Too much of a good thing?

I spent way too much time on the computer yesterday. So much in fact that when I finally shut it down and walked away, B.B. turned it back on and said, "Mommy, you haffa' work on dis new 'puter." Whoops! In my (very weak) defense, I was trying to update my favorites list and feeds and email addresses that were all lost in the Great Crash of April '07. I'm getting the hang of Windows vista. In the end I think I'll really like it. If only I can figure out how to set up my Windows Mail (the follow up to Outlook Express). I'm getting there. (I also managed to give both the boys their pre-wedding trip hair cuts which isn't an easy task and totally deserved the Pride & Prejudice with Custard cup evening I took...after loading the dish washer and folding every towel we own...so it wasn't a wasted day after all).

In the meantime, I must enforce a self imposed grounding. Since this weekend is Did's wedding and our trip south, the house must be cleaned. MUST. When I was a kid I always thought QM was a little nutty for demanding the house be spotless before we left for a trip. Why? No one would be there. No company would be dropping by? What was the big deal? Now I get it.

I do not want to come home exhausted with a built in pile of laundry to a dirty house. I want to know that the day after the trip all I have to do is restock the pantry...not scrub the bathrooms, strip the beds, mop the floors, and pick up an avalanche of toys. And while I'm at it, what if something should happen (God forbid) that would demand someone come into my house? No, it really must be clean. Then it will only be left to Husband to keep it that way. With only BabyGirl to wrangle, I'm sure he'll handle it. He always does.

So here's my list of stuff to get done today...before I'm allowed to get back on this "new 'puter" or crash in front of Pride & Prejudice with my half a pint of Custard Cup again: Dishes (including pots and pans that don't fit in the washer), Pancakes for breakfast, Salisbury Steak with mashed potatoes and trimmings for lunch, those dishes washed, bathrooms scrubbed, kitchen floor swept and mopped, living room and bedrooms vacuumed, kids beds stripped and sheets washed and remade. After that we'll see where we are.

That will leave me Wednesday to finish up and begin the laundry and Thursday to pack. I can do this.

Side note: My UK Sarah, I haven't been avoiding you. For some reason I cannot get onto your blog. It's still there, but my computer is having issues with it. I'm trying to work out the bug...until then I hope all is well in your corner of the world.

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Edited at 1:30 pm:

This grounding has turned into an abysmal failure. I did get the pots and pans washed and two beds stripped and washed, but then Husband got up and threw a wrench in my well laid plans. I needed milk so he suggested a trip to town to get that and dog food...what could I say? I couldn't just let him brave the wilds of Wal-Mart alone. No, I had to get a babysitter (or 3) and assist him.

I must say, one of my babysitters (Uncle E's kids) said the coolest thing when we came back after the kids. "We're making them a tent! If you want to leave them here and come back later, that would be cool." What?! Leave my kids longer than necessary? Never! OK, seriously, we hot tailed it out the door without our progeny. It was nice...

Now I have to get my cleaning mojo back. I think I left it at Wal-Mart...ugh.