Town Cryer

"The Landlord is coming! The Landlord is coming!" said our town cryer. (That would be me.)

So what does this mean? Well it means that they are making their annual inspection of the inside and outside of our home, and everyone else on their list. I figure that our house has to be pretty good compared to some, but there is something about someone passing judgement on my house and my homemaking abilities that gets me running and all out of breath.

We have spot cleaned the carpet. We have put everything in its rightful place. The lawns have been meticulously mowed (Now when I say meticulously I REALLY mean a quick run through by Isaiah). Basically, instead of a Spring cleaning we are having a Fall cleaning. Too bad it doesn't last til Spring though. *sigh*

I figured that we can get the house in ship shape, but then things have to resume to normal working order today. (You see they have all day to JUST show up, don't you love that?) We have meals to fix, laundry to do, and school work to accomplish. So the landlord will just have to see the house lived in as well. Five boys and myself on both levels of the house will be difficult to avoid. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe it will distract him from the little things I fear he is judging us on.

I am trying to think what is the worst thing that could happen. Could he give me a scolding? Slap my wrists for the boys' closet not being neat enough? (Nevermind River's he is such a perfectionist.) In fact, maybe I could lock the landlord in River's tidy little space and convince him that everyone elses room is just as particular. I think that may get me in a wee bit of trouble, so instead I will let him rummage the grounds and do what he has to do. I just don't know if he will be opening cupboards or what, and not knowing what to expect is the most difficult aspect for me. I want to come away with a gold star, or a brownie point, SOMETHING.......

Anyway, it won't matter how clean my house is if I don't get dressed. I have been so busy getting things in order that I just realized that I am still in Den's pajama bottoms, a tank top that it is giving sneak peeks of my pregnant belly when I am standing upright, my hair is sticking up, and my face needs washed. Somehow I think THAT may be his lasting impression of me if I don't hurry and clean up MY act. So wish me luck!

Sidenote: It was on the news today that a rental company (I'm sure it's ours) was doing their annual inspections of their homes yesterday, when they ran across two dead bodies. It was a murder/suicide in THIS neighborhood. YIKES! I can't imagine how the person who found the bodies must have felt. *Shudder to think* However, it certainly puts things in perspective as I am cleaning my house. I just keep saying, "How sad, what could have been so bad for someone to have done that?" Welp, at least they will be pleased to find that we are all amongst the living when they arrive at our little abode today. Can't beat that, right?