The Great Clean-up 2008

Something about Spring makes most people want to clean, I guess. It's so nice when you can finally throw open the windows and let fresh air in. I got the May issue of Martha Stewart Living yesterday, and it was all about color and rearranging your rooms for the Spring/Summer season. In the spirit of that, we'll be moving Elaine into Lucy's room this weekend. Into a big girl bed. We're still keeping the crib up for a little while in her current room so we can see how it goes.

When we put Lucy in a big girl bed for the first time (she was the same age Elaine is now), we set her in it (she couldn't climb up on it herself), she laid down and said, "I go night-night now," and that was it. Up until last year, I would hear her call every morning, "Mom? Can I get out of my bed now?" Somehow we're not expecting a repeat of this experience with this one, fondly known as Pistol-Packin' Polly.

So I've been cleaning out Lucy's room to prepare for another little person. I went through all the books on the bookshelf yesterday to box up ones we never read (I got two large boxes full). We need room for more advanced books for Lucy and all of Elaine's favorites (that currently reside on the floor of the guestroom).

When I saw my dad this week, I called him up to the guestroom and said, "How hard will it be to remove this wallpaper?" "Terrible," he said. "I'll do it. Just let me know when to come over." (I had a conversation with some friends last night about what exactly I'll bring to the table when my kids are grown up since my parents do all this stuff for me now!)

We're not the only ones cleaning. Over the winter, some squirrels decided that the soffits underneath our eaves would make them a wonderful condo. We've spent months being woken by them scrabbling around in there. Last weekend, Darren and his dad gave them their eviction notice. Darren boarded up the opening where they were getting in. Somehow...they didn't take it very well.

I wanted them dealt with completely humanely and painlessly, but hello. That varmint is chewing up my roof. Let's see...I'm holding my mortgage and home equity in one hand and this pesky squirrel in another. Sorry, St. Francis. His time is drawing nigh.

Lastly, Elaine herself is in a cleaning mood. The other day she came in my room and gave me a handful of wet jewelry. "I wash it for you, Mom!" she said happily. I have a tendency when I take off my jewelry to leave it on the windowsill in the bathroom. I guess she's gotten tired of just washing her hands and My Little Pony's hair and moved on to a necklace and some earrings. I made a mental note to stop leaving jewelry on the windowsill. I guess it's a hard habit to break because the other evening I came into the bathroom as she was washing at the sink (she was about to take a bath. It's very important to wash our hands first.) I happened to glance into the sink and saw my wedding ring circling the drain.

I'll be back soon with all sorts of "before" pictures of the girls' rooms. Then I'll take some "during" ones and (hopefully soon) "after" ones. I know you just can't wait...