Multitasking Is Another Word For ADD....

This weekend was Thanksgiving, and like most people who love to cook, I was really looking forward to some serious kitchen time. Kitchen time presents only one real problem for me, though. It's called Suggestive Cleaning Syndrome.



Suggestive Cleaning Syndrome is a sickness that crops up in the Fall when the first big family holiday meal rolls around. It is compounded by the lowering rays of the sun, the unusually long time that you spend in the kitchen, and the impending visits of female relatives.
Suddenly, as you begin cooking, the floor looks dirtier, the cupboards have smudges, and you remember that you haven't bought a real tablecloth yet to replace the one that got trashed last year....
As you prep the turkey, and bake pumpkins, you begin wiping things you never intended to wipe.  Passing by the fridge to get cranberries out, you detour to the laundry room to start some more wash, just to have clean sheets on your bed....just in case that female relative actually went to check the sheets...

SCS can turn an hour of dinner prep into a morning of Fall cleaning a pioneer woman would be proud of....and it can steal your sanity. I have found myself cleaning under the sink when I should be sitting down to enjoy pie with family after dinner. Or with three projects on the go when I should be visiting with my husband...

My friend blogged about taking it easy and PLANNING how to dial down the holidays.
I took her advice and dialed down my inner ADD cleaner...
This year, we ate turkey before the weekend.
We used a tablecloth that was stained.
I put most of the second Thanksgiving dinner on timer and in crockpots.
I bought pumpkin pies at Costco. And whipping cream in cans.
And most importantly, I PLANNED my cleaning day to happen after the holiday weekend.
When I knew that there were leftovers to eat in between purging and organizing and cleaning.

I enjoyed my weekend.....the pie, the turkey, and the dirty cupboards...my family...

SO.....in the pirit of passing on a helpful cleaning tip each month, I will pass this one on: You pick the task, don't let the task pick you! If the little voice in your head is telling you that you really need to get something done, ask it why: and wait for the answer......social pressure? personal standards? OCD? Put them all down if they will interfere with a chance to sit and eat and chat with those that you love...who knows, maybe this year someone will be thankful that they came first in your life before a meal or a chore!!
We will always have dirt, but we will not always have our family members around like we do on the holidays...

My family is keeping me going today...what is keeping you going?