The Customary Sniff

I just completed the customary sniff. You-know-the-one-where you hold a wash cloth that could contain an unpleasant odor, between your forefinger and thumb, with the remaining three fingers fanned away as to not acquire the possible stench. You exhale, but only slightly, because the likelihood of inhaling an unwanted odor. You draw the suspected stench laden washcloth up to your nose, and sniff briefly, pulling the washcloth away immediately. Then wait for the overwhelming indication that the washcloth needed to be laundered, yesterday. Luckily for me, this ONE time, I actually avoided the toe curling nastiness that normally accompanies the customary sniff. So I ask, is there anyone else, out there, who chooses to stimulate their nose hair by performing this task?

Warning: Maniac in Motion. Enter at your own risk.

This should be a sign posted in my front yard.

I may have taken multi-tasking too far…

a pile of dirt in the laundry room
baby in “big girl” panties and “potty” in the kitchen
window cleaner and towel hanging off the back of the vacuum cleaner
two big girls eating breakfast
towel draped over the bottle of wood polish sitting on the top of the stairs
coffee brewing
wet mop leaning against the counter
emailing a cell phone number to my husband
checking facebook
posting to my blog

Now I need to decide which of these tasks needs my attention first…

Annoyed by the Small Things

Recently, as I was sorting through a mound of laundry I became increasingly aware of the articles of the clothing I was turning right side out. And with each piece, I became a little more agitated, thinking that some people could be a little more considerate by taking two seconds to right these items before throwing them into the laundry. So I started tossing these items in a pile to prove a point and to allow the guilty party the opportunity to endure the consequences. Right?

Well, life right now allows me to be home during the days and work in the evenings. I use the term 'stay-at-home' loosely, because Josh says I do not actually stay-at-home, which has some truth to it. What this means is that Josh is stripping the girls' clothing and putting them into pajamas almost every evening. In the mornings I am removing their pajamas and putting them into clothes for the day.

Okay, back to JUSTICE…As I am separating the laundry, I am becoming more and more aware of the fact that the clothing I am tossing into the consequences pile, over and over again, are the pajamas and undershirts. Occasionally, I was relieved to see a shirt or a pair of pants, but when I thought about when they were removed it was I that hastily removed the garment and tossed it into the laundry basket. Not Josh. Talk about being annoyed by the small things. Even when it comes to laundry the guy is one step ahead of me. I definitely got a good one.

Being Creative or Borderline Cheating…

I agreed to be apart of Julie's 500 Mile Club and I have developed a plan in which I am certain to come out victorious and one that will hopefully encourage the rest of you into joining My idea of a 500 Mile Club. I have converted everyday situations into miles…

Dusting for 30 minutes equals a half a mile
Washing the windows for 30 minutes equals half a mile
Filling/emptying the dishwasher or doing the dishes for 30 minutes equals a half a mile
Vacuuming for 30 minutes equals a half a mile
Sweeping for 30 minutes equals a half a mile
Moping with a mop for 30 minutes equals half a mile
Shoveling for 30 minutes equals 1 mile
Mowing the grass for 30 minutes equals 1 mile
Raking for 30 minutes equals 1 mile
Gardening for 30 minutes equals a half a mile
Hoeing for 30 minutes equals 1 mile
Wrestling with children (putting on winter apparel constitutes wrestling) for 30 minutes equals a half a mile
Sledding for 30 minutes equals 1 mile
Folding/putting away laundry for 30 minutes equals a half a mile

Because it is necessary to count for something…

Scrapbooking for 30 minutes equals one tenth of one mile

And last but not least…

Blogging for 30 minutes equals one tenth of one mile


I am convinced that if you calculate all of these events and the number of times they are actually performed everyone could complete 500 miles worth of activities in a reasonable amount of time, all of which would count towards gaining the bodily figures we so desire. Creativity is the only way I can successfully accomplish this task.

Please feel free to add other suggestions into my comments. Now get moving and start tracking your 500 miles.

The Intended versus The Practical

Responding to the first comment I received in helping me sort out my dilemma….

This topic will definitely have to be revisited… and yes, there is a trend that most of it involves laundry.

Our king sized bed was intended to be a resting place to collect much needed zzz's, allowing our minds to rest. Instead as the largest flattest surface in the house, it has become the collecting place for clean laundry, which actually forces me to get it sorted in order to go to bed each night.

A full sized couch in the master bedroom was meant to be a relaxing location to escape from the toils of the day and curl up with warm blanket and a good book. But instead, it has become an overflow location for the never ending laundry sorting quandary.

A corner whirlpool tub should be used for soaking, relaxing, and catching a few moments of hydrotherapy, but instead it is used to separate the 'worn' but acceptable to 'wear again' clothes from the too dirty and must be washed clothes.

Any couch or cushion covered furniture should be a place to sit comfortably if the cushions were actually on it. However, in our house, these cushions are often found as the building blocks for forts, thus making the cushion less a piece of furniture, and more an indoor trampoline.

And no fort would be complete with out a roof, so sheets and blankets of all sizes are often found hanging randomly throughout the house.

Our guest bedroom, intended to house a bed, that is currently being used elsewhere, has become a play room for toys, toys and more toys (all girl stuff of course).

Okay, so the only really cool item that I actually found a creative use for is going to make every Pampered Chef Consultant vomit a little in their mouth. It is the little brown square scraper that comes with a stoneware purchase. It is a great tool for scraping the food or other unidentifiable substances off your kitchen/dining room floors and/or walls. I have one with my mopping supplies and it helps remove some of the most stubborn globs of caked on who-knows-what off my floor.