Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Spring Cleaning

It was beautiful Tuesday! The sort of beautiful spring day that makes you think “Gosh I really ought to clean something!”

Which really? Strikes me as an odd thing to think just because the day is nice. Yet, there I was, thinking it.

I decided to clean the mini van out. It goes in to the dealership today for an oil change & whatever other maintenance is required and they vacuum out the car as part of the service.

But only if you have all your crap up off the floors first. Probably they don’t want to get in trouble for vacuuming up stuff they thought was crap but you were keeping for some reason.

And probably they don’t want to move balled up sweat socks & sticky toys to vacuum up the other stuff.

I gathered up the napkins, receipts, food wrappers and other garbage and tossed it all. And I tossed all the stuff I was keeping for some reason into a basket

This is the basket

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Let’s break it down shall we?

First there were the food related items that have been rolling and banging around the mini van for I don’t know how long but that I only thought about when I went around a corner and heard one of them whack into something.

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Then there were the socks. 12 socks to be exact, but 3 of them don’t belong to us and I can’t recall any time in the past 4 months when people other than us have been in the mini van. So it seems I have solved the mystery of where socks go when they vanish from your dryer – someone else’s mini van. Probably there is some sort of wormhole or gap in the space time continuum that sends socks from dryers to under seats in mini vans around the world. Do any of them look familiar? I’ll mail them to you

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Then there were meal toys. 2 stuffed panda bears from some fast food kid’s meal or other and 8, yes 8, plastic sharks from Glory  Days’ Shark Attack drinks, collected over the past 3 months. Glory Days is the restuarant that serves the fried fish that has been my ‘issue food’ since Christmas. I’m sort of surprised there aren’t more sharks to be honest.

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Last we have the random “Important Stuff We Have Been Looking for for Ages Now”. This includes a flashlight headlamp, a Spongebob DS game and DS wand,and a tube of hydrocortisone cream. Plus some Valentine’s Day candy and a blue marker that has Absolutely No Business being in the car

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All that is left in the car is crap that can be vacuumed, like crushed goldfish crackers, dead leaves and lots of small bits of gravel.

I made another attempt to set the clock but there was no joy. I’m going to get the dealership to look at it but it’s after market so I’m not sure they will have any luck either. However Crutchfield, which is the largest after market stereo installer in the area is right down from the dealership and I’m sure they will be able to help me because they have in the past. Odds are it’s one of theirs anyway.

13 comments:

Cheri A. said...

I have teenagers and my car still ends up looking like this.

humel said...

I'm sorry but I don't understand the first part of your post. I NEVER feel motivated to clean something....

The rest though, I can definitely relate to the rest. Oh boy. I really ought to tackle the detritus in our car. I just don't have a free week to complete the job.

Creative Junkie said...

Holy crap, I can't even GET myself to clean the inside of my car. I'm too scared to - I think there's stuff in there that can bite me.

TooManyHats said...

The 8 sharks are cracking me up for some reason. Good luck with the clock issue.

Aunt Becky said...

Bwahaha! We have so many things like that in random baskets in my house. Also, I have a whole garage filled with shit like that. Can you come and clean my garage?

Rinda said...

I set the carpool boys the task of figuring out how to reset my car clock on Tuesday . . . 3 honor roll students, and they were able to figure it out in about five minutes. When the kids were little, I had a 24 hour rule on meal toys. If they sat on the counter or my car unclaimed for 24 hours, I was able to dispose of them. I usually gave them to the kids' tutor or therapist to put in her "prize box."
Rinda

SciFi Dad said...

Nine? NINE sharks? I mean, wow.

Also, do I even want to know how so many socks get left in your van? Don't you people wear shoes?

LizzieMade said...

Ha - I love your offer to mail the lost socks! Made me laugh out loud!
What a collection from your van. It reminds me that it's time I did the same to our little car. I might ask the boys to do it, also to give it a wash. I should think J. would be glad to earn some more pocket money and it saves the trip to the car wash!

Comfy Mom said...

The socks probably are from tae kwon do. The boys take them off before class & then fail to put them back on after and then just leave them in the van.

Both kids like the Shark Attack so it's only 4 visits really....

Comfy Mom said...

i throw them out in a couple of days when I can find them. These were under seats & behind things.

JDaniel4's Mom said...

I lose socks all the time. Maybe they were in your van! Stoppin from SITS!

DawnMarch said...

That top sock in the front belongs to us, so just shoot it back through the wormhole to our dryer when you get a chance.

That last photo could have come directly from our minivan. I find DS games everywhere.

Lauren said...

*snort* i think we have the SAME car! i *heart* when i find rotting food too...yummy! xo