Clean Sweep Weekend

When I look at this picture of Beau and I Friday night, I think about Clark Kent and Lois Lane.  There we are, dressed to the nines, just a few minutes before leaving for a fancy benefit reception at the casino.  Invited by our friends, Derek and Bethany, we enjoyed a night of wine tasting, delicious hors d'oeuvres, and cupcakes ala Scratch.  It's quite fun to get dressed up every now and then, go out on the town, and remember that you do indeed have an identity beyond the one that scrapes dried-up ham off the kitchen floor and bellows a frequent 'moooooo' sound simply because it makes another little person giggle. 

And while Friday night meant a pair of three-inch heels, chocolate covered strawberries, and a glass of Cabernet, Saturday was the real adventure.  Clark Kent and Lois Lane shed their fancy attire and morphed into their killer alter-egos, ready to destruct anything that stood in their way.  And when they made their way to the basement storage room Saturday morning, coffee mug and drill in hand, well, a lot stood in their way...

I spy a Cruz-guy...

I like to call Saturday morning my start to something new.  If you read my 'Ode to Betty Draper' post last week, it was obvious that my mind, body, and attitude was in major need of a clean sweep --- a complete renovation project.  And what better way to weed out life's chaos than by starting with our humble abode!  I use to be a de-clutter queen, and like to think our house was in the best shape possible the day we brought our Cruz Man home from the hospital.  My nesting practices were out of control.  Fast forward 18 months later, and I can't believe all you accumulate after having a kid!  And after a year of replacing motorized swings with anywhere chairs, bottles with sippy cups, and bumbo seats with highchairs, our poor basement storage room has taken the biggest hit of all.

And because this storage room, otherwise referred to as the 'poker room' (the multi-colored carpet and wood paneling begs for a green felt poker table and tobacco pipes), has been our go-to landing space for that-thing-you-have-no-idea-what-to-do-with, this was a logical place to start.  Our goal was functional: a place to store the TWELVE storage containers of baby stuff, a filing cabinet for important mailings and files (because the glove compartment of my car should not be a permanent home to the will we created two months ago), and a bar to hang out-of-season clothes, bridesmaid dresses I can't part with, and a graduation gown that's waiting for my doctorate ceremony or appearance on the Supreme Court.  So, Saturday morning, with garbage bags in hand and Sesame Street on the tube, we bonded in the basement around piles of clothes, wedding day memorabilia, and a didgeridoo from Australia.  

There's nothing like a day of no showering and trip to Goodwill to lead to great conversation, lots of laughs, and a much-needed day of bonding for this family of three.  When the day started, we could have listed a hundred things we'd rather be doing, but by the end of the day, we sat like pretzels in our newly organized room, sifted through old files and memories, and dreamed about what our home, our family, and our life will look like five, ten, twenty years from now.  Our very first home inspection paperwork sparked stories of kitchen remodeling, our passports sparked memories of our honeymoon to Mexico.  And as we talked, laughed, and trashed piles of things we no longer needed, I could physically, emotionally, and mentally feel the walls crumbling.  It's as if I had chiseled new space in my life and I could breathe better than I had for months.  

It was a good day for all of us.  Beau and I bonded and made plans for a garden this summer, and Cruz had the time of his life amidst the piles of clutter.  His frequent, 'ohhhhh,' when he came across something fascinating, was enough to keep our spirits up all day long.  And when we sank into our respective chairs on Saturday night, bowls of marshmallow popcorn in hand and a thunderstorm serenading us from outside, I felt renewed, energized, and motivated.  So motivated that I got up at 5 am this morning and did a half hour on the treadmill - we'll see how long this lasts ;)

Evidence of our day's progress (and some Cruz action in between)...

  
When he wasn't making us a pot of make-believe coffee or parading around the basement in a bike helmet, we was practicing his art and eating crayons.  This picture proves just how adaptive kids are... 

Making sure Dad's shelves are level...

Yep. It's good.

Cruz found a Hello, Kitty art set on our way to Goodwill.  I have absolutely no idea how this ended up in our basement...

The finished product...with room to grow, even.  We started just a little past 8 on Saturday and after just one broken glass incident, one over-sized toilet seat, and one funny (and a little scary) trip to the Waterloo Wal-Mart, we were staring at this at 5:00... 

Happy Monday!