Household drudgery

I vacuumed our stove today.

(I'll pause here, so you can reread that, and move through your disbelief)

It seemed like a good solution to the problem of scores of little broken ramen noodles littering the cook top. And it worked. You see, my oldest son decided to make ramen for himself and his brother for lunch yesterday. I'm glad that he's gaining confidence and independence in the kitchen, but he doesn't quite know how to open the package without spilling all over yet. The stove has these two shallow depressions, each holding two burners, and it's kind of difficult to get particles out using a dishrag or sponge. Usually I just grit my teeth, and maybe growl a bit, and get a little frustrated before it's all over. Or sometimes I just wait for my husband to clean the stove. OK, most of the time, I wait for my husband to clean the stove, but I was going to have to wait until at least Tuesday for that, and I believe I may have mentioned before that I have a severe aversion to clutter (and in my sometimes twisted brain, crumbs from the toaster and broken ramen noodles on the stove qualify as clutter).

If only all of my household cleaning tasks could be accomplished by vacuum. I like the vacuum. It requires very little effort on my part (except, of course, cleaning up all the toys and tupperware and toothbrushes and other things that get transported from where they belong to carpeted areas), and you can see and hear the results: see that the area you vacuumed is now cleaner, and hear little particles banging on their way up. Vacuuming also has a defined beginning and end, as opposed to some other household chores that I could mention that are never-ending.

As I was vacuuming our stove, I thought to myself, "why did I never think of this before? This is brilliant." Don't you think so?