Skip to main content

Finding Joy in Cleaning

It was time to clean the family minivan. My hands were sticking to everything I touched, including the steering wheel. So I made up a new rule today. When I clean the van, I get to keep what I find. This has been true for laundry for a few years. However, I rarely find anything I really want and I (nearly) always return money and ruined Chapstick.

Here's the breakdown of the exciting prizes I won today:
  • 6 pencils
  • 4 pens
  • 2 used straws
  • a block
  • five shoes (none of them matched)
  • multiple hair accessories
  • 2 used suckers (which I had to pry from the seat and carpet)
  • a candy bar (I thought about eating that one)
  • weeds that were being saved as a "flower" collection
  • my ever elusive scout folder
  • multiple Happy Meal toys
  • 64 cents
And the grand prize. . .

Wait for it. . .

My very own rub-on "tramp stamp!"

*Applications are being taken now for the next scheduled van cleaning in 2010.

Comments

  1. Lisa Page RosenbergJuly 3, 2009 at 3:33 PM

    That glorious tattoo sure beats my cheerio/goldfish cracker/melty raisin/dog hair wad.

    ReplyDelete
  2. wendyJuly 3, 2009 at 8:45 PM

    What a wonderfully validating post! :)

    Happy Fourth!

    ReplyDelete
  3. KimberlyJuly 4, 2009 at 7:41 AM

    I cleaned out my car last week but I will tell you, my prizes were not as wonderful as your tattoo! I also remember having a van and boy things can disappear in one of those things and not return for years!

    ReplyDelete
  4. The MomJuly 5, 2009 at 7:30 AM

    I can't tell you how much I hate a messy vehicle, I also can't tell you hoe much I hate to clean out my vehicle. So where does that leave me.... yelling at the kids to clean out the messy vehicle.
    At least you got something cool out of it!

    ReplyDelete
  5. KathrynJuly 5, 2009 at 11:12 AM

    I think the stuck on suckers are the best find!
    My kids have to clean the van, and we have the same rule for them. They get to keep what they find. Their ability to pick the van clean is amazing! They've also found some real prizes, but they would be very jealous of finding a tattoo!

    ReplyDelete
  6. JarinJuly 5, 2009 at 8:23 PM

    You should have left the tattoo on! Give the neighbors something to talk about. :)
    Jensenites--

    ReplyDelete
  7. Booklover1212July 5, 2009 at 8:51 PM

    Nothing is worse than 3-day old sippy cups with milk! Ewwww!!! Loved your posting! Hopping on by on this lovely Sunday evening!

    ~ Jennifer
    http://thetoyboxyears.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  8. OctamomJuly 6, 2009 at 4:12 AM

    Whoa, Baby! You hit the jackpot today!

    One of my favorite finds was a complete cheeseburger lurking under a van seat--no mold, no mess, just perfectly preserved and intact--terrifying, actually....

    Blessings!

    ReplyDelete
  9. FoursonsJuly 6, 2009 at 6:21 PM

    Love this! The last time I cleaned out my van there was a spiderweb that touched every single seat in the van. And it's a 7 passenger van. That spider was set up with all the drink, food, and mold growing down there!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Most Dreaded Words

 Everybody knows that Christmas is about keeping the Santa Secret and pleasing your children. Therefore, the most dreaded words are uttered on Christmas Eve. "I changed my mind, I want a [pony, scooter, bike, Red Rider BB gun]" A close second place winner is, "Can I have a New Year's Eve party?" Then, "Me, too?"
Post a Comment
Read more

Too Sick to be Sick

I am sick.  Really and truly sick.  I even took a sick day and felt no guilt whatsoever that maybe I wasn't sick enough to have a "sick day."  Because I am.  My 5 year old was sick, too so I took him to the doctor.  I refuse to acknowledge that I'm sick because I don't get sick.  So with absolute glee, my little boy climbed up onto the table, stuck out his tongue and conversed with the doctor.  I heard something about cloudy ears and antibiotics and then I just turned it off. It hurts when sound reaches my eardrums. We drove back home, I turned on the television, brought in the dog, and let the babysitting begin.  I crawled back into bed and swam somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness.  The kids came home from school.  I might have acknowledged them.  I made chicken noodle soup from scratch.  I couldn't even think.  My husband caught me in a sway and asked what he could do.  I grunted some terse instructi...
6 comments
Read more

What We Eat

Check out the good looking crew.  Just to clarify.  I'm the pretty one. There's a little mountain resort in Northern Utah that is invaded every July by this group of people. We are an intimidating bunch. 5 years ago my brother brought his Nepalese bride to the United States.  She lived in a country where she had no expectation to ever drive a car.  She bought her food daily from the market and ate it.  She taught English, although her accent was so strong when she arrived I questioned her grasp of the language.  We tried to be friendly and accepting.  We ended up scaring the daylights out of her. She thought we were crazy.  Her words, not mine. Although I think she tolerated me a little better than the others because I had the brand new fair-haired baby that she continued to steal.  She wanted a blond haired, blue eyed baby and wondered what her chances were now that she married an American. We take turns cooking for the family dinners. ...
6 comments
Read more