Between the Sheets

Each Friday all the bedding is pulled off the bed, sheets are changed, the bed later remade. It's a ritual replayed in probably every home everywhere on whatever day they choose. There's something wonderful about climbing into a bed with clean sheets. The smell, the feeling of them -- it's like being held. Inviting. Recently, on a Friday evening we climbed into bed and mouse sighed, that contented happy sigh and felt embraced in lavender. It's a rinse we use only for bedding. Sir didn't notice anything -- not even that the sheets were different. How could he miss the smell? He took the default man or maybe husband position that he thought it was mouse.

We have another ritual at bedtime. Sir will toss all the pillows off the bed and onto the floor thst mouse painstakingly arranges each morning, with some satisfaction. Sometimes he'll muse about the connection between women and pillows.

The compliment isn't a serious one, since he doesn't really care what the bed looks like, so long as its made and not covered in flowers. He despises bedding with weeds covering it. To be honest though, between clean sheets and pillows mouse wouid take the feeling of clean sheets. So much so she's often considered washing them more often than once a week. But really it isn't practical. The only time however mouse will put off the ritual changing of sheets is when he's traveling. Often then mouse will put it off as long as she can stand the thought. It's like when she'll wear a shirt he's worn recently to bed, it smells like him. If he's gone for a few days, she will wait to put on clean sheets when she knows he's around thirty minutes from home!

Well we never suggested mouse wasn't quirky.

 

Urges and Other Strange Things

Nobody's perfect, right? Daddy always reminds mouse that nobody's perfect but it doesn't stop mouse from trying to be. There's far too much that's been ignored -- dust bunnies hiding. Bright sunny days with plenty of sunshine filtering through the windows means highlighting where the dust bunnies live.

Also, the fact everyone in this house, mouse included, has been sneezing and coughing all over it. So, mouse brought the baby to a relative's home to visit, quickly ran a few errands and hurried home to clean. The urge was overwhelming and it's so rare, it just needed to be acted on. Probably prompted by reading this book. It's the anal retentive guide to cleaning and Daddy approved. Seriously, the author doesn't believe in washing your hands in the kitchen sink!

So mouse driven by need to nest, scrubbed the whole house, shampooed carpets and disinfected the whole thing. Moved furniture and got into corners. Yes, there was some washing of cabinets and other woodwork. Far easier to do without being nude, chained with Daddy watching over her every movement. Lot quicker too since they weren't nearly as filthy as they were before.

We even had a mobile groomer come to the house to bathe the dogs!

Daddy was well aware what mouse was up to all day since mouse was texting about it all (it constituted a change of routine). Daddy surprised mouse by saying if mouse would get the baby early -- he'd been keeping an eye on the weather and felt it best, and said he would bring home dinner.

Really mouse was releaved a bit, although early in the afternoon flurries had been flying but not sticking.. As luck would have it, they did begin to stick after she returned with Babygirl. When Daddy got home, the snow was a bit heavier. He carried wine and pizza.

After all of mouse's hard work, Daddy let mouse watch any movie she wanted...

We settled down and watched a movie that wouldn't torture him too much, White Christmas. Sure mouse could have tortured him with any number of movies, but he probably would clawed his eyes out before they were finished. In bed after the movie was over, he said mouse could watch another movie the next night. Anything she wanted. He said he had work to do so he'd be missing out.

What a shame!

 

Being Particular

As most who have read our main blog The Power Exchange are aware, Omega enjoys a tidy home -- not really immaculate, but clutter free. Most Fridays mouse cleans for Shabbat. Certain things must be done before sundown. When the days become shorter, the cleaning chores are spread out over two days. Omega now prepares the daily list of what's to be accomplished each day, so when he handed Friday's list over to mouse, there was an error.

It's ok you can gasp.

Omega likes his things neatly arranged, just so. Socks for example are arranged by style, then by color, light to dark. Gym and weekend socks are stored in a completely different drawer. Clothing is arranged the same way. Style and color. It's an easy system, once mouse became used to it.

For Shabbat, clothes must laundered, errands run, towels washed, table cloth changed and washed, bedding, sheets, pillow cases must be changed and laundered. That's just bedrooms. Bathrooms, kitchen must be cleaned, the home dusted....

Yes, mouse becomes exhausted thinking about it.

But...

It's also nice to have a clean home for the weekend.

Omega understands all too well, how difficult it can be to get everything accomplished with limited sunlight on Fridays. Candlelighting is in about an hour (don't worry mouse is finished). This all brings mouse to today's list and specifically what was missing from it.

Omega left no time for ironing!

See, while he's particular, so is mouse and hates wrinkled sheet cuffs.

Actually wrote a little about ironing here before.

It's the sheets that take a while for mouse to get just right, then they're folded and put away for the next week. Why didn't he know? How could he not know?

Well, it seems mouse didn't tell him.

We have two comforters for the bed. One is a Spring/Summer ensemble, with coordinating sheets and towels and the other is more for Fall/Winter. Here comes the quirkiness. When mouse pulled out the comforter in the Spring and packed away the Winter one, she noticed how shabby it had become. It was stained in one area (fruit juice thanks to the kids) and torn a little. The sheets too were looking faded and tired. It should be noted each bedding ensemble has two sets of sheets.

The intent wss to replace it. Just mouse never got around io it, as Springtime faded into Summer, the priory shifted. We went to the lake and mouse really forgot all about it. Since mouse usually makes the switch when the weather becomes cooler, in early October, Omega just said to forget it for now and we'll worry about next spring. The sheets were ironed in the beginning, but then mouse just didn't see the point. Omega didn't bother the housekeeper he hired to clean once a week while mouse was away to do it.

Next week, mouse will be switching the bedding, so this week became more about prep. The sheets that were on the bed weren't laundered, just switched with the clean spring set, and tossed out. But the other sheets that have been put away for half a year, must be cleaned, folded and ironed.

So what did leave off the list?

The ironing of the other sheets.

He had to fiddle and juggle mouse's schedule a little, because it takes time. But it's done and they look and smell great! Yes, today mouse is very tired but next week will be better! Having that part done also helps mouse to find the joy in next week!

 

Zero Hour

And now we embark on the happiest day of the year! Summer is over and school begins today! Around the neighborhood a collective sigh is heard. No more having to back out slowly (ok we do that anyway), but less concern about kids running around creating mischief and bored. No more listening to the endless baseball hoops and balls hitting the side of houses or becoming lost in our backyard. No more kids running barefooted and hunting for garden snakes (they're probably relieved too). No more bicycles left sideways on the driveway.

You can hear the excitement from parents everywhere. All the supplies happily purchased while the kids lagged behind. In dressing rooms children lamenting -- no more -- please...and the favorite, "can't we just go?!" in just a coupe hours, kiddo will be walking down the road to the bus stop to wait with the other kids -- gosh, mouse cannot wait! Yay! Of course, kiddo's all sullen and even asked why mouse was soooooo happy. Giggling and humming....

How can they understand it's like Christmas for us...a wonderful gift. All the boring stuff we've been putting off all summer can finally be accomplished! There isn't someone calling the moment mouse settles for a moment of peace asking where something is, or asking as they stare into the fridge and lament there's nothing to eat....or ask what's for dinner before mouse is finished loading the dishwasher.

Ahhhhhhh...how lovely!

 

Old Mother Hubbard...

While Daddy was away, mouse decided it was time to really go through the cabinets.  It was a nice, distracting process and kiddo assisted by standing on a chair and grabbing things mouse couldn't reach.  

Now, this was a process started before Passover, when it was necessary to rid out our home of any Chametz for the holiday.  Looking at the cupboards tho, mouse noticed there were other things, not forbidden that really needed to be gone through.  Unopened bottles of hot sauces, jars of something, canned goods no one eats...

So mouse began the process of removing the stuff, all the stuff, and checking "Best By" dates.  Shamefully 90% of the cabinet was junk.  Too old to even go to a food bank.  Deplorable!   The lower (snack) cabinets the kids have were no better in fact they were a good deal worse because mouse won't even begin to try to describe what she found lurking there.  

Now, our dietary needs have changed also since we've been together.  Daddy hates anything pretty much that comes in a package, so those packaged or convenience rice packages and couscous just languished on the shelves.   Rice, breads, starches and other grains have long since vanished from our diets because of the havoc they cause Daddy and his blood sugars.  He's really not afraid of a protein salad.  

When he returned home he found (shockingly) several cabinets completely empty of food.  He actually didn't like that but when mouse explained it to him, he said he understood.  No baby food either anymore...baby girl has been off that for a while, and she hates the other stuff like it for toddlers...she wants our food or nothing. 

Our refrigerator is full of food, we have a fruit bowl filled with fruit.  Lots of vegetables too..and cheese because Daddy can't live without cheese.   

There is one cabinet, that does contain bread, peanut butter, chips and crackers...But those are mostly for the kids to munch on.  Baby girl's favorite lunch is PB&J with half a banana and raisins.  We used to keep the dog treats in there...but we had move them -- sure you can guess why.  

Ironing

It's not something people like to do, and truthfully it's not something mouse ever enjoyed. Yet now, it's a metaphors for life, the act of smoothing the wrinkles. Making something look crisp or pretty. Now, before anyone emails Daddy suggesting mouse needs a serious intervention...Irs really not a Stepford Wife thing or why mouse finds enjoyable. It's more about clean corners and crisp lines that appeal so to mouse. And just so you know, not everything is ironed. Most things are hung up as soon as the dryer is finished or folded and put away. But there are some things that routinely no matter how quickly she pulls from the dryer they're already wrinkled. Sheets come to mind -- for some reason they always wrinkle at the cuffed part at the top. The sides and corners do as well, but mouse doesn't care much about that.

So mouse irons them. Not the whole sheet, just the cuff parts and pillowcases. Yes, it's cheating. But it requires mouse to remain mindful of her task. Maybe that's what's so appealing? The act of focus is practiced and observed in the task.

Regardless of why it's something mouse actually enjoys.

Laundry, overall, just isn't. Need to figure out a way to feel joyful while doing that...baby steps, mouse...baby steps.

Random Weirdness

When mouse watches a movie, or television show that shows someone cleaning it inspires mouse to clean or dig into corners and organize things. Now, it must show the right type of cleaning. Hoarder shows just don't count, nor do those "my home is a disaster please clean it for me and get rid of my crap" shows don't count. Some decorating shows can inspire mouse to clean or move things. Even reading a book can inspire mouse to clean.

After being still with all this, mouse has arrived at the conclusion that the more the home shown resembles in some ways her own home, the deeper the need or desire! Recently, after watching the film The Long Walk Home, mouse went on a complete cleaning spree -- which had nothig to do with rhe plot really at all. It's something when mouse remarked about to Daddy, he in turn gave mouse a quizzical look.

For some reason the exchange made mouse feel a bit defensive, which possibly has much more to do about her childhood than anything else. Rambling and rehashing the reasons to him, and waiting for the little light of recognition to wash over him. When he failed to see the connection, which was evident to mouse, again she relayed it to him. Mystified Daddy patiently listened, then curtly replied that he heard her the first two times. It seemed meaningless to him.

As if to really make Daddy understsnd, mouse tried something different using a cooking show as inspiration to try a new dish. Nothing.

Watching hockey or football doesn't make him want to run out and play or spend money on cleats or ice skates. So mouse supposes that it would seem off beat to him. The only thing watching golf on tv inspires him to do is run to the pro shop.

Yet it's times like these, mouse feels very simple.