I have been hunkered down lately in my little Swedish house, getting my life back together.   It’s only taken about four years, but what can I say?  I’m lazy.

My cleaning schedule has really helped me to feel centered.  The days have a purpose, and that purpose is “Not Letting My Toddler Wade Around in Filth”.  Here is a sample of my day:

Empty Trash

Give Toddler Vitamin D

Take my own vitamins

Refill cats’ water bowls

Wipe off bathroom sinks

Wipe down toilets

Clean Kitchen sink

Clear and wipe kitchen counters

Load/Run/Empty dishwasher

Make coffee

Something about dinner

Clean litter

Do laundry

Sweep stairs

Sweep entire house

Feed Cats (morning/evening/snacks)

Then there are special tasks, like watering our 39 plants –

And even more special tasks like vacuuming, changing towels, washing floor mats, cleaning underneath the kitchen sink, cleaning toilets, cleaning refrigerator, wiping down various appliances and the changing table, cleaning showers, sweeping porches, and on and on and on.

It can take three to four hours of cleaning every day to maintain the house at a basic and presentable level.  There are three humans and three cats – and only one cleaner among them.  Luckily, my husband has taken over litter duty.  He also takes care of the furnace, lifts heavy things, and does the majority of the yard work.  I’m still stuck with maintaining our two gardens – two of which I don’t want.

It sucks all my free time up.  If I get it all done early in the day, I can study in the afternoon or evening.  I am still in the process of rearranging my schedule to fit everything that I want in.

In other news, we bought a house and are relocating to the city.  It’s a whole 28 kilometers south, but we are still on the coast.  At first, I had mixed feelings about it, as I had just started getting used to the tempo of life in my little house. But as time passes, I am feeling more positive.