Manic High

Why is it that some days I can barely muster up enough energy to get myself out of bed and other days I feel as though I'm on a manic high. I remember studying manic depression in grad school and reading about people who would accomplish amazing feats while in the midst of a manic high...write books, create masterpieces of art, rearrange rooms with heavy pieces of furniture etc. Today something got in to me and I couldn't be stopped!

It started off as a typical day. I managed to get myself to the gym. My 5k turned into a run/walk, but at least it was accomplished. I can't believe how quickly I've regressed since triathlon season! Ugh. I need to find a race for this spring to get myself motivated! I returned home and got Baileigh on the bus, complete with her money for school pictures and looking presentable...who knows what she looked like by picture time. I took Mckenna to school and actually remembered her hat and gloves since they seem to play outside almost every day and she always tells me she was cold. Of course today they didn't go outside.

I returned home and became a possessed woman. I had planned on trying to get the kitchen mopped during Brooke's nap. The following occurred in the next 3 hours. I did 3 loads of laundry. Folded. Put away. I mopped. I mopped about 2500 square feet. I put away the fall decorations. Got out the boxes of Christmas decorations for later. I loaded up 10 garbage bags for Goodwill with hand me downs that I sorted about a month ago. I stripped 2 beds. Remade the beds. Washed the sheets. Folded and put away. Unloaded the dishwasher. Loaded dishwasher with dishes in the sink. Vacuumed. Cleaned 3 bathrooms...sinks and counters, toilets, sprayed down the shower, scrubbed a tub. Threw out old bath toys. Washed dog pillow covers. Cleaned up the toy room. Found 2 old sippy cups. Threw out chunky milk sippy cups.

Mckenna was dropped off by our carpool and began coloring while I finished the upstairs mopping. Brooke never napped but I made her stay in her room since I was a possessed cleaning machine...I think she was cussing at me in baby speak. Baileigh came home as I was putting the house back together. The girls had a snack while I finished my projects and then crafts began. In attempts for a perfect "10" in terms of housekeeping and mothering in one day we had craft night. First we made Pilgrim Hat cookies. They were easy to make...only frustration was that the yellow buckle didn't show up great with the decorating gel I used...I recommend frosting instead.

Brooke approved of our cookies!
Our next craft was caramel apples. Not only were we doing crafts...but potentially messy crafts! And I just mopped! Usually after I mop I don't even want to eat our next meal at home. In fact, I want to stay away from the house as long as possible so that my clean house can stay clean just a little longer! But, still in my manic state, we crafted without incident.
The girls were in bed by 8:00. I was able to come downstairs and find a clean house. No dishes waiting on me. No clothes in the washer or dryer, or even in their hampers for that matter! Floors are clean. No dog hair to be seen. Rugs are vacuumed. Yankee candle aroma filling the air. Life is good. I knew that if I ever stopped today for any amount of time I would never continue. Now that I have finally sat down to brag about my productive day I know for a fact that I would have never continued on my rampage if I had taken a break! So now, it's finally time to get out of my gym clothes and take a shower!

Maybe I was motivated by the fact that tomorrow I get the entire day off! Brad is on a plane as I type and tomorrow I'm getting a haircut and then heading for a day of shopping with some girls and dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, and maybe a movie. Which means that Brad will be home with the girls all day...I better enjoy my clean house now because I'm doubting it will look like this by tomorrow night.