Time to Clean up Our Hotel

With Marshall's wedding, our house was filled with family. Now, before I write anything about the family visit, I want you to know I love every one of our children and grandchildren. Life is interesting when you go from two fuddy duddy adults living in a big house to eight grandchildren and their parents living in a big house. Do houses really shrink or is it our imagination playing tricks on us? Suddenly it seemed as if the square footage of our house had decreased in size.

At times, it seemed as if the carpet had disappeared in the family room and was now decorated with every toy, book, puzzle and DVD that we own. Did our children do that when they were younger?! Didn't they take out one toy at a time and then put it away to play with another toy? I observe a lot being a grandma obviously because I have "so-o-o much more time on my hands". When I think of the past, I remember now that there were legos, GI Joe guys, Star Wars guys, Barbies, play kitchen utensils and food, and many other play things strewn all over the carpet and into many a room in the house.

I thought my house was baby proof, but Jocie and Blake proved me wrong on that one. They found things that I didn't even remember owning. This is proof that today's generation is much more intelligent than the previous generations.

All the family has been gone since Monday and I am still cleaning rooms. Little Maren lost her glasses so I have been pulling apart my house room by room. I have found bobby pins (Kaylin, was it you?), cars (Blake?), Legos (Hayes or Braydon?), pieces of Dora sets (Jocie or Gabi?), Wimpy Kids books (Hayes?), and 9 different bottles of shampoo (Emma?). Sorry Maren, no glasses.

About the 9 bottles of shampoo (not your usual hotel size bottle)--there were 19 people in the house at one time or another. That's two heads per bottle of shampoo. I felt like we were doing some kind of survey for shampoo companies--which one cleans better, which one conditions better, and which one smells the best. As to which one smells the best--it is not the watermelon children's shampoo with conditioner. Somehow, the bottle of this watermelon shampoo got knocked over and had dripped all over the tub and floor. You would be amazed how I found it. I STEPPED IN IT!! And why did it have to be the watermelon scented shampoo? My children know I cannot stand the smell of fruity things. Let me give you some insight on how you clean up a shampoo mess. Be sure you have given yourself at least a half hour to get all the soap off the floor. Your washcloth will get soapier and soapier and the scent gets stronger and stronger. So, if you are going to keep shampoo for children in your house, make sure it is a scent that you like because you will be smelling it forever!!

Whenever you check out of a hotel, be sure to look under all of the beds. You may think there is nothing there; but, surprise, you will find toys, water bottle lids, candy wrappers, and yes even bobby pins. I know you will find these items--they were found in Hotel Petersen along with puzzle pieces, game pieces, crayons and pens. You don't want to leave these things behind.

I have also learned in the past few weeks why they hire younger women to clean up hotel rooms. They move faster and can get the job done in one day. This hotel owner has taken almost a week and I am still not finished. Yes, older people move slower--I know this for a fact as I am one of those slow moving older people.

We had a great time being together and the noise and disastrous messes were ignored. The important things were spending time with each other and having fun and lots of laughter.