Yesterday I was enjoying my first real day ‘back’ as the kids went off to school, leaving me with just Sophie and Jude, and I had NO WHERE TO GO. I truly love those days, no place I have to be, no errands, no appointments. So there I was, chillin’ in my ‘yoga suit’ (which is just a nice term for ‘sweats’) and my fuzzy socks, puttering around the house working on a few projects. I figured, I have no where I have to be, I’ll get some stuff done around here! So I stripped some beds, pulled the girls clothes out of their closet and dresser and decided to get the spring stuff in their drawers and the winter stuff put up in storage. Shortly thereafter Isabelle got home from school and I got sidetracked: kids need lunch, make lunch. Kids make mess, mom is still trying to complete projects. Mess is growing by the minute. But I’m not worried. I figure I have until 6:30 when hubs gets home to get it all together, right? Then came the phone call that went something like this:
“Hello… Stefanie? This is Caldwell Banker and we have someone who would like to see your house today at 5:00. Would that be alright?” It was 2:15. I managed some barely intelligible consent to said showing, all the while trying to figure how in the WORLD I was going to get my house even presentable, much less lookin’ good? I surveyed the house and my initial suspicions were realized and then some. The house was tee-rashed. Living room: covered in balls, miscellaneous kitchen items, empty juice cups. Kitchen: noodle dishes still in sink, dishwasher full, counters strewn with ‘stuff’ from our trip and random things- you- can’t- throw- away- but- don’t- know- what- to- do- with, pringles and cinnamon roll cereal crushed on the floor. Bedrooms: floors covered with bedding, sheets still in the washer, beds… well, naked. Kids: happy… they were trashing the house. Sophie was still in her jammies and Jude desperately needed a nap. And last but not least, myself: in serious need of a shower, hair unwashed and wadded in a bun, clothes unfit for public wear. It wasn’t a pretty sight.
I must confess, I have a whole different set of standards for friends who might come over for dinner or to visit and for a stranger who is coming over to peer into the deep recesses of my home. I mean, I know what I look at when I go visit houses… in closets, in attics, in bathroom cabinets. And I don’t like to see anything I might label “yucky”. So when someone is coming over to my house to have a look-see, I get after it. My friends are a bit more forgiving 🙂 I’ve realized, if my husband is sick of me sitting around not getting the housework done, all he has to do is pretend someone is coming over to look at the house and within 3 hours, the house will be clean, top to bottom. Obviously, I’m not letting him in on that, though 😉 Somehow, I managed to get the toilets scrubbed, carpets vacuumed, beds made, kids dressed, counters cleaned and polished, sink scoured, floors swept, wastebaskets emptied and furniture dusted. I basically did my entire week of chores in a 3 hour span. It wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty darn good. Needless to say, I’m taking today OFF. Now, if I could just figure out a way to keep it this way… 😉
Wow, I can not fathom showing the house on a GOOD day with ALL THOSE KIDDOS! LOL You are a major Wonder Woman! I’d say you can take the rest of the WEEK off. Oh except if you get another call from Coldwell…
Whew! I am tired & stressed just reading about your day. I have new tile being laid today & probably tomorrow, too. I hate the chaos this brings, and I can’t wait until it’s finished so I can put my life, I mean my KITCHEN back in order.
funny! hope they buy the house!!!
I was laughing and feeling stressed all at the same time while reading this post;-)! Glad you pulled it off…not that I had a doubt you wouldn’t! Hope your house sells quickly so you won’t have to go through too many more of these days.
~Tami
So glad to have you back Stefanie! Your post had me stressed alright! I could just invision myself motoring through like a wild machine for those 3 hours. I am sure you never sat once during that time! Welcome back….you were so missed!
Sounds like a day in the life here…we stayed home over spring break, and by noon on day one, my house was, well, you can imagine…I took pictures! Thanks for sharing real life!
I’m glad someone else has counters cluttered with can’t-throw-it-away-but-don’t-know-what-to-do-with-it stuff. That makes me feel better! 🙂
I had to laugh while reading this post. This is my LIFE. The days when I just want to sit around in my jammies and let the house be messy for once… it’s always the day somebody wants to pop over for lunch, or better yet, I have an UNINVITED guest!!!! I can’t imagine somebody wanting to look at your house!!! You must have been exhausted. But I bet it was wonderful to wake up to this morning!! 🙂
Rebecca
After all that hard work I hope you got an offer!
Our house has been on the market for tooooo looooong! I totally feel your pain!
Michelle
Hi Stefanie,
Ironically, when we were selling our house (Coldwell Banker as well), I was sick with the flu but, had managed to get the kids (3 at that time)in the bath as I sat on the bathroom counter to watch them bathe. Mind you, I was the one who desperately needed the bath, more of a full scale decontamination really. The house was trashed, piles of dirty laundry E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E. Then the dreaded phone call. However, the agent was standing outside our door WITH the prospective buyers who were just on a “drive-by”. I peered at them from the upstairs bath, hiding behind the shades. I explained the situation, they got as far as peering through the windows of the house and they soon left, never to be heard from again. Oh, the joys of selling! Good luck to you. By the way, have you tried the St. Josephs statue & prayer for good luck?
Amy
Luggage still out from your trip, sheets off the bed, cereal crushed in the floor, needing to shower… that’s the no-fail trick to getting a showing. I hope they buy it! I can’t imagine how I would keep mine “ready to show” clean with just two kids.
UGH!! Isn’t this ALWAYS the way??!! Things like this happen to me ALL. THE. TIME.!! In fact, I’ve come to realize a “relaxing day” means trouble! lol!
Kudos to you for pulling it off!! I hope you got an offer after all that trouble! 🙂
Well, maybe this will be the one who wants the house! When we sold our last house, the realtor called unexpectedly wanting to show the house within 30 min. I frantically called my best friend and neighbor and she came running over, baby on hip, washed my dishes while I scrubbed toilets, and VOILA! The house sold! 😉
I totally can relate to your day, Stefanie. TOTALLY. Today we ran out of gas and everybody in the car was, of course, barefoot and in their p.j.’s. LOVELY!
I’m impressed you did what you did in such a short time! I bet you were like a hurricane…would’ve LOVED to seen that on video! 😉
I am so glad that you got everything you NEEDED to get done!!!!
it really bites to have a clean house!!! I just super cleaned mine for my home study and I was SO SO over it!!!!!
where are you planing on moving??? Oh and did the people like your house????
The exact same thing happened to me, just add in there brestfeeding a baby and the family was just 10 minutes away. I panicked and told the realtor what was going on and she showed it anyways. Of course I was completely mortified and did not want to even show face. However, God used that experience to teach me that he is in control, I am not, and the people that saw my house that day, Bought it! Totally God!
Best wishes on getting it sold and looking for a new one. I admire how easily you seem to transition through each move.
I can soooooo understand that panic feeling! But I’m always amazed at what I can actually do in a short period of time! I think I work best under pressure! Hope you can relax some today!
oh how I hate having my house on the market. I feel like I have to always be on guard…
I tired just reading about your day. I hope today is less stressful!
How did the showing go? Each time that we have showed our house it seemed to sell on the day I was most unprepared LOL Maybe you will get a call with an offer : )
LOL!! I just laughed out loud, girl! Anytime I “think” no one’s coming over and I pull one like that.. SOMEBODY Comes a’knockin!!
Isn’t it amazing how fast we can clean the WHOLE house in that length of time..?? ..I bet you slept good that night!!
;0)
You are too funny!!!! Thankfully, God gave you a sense of humor with those good looks too!!! I think I do my best house work when I am under pressure. I am sure it looked great! Did it sell? I sure hope so, after that award winning house cleaning job!
I hope you are enjoying your much deserved day off!!
Blessings,
Diana
Good job, Stefanie (and I hope you don’t have to that again anytime soon)! I feel like that is my life all the time. I have just 5 and the house can get trashed in a couple of hours and it takes forever to get it back to a livable state (especially when they have no motivation to have it neat and tidy..like you said, they were happy trashing it. It’s the one thing I dislike about motherhood….way too much cleaning for me…it’s constant and there are so many other fun things I’d rather be doing. My friend and I are ridiculous, but when we are really, really bored and dreading chores, we time ourselves…we call it “Housework Olympics” and it sounds like you got a gold metal yesterday! I can fold a load of laundry in 3 minutes and she can empty her dishwasher in the same amount of time. Somehow whipping it out makes it a more interesting challenge. Do you suppose we need to get a life???
Ok, that’s just wrong…the realtor obviously isn’t a parent of little ones. They had BETTER buy the house.
Times like these, you think, “Ok, Jesus, you can come back right about now!” :o) I hope you had a lovely day off in your spotless house!
I have BEEN THERE DONE THAT!
It is AMAZING what we can do under stress, isn’t it?!?
Also- I always took any laundry from the hampers and put them in baskets in the back of my van!!!
My kids each had jobs and when we got the “showing” calls- they jumped right in and got to their duty stations!
Not sure Jude, Sophie and Isabelle are old enough to be a TON of help, but it can’t hurt to TRY!!
Prayerfully you will have an offer soon, find the house that FITS wherever it is you are heading to next and it will all be over soon!
May the Lord give you much favor and raise up friends for you wherever you are going both for you, hubby AND kiddos! He is good!
YOU are amazing!! Hopefully, that will be the “one” that ends up buying it! There’s not much worse than living in a house you are trying to sell and have kiddos that want to leave trails! IMHO, the only way to ‘keep it that way’ would be move NOW! 🙂
Hope it sells quickly!!