Do you know how much you can accomplish when you get up at 5 in the morning? I didn't, and had no intention on ever finding out until this morning, when, having gone to bed at 8pm instead of her usual "somewhere in the wee hours" my little sweetpea awoke after nine solid hours of sleep and declared herself open for business. I on the other hand, had, true to form, stayed up until past midnight reading -of all things - a book on infant sleep - and was in no mood to have my slumber disturbed for at LEAST another 3 hours.
Alas, it was not to be and after 45 futile minutes spent trying to convince the princess that yes, she really was still sleepy, I caved and rolled bleary eyed into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the infant overlord, now busy squeezing out poos on the potty. Charming. Daddy meanwhile, slept on. Seriously, how do men do it? I have yet to decide if they simply do not hear the wailing infant 6cm away from their ear or if they blithely choose to ignore it, confident that mammy will take care of everything allowing them to sink back into sweet, sweet slumber. I am afraid to think too closely on this one for fear of my reaction. I do still need him to pay the bills after all...
Anyhoo... Poos done and breakfast eaten - hers, not mine - my little angel proceeded to pull herself to standing by the bookcase and happily set about emptying every shelf within her reach. Meanwhile, mama on the other hand was feeling the ever present "nesting" instinct kicking into high gear and suddenly seeing dirt sprouting before my very eyes.
I started in the kitchen. Telling myself to keep it in check, I tried to satisfy myself with simply wiping down the counters and brushing the floor. But like the addict I've become, it wasn't enough. I needed more. I moved onto the stove, scrubbing the range and getting the bits of dirt out from under the dials and soaking the bottom of the oven in baking soda and water. From there it was a small step to putting in a fresh load of laundry (or two) and folding that which was already dry. When I noticed the dust in the fireplace, my eyes lit up with the zealousnes of the true fanatic!
At this point, I put on the kettle for a cup of tea only to realize that brushing the floor hadn't quite done the job and instead used the boiling water to mop the floors in the kitchen, sitting room, hallway and bathroom which I then vacuumed for for good measure...
By the time my partner roused himself at 830, our house had been scrubbed from top to bottom and I was a sweating wreck in the sitting room, our daughter gazing at me wearily from her perch by the (spotless) coffee table.
By 9 o'clock, the fervour had dimmed and it was back to bed for a well earned nap. By the time most people were beginning their day's work, my to do list had long been cleared!
We are moving house in a month's time. As I scan the rent ads each day, my brain is already moving ahead to the next challenge, packing up our belongings for the big move. It's like Christmas come early... I can hardly wait.
