Cleaning House: Part 1

This week is a busy one.  I am getting ready for my MIL and nephews to visit.  They will be here for six (6) weeks, so, my mind is spinning with all that needs to be done.  Aside from the usual dusting and laundry, I have set my eyes on cleaning out my office.  My office is the "dump" room.  You know, that room where everyonemakes crafts, repairs toys, shelves books, wraps gifts, and stores all other things that have no home.  Pair that with the reminants of this morning's scissor practice and it looks like Broadway after the Yankees won the penant.

I am sharing this with you in hopes that I am not alone.  We all have our dirty "dump" room, closet, or drawer....don't we?  We all have that one place which we hope our guests never see.  We just close the area off and pretend that no one notices.

For 3 years, I have overlooked the condition of this room, whittling away at the mess whenever possible.  But, in the house of an allergic angel, this will not do!  As you probably know, allergy rule #1: The house should be clean and clutter free.  I need floors that are clear enough to sweep and desks that aren't piled too high to dust.  Rooms like my office harbor dust mites, cockroach feces and mold even though you can't see it.  This pile of papers and  unnecessary clutter is like a breeding ground for environmental allergies and it needs to be cleaned. 

So, before my dirty little secret room is revealed to my MIL (since she doesn't speak English, I am hoping she won't discover my secret here), I am cleaning up this room.  My plan is to separate the work into little jobs that take an hour or so to complete.  By devoting an hour here and an hour there to this task, I hope that the room will be cleaned by the time my guests of honor arrive.

the Plan

Hour 1:  Put teaching manipulatives into their files

Hour 2:  Store baby clothes   DONE

Hour 3:  Remove the old computer. DONE

Hour 4: Shred  DONE

Hour 5: Clean the floor.  DONE

Hour 6: Organize the angel's desk.

Hour 7:  Put away unfinished sewing projects.  DONE

Hour 8:  Sort paperwork.

Hour 9:  File papers "temporarily" stored in boxes and on shelves

Hour 10: Dust, sweep and make sure that everything is back in its place

I have 4 days.  Can I finish?

I'll keep you posted!