Expectant mothers do it. About the time labor ensues, a new mother may find herself scrubbing the baseboards with a toothbrush and a bottle of bleach. Or washing and rewashing the baby's clothes. It's called "nesting" and it's a telltale sign that labor is near. I did it with both of my kids.
Military spouses go through something similar when a reunion is imminent. The house must be immaculate. Everything on the "TO DO" list must be done. All home improvement projects must be accomplished. The baseboards must be scrubbed with a bleach solution.
Why, you ask?
It's not like MacGyver will even think to look at the
baseboards. Heck, I don't even know if he knows we HAVE baseboards. Keep
in mind, we moved into the house we currently live in less than 3 weeks
before he deployed. He caught a glimpse of it during the 15 days he was
home for R&R but that was 9 months ago. I doubt he remembers what
color the walls were, let alone what the baseboards looked like.
Nor is he truly going to care. He WILL care about how much the kids
have grown and whether there is beer in the fridge and possibly what I
am wearing. But the baseboards...? Not so much.
BUT I CARE. And they will be scrubbed. And the carpet will be steam
cleaned. And the windows will all be cleaned - inside and out. And the
kitchen and bathroom floors will be scrubbed and waxed.
TWICE.
The appliances will all be spotless. The car will have been detailed.
The garage floor will be swept and there might even be a CAR parked in
it. Though I doubt that because MacGyver has already been told that the
garage is where he will unload and unpack (and wash) all of his gear
that he brings home. My living room has been free of all things Army
for 15 months. I plan to keep it that way thankyouverymuch.
The yard will be tidy. All bags for donation will be taken to the
Thrift Shop and donated. All pictures will be hung (again, we moved
into the house 3 weeks before he left. I never got around to wrapping
up the decorating until now). There will be nary a dust bunny in sight.
The TV screen will not have fingerprints on it nor will the fridge. Or
the sliding mirrored doors on the kids' closet.
And the list goes on and on. The nesting has already begun. Part of
that is due to the upcoming visit of the in-laws. But a large part of
that is due to the fact that I can finally see the light at the end of
this long deployment tunnel and I'm pretty sure it's not an
on-coming train.
What are your "reunion nesting" habits?
