Here's the thing.

You know what really turns my crank? A quick "room-to-room," as it's called in the Cooke house.

It's only Wednesday and we've already had a very busy week. We busted out a whole lot of school on Monday, had a meeting and school yesterday and were out of the house for about five hours today. It just adds up to a lot of coming and going with little organization. Tomorrow we have plans to meet up with friends for yet another "thing" and the thought of trying to get ourselves out of the house in the shadow it was in was making me a little stressed. We are a fairly organized bunch, so when the house starts to crumble my brain starts to get seriously jumbled up. I don't know whether I'm coming or going. So tonight when Andrew called, I said, "I need help if I'm going to get through the rest of the week." So he ran an errand or two and once he was in the door, we got cracking. Mommy gives orders, Daddy keeps the kids moving and we clean the entire house in about an hour. Knowing that we'll all be able to wake up to a clean house motivates us like crazy and there is nothing better than knowing that I can get out the door easily and come home to a peaceful place. There is nothing worse than a busy day that ends with frustration over a messy house. Tomorrow we'll be able to arrive home and plop the kids into their napping spots without tripping on anything, and that already feels nice. The kids' clothes are laid out, the laundry is caught up, the dishes are done, the counters are clear, the floors are clean and my head is once again in order. I don't need it clean all the time. Heaven knows it's a cluttered mess much of the time. But when life gets busy, I can't function very well if my sanctuary isn't waiting for me. I'm a bit of a homebody, and going out makes me so tired and overwhelmed. I love walking in the door, taking off my shoes and just breathing a huge "it's so nice to be home" sigh. But it's not so nice to come home to more work. Am I right? Of course I am.

Now.  I have a cozy bed waiting for me to curl up with a book and get snoozy.