 to set up tables and the like...and I had a vendor coming to my house at 2PM to peddle his wares...and I foolishly told BB that we'd meet him for lunch at a fairly local pizza joint (or, as the Capt refers to it, the pizza house)...BB had a presentation this morning, scheduled to start at 8:30, and was out the door at 10 after, giving him but a few minutes to set up for said presentation...the kids and I were not far behind...

As I left, I thought to myself...gosh, I sure hope I read the calendar right and that this guy will be here at 2, and not 1!!!!

I'd left breakfast dishes strewn throughout the kitchen, Tiny Princess' bottle from last night soaking in the sink, crumbs on the counter, apple juice spilled on the floor (only a bit, but still), there were toys all over the family room (how can 2 children get out every toy in 5 minutes time?), the cats' boxes were not cleaned out, I had laundry in the dryer, in the washer, and waiting to be washed...I have clean sheets waiting to be folded on my bed, papers scattered on my kitchen table from BB...

I left the Church at 11:55am. We arrived at lunch at 12:12. We finished lunch, packed up the kids, and BB went back to work, I drove home, arriving at 1:35. I unloaded the kids, filled up cup and bottle with naptime beverages, and practically threw the children into their beds with clean and dry diapers for their naps, and proceeded to hurtle myself through my bedroom folding sheets, putting away clothes, and the various and sundry things we use in the morning as we prepare for our day. I think I used the stairs as I came back down to my kitchen, where I'm surprised that all dishes are intact in my dishwasher (where they'll be washed after dinner tonight, when it's full again), recycling is in the bin, the trash got emptied, the floor swept, and the apple juice scraped off the floor. The toys were hastily thrown into their basket, and the utility room was swept and sort of tidied. I took clean clothes out of the dryer, put the wet ones in, and the dirty ones into the washer...I picked up jackets and shoes, and hats, and diaper bag, and put them away (not just thrown into the cloest). I let the dog out, sprayed some air freshener, and put away the leftover cookies from this morning.

I filled a glass with water and ice, dashed to the bathroom so I didn't wet my pants while this guy was here, and I had just washed my hands, and sat down to drain my 20 ounces of water when the doorbell rang.

I had finished what would otherwise have taken all day long in a matter of 20 minutes.

Now, I'm not sure that being sweaty and flushed from my mad dash of housekeeping is healthy in the long run, but I think I'll consider HouseSprinting a new sport...

And now, I'm off to find something fabulous for dinner (even though I'd much rather go out for Mexican), fold more clean clothes, and wipe my counters off in the last moments of naptime.

And then, I'll sit on my butt and watch DVR'd episodes of CSI:New York, NCIS, and CSI...perhaps tonight I'll sleep like a happy baby, not a teething one with tummy issues to boot!