She's a cleaner

I love to clean. I love the smell of a clean home (yes, there is a smell- OPRAH! Arg!). I love being in a clean home. Cleanliness is something I really appreciate in a person. My car is always clean and tidy on the inside. (The outside, however, is another story since we don't get free Mike's Express car washes from Jackson's cousin anymore. Bummer. I cannot stand to spend $10 for a car wash! gag!) Anyway, cleaning is just something I do. I am guilty of cleaning up after myself when we go to a friend's house for dinner. I never knew this was a crime, but people are really horrified when I try to help with dishes. Weird. Jackson normally just says, "Let her do it. She's a cleaner!" My mother-in-law has grown accustom to my cleaning up after meals at her house and just lets me go. I appreciate that. My mom has been used to that for years. I swear the only reason she cried when I went to college was because she'd have to unload and load the dishwasher herself. Ha! :)

I know it is kind of weird to like to clean so much. In fact, my mom asked me the other day how I got the cleaning bug because she really does not have it. I told her that I remember vividly being 5 years old and having all of my toys put in trash bags because they were not put away. I begged for my toys back on the condition that they'd never be left out again. She agreed and here I am today a clean freak. Note: this same tactic did NOT work on my sister. I cannot explain that one.

I write all of this about cleaning because that is what I am doing today. I really like to clean when I'm upset or anxious. Jackson used to joke that he made me mad every 2 weeks just so he'd never have to clean the bathroom. (He did admit the other day that he hasn't cleaned a bathroom since we've been married. I almost gagged. How unfair! And come to think of it he does make me mad about every 2 weeks...what a scam!) Jackson is at his big interview so I am feeling rather anxious. That just means our master bathroom is now spotless. I changed the sheets a day early (yes, I do have a sheet schedule, leave it alone). I have even cleaned some of MacKenzie's toys that have gotten all slobbery. I've vacuumed. I've cleaned the kitchen. You name it. I'm going to try to study now, but that feels much less productive! Ugh.

So share with me, blog readers, what do you do when you're upset or anxious to calm your nerves?