When school was cancelled for a snow day this Spring (argh!), the first thing I did was jump to the list of Rookie Mom challenges and see if there were any I could complete while home with the boy all day long. There was a perfect one: Challenge# 29, Refresh your bedroom.
I took Weston to our bedroom (to picture this challenge appropriately, you need to realize that we all share one room) and fashioned a playpen on the bed for him, using pillows, his Boppy pillow, and many, many toys. He sat there for approximately five seconds. In those five seconds I assessed the situation. I tend to pile clothing on my jewelry box, my dresser, and the floor. I needed to find a way to make these hot-spots less hot and more clean.
Weston quickly decided he would have none of this “playing on his own” thing, so I moved him to the crib with his little piano and mirror, and I sang out loud to him while cleaning. Just as I got most of the clothing put away, he decided he was officially done and wanted to be held. While holding him with my right arm, I used my left to haul things all over the house. Books to the living room, towels to the linen closet, baby gear to his room.
Mama Needs a Break!
By the time that was done I was sure my arm was going to fall off. I decided a break was due (and I was starving), so we went to make lunch. He was beyond tired at this point, so we sat, watched some Kardashians, and had a bottle (him, not me). Finally he fell asleep, I transferred him to the crib…and I got more done in the twenty minutes that he napped than the two hours of previous cleaning! I moved my feet faster than I knew they could go (but quietly!), and managed to get all of the clothes away, the floor swept, moved my jewelry box to the corner of the room (no more piles on that!). The room was looking really good! He awoke just as I was about to make the bed, but like the sweetheart he is, just lay in his crib watching his mobile. As I propped the last pillow on the bed he started to fuss, so I picked him up, and like all the baby dolls I’ve ever owned, propped him on the middle of the bed, like a little king.
The Verdict (I Think I Can, I Think I Can!)
I realized a few things while embarking on the challenge. First off, it is possible to clean a room (and well!) with a baby in the house. However, it takes you about ten times as long to do it, and a lot more mental energy. Furthermore, I realized that while I think I am efficient with my morning routine, there’s no way I can be as efficient as I want to be with a messy room. However, the best part of the challenge didn’t come until late that night. Weston was getting sleepy, so I took him up to our bed to watch some television and have a bottle; when I walked into the room, it felt like a hotel! I couldn’t believe how hard I had worked, or how much I accomplished. It was such a great feeling to see all my hard work paid off; mostly, it was important for me to see that I could still do it all. At least for that snow day, I did it all.
Find more baby activities with the 52 weekly rookie mom challenges.
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