Knock, Knock....Housekeeping!

Once upon a time, a long long time ago... okay, okay... the summer of 1999 (yikes! 14 years ago!) I worked in our nation's first national park, Yellowstone.  It was nothing as exciting as being a park ranger but rather I was there to clean rooms at Old Faithful Inn as part of a summer project with Campus Crusade for Christ (now Cru.)  It was a summer that impacted my life in various ways and apparently is still bearing fruit in other areas still today.

You see, one becomes very familiar with the details and rigors of housekeeping when work is done in one of the busiest hotels in the nation over the summer months.  While I was not the fastest room cleaner in the est I found an appreciation for those who do it day in and day out for years on end.  Not just for the summer, you see.  The solitary work about drove me mad and so management had mercy on me and when they could they moved me into a position of picking up buffalo poop grounds keeping and cleaning public spaces.  I was thankful to be around more people and I LOVED that job.  No, really.

Today I find myself nearing the end of a two month stay at a hotel.  I am always reminded that it is well worth knowing the names of the people around you.  Especially in the service arena.  I'm pretty sure I know everyone who works here from management, to housekeeping, to food service.  They work hard.

However, I will say that our relationships with those in housekeeping are by far the most significant.  We see them just about everyday.  My kids run down the halls in little-girl-screeching-delight when they see Mrs I and Mrs E, the women who run the housekeeping department.  The day that I told Mrs. I  that I had worked in housekeeping for a time she was surprised and asked all sorts of questions.  We talked about the hard work of it all and the difference in how things work here versus what I experienced.  It seemed like that sealed our relationship.  Well, that and the fact that my girls easily endear themselves to almost anyone. HA!  We have had conversations about family, life, church, and other things. We have made great friends here and while we are excited to go home we are sad to leave the people that we have met here.

My girls have this notion that the housekeeping crew will just come home with us.  Yes, I wish.  HA!  We'll take food service with us as well.  My girls even pretend clean after housekeeping leaves and when we come back to the room they do the famous "knock, knock! Housekeeping!" at the the door and then burst into quiet giggles.  If anything it has been a social education for my girls and I think they are doing fabulously.

Fourteen years ago I wondered how on earth my being a housekeeper would have any sort of impact or be of any sort of significance.  I merely thought it was a vehicle to do ministry at that time.  Nope, apparently there would be another reason that would not be fully realized until 14 years later.  I wonder what that summer still has in store for me?

Looking Back: May

Why does the beginning of May seem like forever ago?  Wow.  At the beginning of May I had hoped to add some additional goals to the making of the bed, Scripture reading, etc.  I am glad I didn't commit to it because I would be feeling the pressure of not achieving those things right now.  I think I had enough foresight into what was coming my way to maybe hold off.  I did, however, commit to the Homemaker's Challenge from Joyful Mothering in correspondence with the book 31 Days to Clean.  About half way through the month that went right out the window.  I am okay with that and will probably resume this at some point as I thought that the heart challenges were good for me.  The task challenges we good and I have heard through the rumor mill that there are a new set of task challenges.  As I return to that I will probably blog more about it here.

As mentioned in a previous post I have a hard time recovering from trips.  We had a whim of a trip mid-May to San Diego.  Then about a week or so later we were on our way to Colorado deep in the San Juan Mountains.  We will be heading to Denver soon to celebrate with family a major milestone (will share about that later) and I think that will be all for travelling for a time.  I hope to recover before then but we will see.

Unfortunately, as of late, my bed making and Scripture reading have been...well...lacking.  I need to adjust back to a normal schedule and muster up motivation.  It's a challenge but I need to get there.  I guess, in a sense, those are my goals for this month.

Looking Back

Weeks two and three of my "Good Habits" journey has been pretty successful.  I have more motivation as little things are accomplished along the way.  My husband has seen a difference and that means a lot.

As with the best of intentions it seems like something always gets in the way.  At the beginning of week three we were ALL sick.  Husband's ick only lasted for about a day.  The girls have been on and off all week and seem to be on the up and up.  Miss A has a funky nose but that's about it.  I am a bit better but am still in the thick of it... go figure.  But again, we press on.  We rest more than usual but that's okay.  I still get the itch to do this or that.  I push through.

Shock of all shocks... I enjoy making the bed every morning.  It makes me feel like I am hitting the ground running and it influences my thoughts on the rest of the day.

I have been getting a shower almost every day - about six out of seven.  Depends on what is going on, etc.

I am reading my bible almost every day - some more than others.  I just finished reading Amos in the OT and will move on to Obadiah.  I am reading Hebrews in the NT (heavy stuff for the morning!) and then I usually flip back to the Psalms to finish it all up.  I may find an actual plan to follow and maybe a study to work through to help focus what I am reading.  This has helped my patience with the girls.  Although, one day I found myself snapping at Miss L right off one morning and had to apologize to her and get myself straight.

Laundry is great with a a load or two each day depending on what day it is and what I am washing.  Husband commented to me after telling him that I would be doing "whites" the next day, "Well, I am not running low on those right now."  I told him, "I hope you don't, that's the point."  It would seem like I would let things get too low.  It's nice that every thing is clean when we need it.  I even have it all put away.  Little people clothes are still my greatest challenge in putting clothes away.

Dishes.  It's like a game.  I set a timer and crank it out.  I don't always beat the timer but it's fun to try sometimes.  I like that I am not overwhelmed by dishes at night or in the morning.  Just. Get. It. Done.  YAY!

I am thinking about what to add for next month.  I have a couple of ideas but need to think on it more.  You might think I was nesting with all the organizing I have been doing of different areas.  I was never like this when I was pregnant.  Ever.

Perspective

When I put Miss A down for the night yesterday evening I braced myself for a long night of little lungs coughing.  I braced myself for 26 inches of baby softness not being able to find comfort or rest.  I waited.

She coughed.  But she was able to rest as.  I was able to rest.  Three of the four people in this family are sick.  I pray Husband stays well.

At 3:00 this morning I heard happy babbles coming across the monitor.  It's 3:00 AM.  Please go back to sleep.  I would generally just leave her and she would eventually go back to sleep.  However, because she has been sick I go to make sure that all is well.  I manage my way to her room in the dark.  She sees me through the crib and smiles.  I pick her up only to discover that she is wet!  She has somehow managed to pee out the back of her diaper which isn't all that wet to begin with.

I had been questioning whether I should have purchased the extra pair of pajamas for the next size up.  Last night made it worth the purchase even if they are a little big.  I clean her up.  I clean up the bed sufficiently until I can get the rest in the wash in the morning (the mattress pad, etc).

Sleep returns.

Upon further observation this morning the wee one may have thrown up during the night.  But she slept.  How weird is that?  Not a sound to be made until 3:00 AM.

As I laid there this morning trying to go back to sleep I was glad that Miss A was granted rest for most of the night.  I was thankful for a wet baby and a mess once rather than not being able to give her little frame rest from the coughing and stuffy nose.

Then I thought, laughingly,

I am thankful for one less bed to change on Friday.  It's already done.

Making Beds

Unlike most kids I know today or even when I was growing up I was not required to make my bed.  Was it an only child thing?  Maybe.  I'm not sure.  My dad made his bed every morning (most likely a product of being in the military) and so did my aunt that lived with us most of my growing up years.  But me?  Not so much.  I had a water bed most of my growing up years and the only requirement was that it would remain covered so the heat would not readily escape.

I am not sure that I REALLY knew how to make a bed until I took a job as a maid room attendant in a popular national park after my sophomore year in college.  That's when I learned about hospital corners, became a little fanatical about how a bed should be made, among other things that came with that job.  You would think that I would be in the habit of making my bed after that summer.

No.

Not so much.

I once read that your bed take up about 1/3 of your room.  If you just make your bed you have already cleaned 1/3 of your room and that can really make a a huge difference.  Well, it's true.  The calm that it brings to our room is totally palpable.  It becomes more sanctuary rather than stress-inducing.

I am trying to work on the same habits with Miss L each day.  It is quite difficult to make her bed at this point in time because there are rails on her bed (which we are toying with taking off) to keep her from falling.  So, we make due with what we can do in folding the cover neatly at the end of the bed and arranging her menagerie of stuffed animals at the head of the bed.  She's pretty funny because she wants to be all over the bed when I am changing sheets and she wants to pull the covers off when I am folding them at the bottom.  Oh well.  We will press on.  At this point repetition makes practice and practice eventually will make perfect.

At least I will be able to teach her proper hospital corners.  Folding a fitted sheet?  Well, that's another story.