Spring Cleaning

There's something about this time of year that gives me the itch to get all the winter clutter and filth removed from my home.  I think it has something to do with being cooped up in the house for so long.  The junk shoved into every nook and cranny of the house starts to drive me crazy after a while.  I can only take it for so long.  The melting snow seems like nature is cleaning up after a long, hard winter and I should too.

But the thought of all that painstaking work makes me want to cry!  There's nothing like the feel and smell of a clean house, but thinking about what it takes to get to that point is almost more than I can bear.  I wish I could afford to hire someone to come in here and do it all for me.  I would be relaxing in a hot tub or receiving a massage while this transpired.  But I'm so picky; I would come home and be dissatisfied that the dishes aren't stacked exactly how I like them or that the baby's toys aren't in the proper baskets.  So I'm better off to just suck it up and get it done myself.

To help fend off the overwhelming feeling of taking it all on at once, I like to break it down and focus on one thing at a time.  I don't have an entire day (or twelve days) to devote to Spring Cleaning the house so I have to do a little bit at a time.  For example, as I was putting away the groceries today, I realized I couldn't stuff one more thing into the snack cupboard.  So I took everything out, wiped it down, and refilled it.  I threw away so many empty packages and stray cookies that somehow escaped the box.  And, you might not believe me, but I found NINETEEN cups of applesauce in there!  Big Sis likes to take it to lunch every day so I buy a package of six every week at the store.  But I didn't consider that she buys her lunch about once a week, we've had tons of snow days lately, and she sometimes takes an orange or grapes in place of applesauce.  So cleaning out and organizing helped me realize that I don't need to buy applesauce for a very long time.  Anyway, to get back on track, it only took about five minutes to clean out that single cupboard.  I can handle that.  Maybe after lunch I'll give myself another small task.

I've always envied Samantha from Bewitched.  I don't care what my mortal husband would have said, I totally would have snapped my fingers or twitched my nose every day to clean up the messes my four kids made.  But she only had Tabitha, and she knew Mr. Tate stopped over like every day, so I guess she was able to keep her house cleaner than I do.  (Actually, didn't she end up having a little boy toward the end of the show?  If so, I don't remember his name.)  But if I really could snap my fingers and have all my chores done, here are the top ten things I would allow my magic to handle:
1.  Big Sis' Closet
She has more clothes than anyone else in the house, seeing as she was my first daughter after two boys.  OK, I tend to go overboard when it comes to stylizing her!  But only about 2/3 of the stuff in her closet actually fits.  I need to go through it and pack up everything she's outgrown for poor Baby Girl who gets stuck with the hand-me-downs.  I am totally dreading this chore!
2.  The Refrigerator
I am the queen of filling little Tupperware containers with leftover food that never gets eaten.  I am also so guilty of allowing fruits, vegetables, and deli meat to rot to an unidentifiable state before throwing it away.  My fridge is in bad need of a good cleaning!
3.  The Garage
I don't actually feel like this is my area, seeing as how I have a husband and two sons.  But it needs done nonetheless.
4.  The Corners and Crevices of My Bedroom
When I clean, my bedroom usually comes last.  No one really sees it and I concentrate on the lower story first.  I try to keep my room somewhat clean; I make my bed every day.  But I rarely get those cruddy areas behind the door, under the bed, and between the dressers and wall.  I have wood floors so all the dust just sits there, staring at me.  I wish I could take all the furniture out of my room and give it a good scrubbing.
5.  The Basement
If any of you saw my basement, I would die of humiliation.  I'm scared to death that we will need a repairman to make an emergency visit and I won't be able to get the basement cleaned out in time.  I need to find that one really good friend who is willing to come clean my basement at the moment she hears of my tragic, unexpected death.  I would do it for you...any takers?
6.  The Unmatched Socks Basket
Don't we all have one?  With 12 feet running around this house, we have a lot of socks!  It seems like we only have one half of a hundred different pair.  I'm tempted to throw them all away and buy everyone fifty pairs of all the same sock.  (But I'm way too cheap for that!)
7.  The Bathtub
I don't really mind cleaning the bathroom but I hate cleaning the bathtub.  It's that chore I save 'til the very end.  I hate bathing in a dirty tub and I wish someone would clean it out every time one of the six people in my house uses it!
8.  The Dishes
Normally, I keep my dishes caught up.  But today they're piled up halfway to heaven.  So right now, I wish I could snap my fingers and have them all clean and stacked nicely in the cupboards.  You might ask, "Why are you sitting here blogging when you're dishes are so behind?"  That was an awfully rude question for you to ask and no, I don't have an answer!
9.  The Walls
Wiping down the walls is not something I do often.  But I love the feel and smell of my house when it's been done.  Lemon-scented Pine Sol is the best for that!  Or purple Fabuloso!  Yeah, I wish I could use my magic for that one.
10.  The Thrift Store Pile
I make all these piles of things to take to the thrift store, I usually even box them up, and then I never drop them off.  I really don't know why I have a mental block about this one.  It would be so easy to throw them in the trunk and drop them off next time we're out running errands!  Since this is so easily done, I should aim to accomplish this before the week's end.

What is your Number One Most Dreaded Spring Cleaning Chore???