As a busy full time mom, wife, and part-time employee there are a lot of things I let fall through the cracks as far as house work and maintenance go. Toilets are hit regularly, because I have two sweet little boys with good hearts and bad aim. Pressure washing what was suppose to be my “outdoor oasis” on the back porch, is definitely not a part of regular cleaning.
I say “supposed to be my outdoor oasis,” because it looked nice for the first year. Then it was flooded with outdoor toys and creatively decorated by dirty, tiny hands of two anonymous artist (I think I know their identity). Toy invasion and tiny hand art are part of my daily life, but that’s a rant for another day.
We had every good intention of pressure washing it ourselves in early spring, but our sons little league games took precedence. We promised ourselves it was a chore we would complete “next weekend.” Next weekend has yet to come, so we figured we’d might as well skip this year. Deal with it next spring.
Recently, we entertained some friends for dinner. They asked if we were going to eat outside since the weather was unusually cool for an August afternoon in Georgia. I felt my face turn beet red, and I watched my DH’s face transform to shades of cherry pie. 😳 We were both picturing our grotesque back porch and patio furniture. At that moment, we realized it’s never too late in the season and neglecting too clean our porch was regrettable.
This was an experience to learn from, but the lesson may surprise you. Our priorities have changed. We have two little league stars, an abundance of birthday parties, and routine play dates on top of necessary chores (laundry, meals and household sanitation if not cleaning). Life experiences for and with our children take priority over any household chore. We simply cannot accomplish every chore while continuing to consistently invest time in our family. We needed to give ourselves some grace and make a choice. Household maintenance is going to be a low priority, or we’ve got to sub out some duties. Exterior cleaning is actually one of the least expensive task to let a pro handle. One fee, one time a year. Our budget can squeeze that in.
J. Martin & Co. did a beautiful job on revitalizing our outdoor oasis. Reminisce of dirty, little hands are gone. Pollen residue has been washed away. My furniture, posts and curtains are free from dust and grime. Hallelujah!
My spark has been lit, and I’m fired up to finish out my vision for our great outdoor oasis and to share it with our guest. We were foolish not to have done this in the spring, but we’ve still got the entire fall season to enjoy it.
As I said in a previous post, as adults, we have to know when it’s time to cut the check. Sometimes the task is too demanding (cleaning your own windows from ladders), and sometimes the task just isn’t worth the lost time. Fortunately, pressure washing and window cleaning are affordable chores you can take a pass on.