Spring Cleaning...with a Toddler

The Other Half has friends coming for the weekend, I have a friend over for lunch early next week and our letting agency wants to do a routine inspection later on next week. So I decided it was a good time for a Spring Clean. However, any housework takes double the time when my Little Monster is around. She also has a rather frustrating habit of making a mess wherever I've just finished tidying.

I began yesterday with the Little Monster's bedroom, by far the most disorganised room in the flat. I cleared toys, washed windows, hoovered the carpet and removed all items that didn't belong in there, such as a small collection of the Other Half's socks. I organised her doll's house and her mini kitchen and her finger puppet theatre. I stepped back to admire my work for a moment before going to have a sit down. A loud noise from the bedroom. I nervously returned to find the Little Monster sat giggling on her bed, looking down on the carpet where she had just emptied her picnic basket and shopping basket. I gave up and had a cup of tea.

Today has been slightly better. I managed to get the laundry, washing up and drying up done while she played happily her in her now messy bedroom. I had to resort to putting a DVD on so that I could clean the kitchen and I am very grateful that she sat quietly to watch it. After finishing the kitchen, I paused to read Little Monster a book so that she didn't feel ignored. Then I washed the windows, changed the bedsheets and swept the floors. Now it's mid afternoon and I just have to hoover the living room rug and my bedroom carpet and tidy the living room. Cleaning the bathroom has to wait until after Little Monster's bedtime as it will involve climbing into the bath in order to reach all the tiles. On moving in, I immediately loved those tiles. Lovely irregular sand coloured stone. I thought the little cracks and crevices gave it a nice textured look, made it look homely. I now utterly despise them. They are the most difficult surface I have ever had to keep clean and seem to be dirty again within hours of being scrubbed.

I'm pleased with my productive day. I'm hardly a domestic goddess so it's nice to see the flat tidy for once. I know its unlikely even to last until the Other Half's friends arrive on Saturday but hopefully it'll only need a little tidy up at that point. Now I'm going to have a bagel and a cup of tea before finishing off the big clean.