In Which I Begin To Gag...

I am still fighting this cold but have successfully thwarted the massive frontal assault on my lungs.  Nothing is getting past my throat, thank you very much!!  This is due to the overwhelming amount of coughing that is going on.  I fall asleep with a cough drop in my mouth...it's rather disgusting actually.  But enough about me and my illness (Which Madeline caught on Saturday and has stayed home today and will be staying home tomorrow as well).

So because I have been coughing like a lunatic who is trying to put out a forest fire single handedly, I have developed quite the sensitive gag reflex.  What does one do when you haven't done laundry in 2 weeks and need something completely mindless to watch?  Well I just happened to stumble upon a great little show.  Perhaps you may have heard of it....Hoarders.  I kid you not, I folded laundry to Season 1 of Hoarders all day and night long.  I have done at least 10 loads today and have about 3 more that need to be washed.  I think that might be some kind of record for me.  Lets just say that seeing the filth that other people live in made me get uber motivated to get the laundry washed, dried, folded and put away.  I didn't even wait for the kids....I am gettin it done!  Nothing like seeing a mom and dad lose their kids because their home is so filled with crap.  During the sorting process, I must admit that I gagged quite a few times just smelling some of my children's dirty clothes.  And our dog kept coming in the laundry room.  I had this strange urge to dip him in Clorox....and then I gagged a little more.  One side benefit of all this gagging in the copious amounts of water that I have been drinking to quell the gag that on more than one occasion could have produced actual vomit.  Was it the rotting pumpkin episode or the 76 dead cats episode?  I don't know, but it was hard for me to make dinner tonight just thinking about it.  

To make matters worse, or better all depending on how you look at it, Patrick and I told the kids that we would decorate the tree tonight.  He brought down all the decorations from the attic (what a neat invention!  This is the first house that I have lived in with an attic and it's quite cool).  While he was stringing the lights, I decided to go through all the boxes quickly.  Low and behold, because I have been so engrossed in Hoarders, began to purge with reckless abandon.  Lights that didn't work?  Tossed them.  Decorations and ribbon that didn't match my color theme?  Tossed them.  Then I happened upon a box that had our stockings, a motherload of little fake ivy vines in it, and various bows in all the wrong colors.  Well as fate would have it, it smelled like cat piss!  Gagging and purging go hand in hand on this one!  I yelled for a glass of water.  I got rid of 2 totes of Christmas stuff and then washed my hands 3 times....gross!!!!  I guess I was inspired to make new stockings out of a cable knit blanket that was on clearance for $4.  

Tomorrow, I am tackling the refrigerator to season 2.  If any of you need motivation to clean....I have found the holy grail of cleaning energy....Hoarders.  Enjoy!!