I felt like I had an inordinate amount of chores one morning last week. It probably wasn’t that much, but I was pulled away from the house one evening and in that short amount of time, things stacked up. I’m talking about those tasks that I’m hyper vigilant over, ones which I have determined have to be done on a schedule each day or during the week, like dishes and laundry.

I ended up running around after my husband got home from work on my clothes washing day and I didn’t get a chance to fold the laundry before he needed to go to bed. During these winter months I don’t get the laundry done in one day because half of it is hanging up to dry. But there is that other half that goes through the dryer and sits on my bed until evening when I settle in to fold it.

On my way out the door for a second (or was it third?) time that night, I had my youngest move the laundry from my bed and put it on the couch so my husband could go to bed as soon as we got back. She had homework or I would’ve told her to fold it. There it sat for me to handle in the morning. It was so unlike me. I hate waking up to a messy kitchen much less to a couch full of clean clothes.

I have to admit that the kitchen was a mess because I was spoiled by my husband doing the dishes all through Christmas break and I hadn’t gotten back into my normal groove of keeping it up. I was just about on top of it, when I got distracted by life that evening.

So the next day, I decided to deal with the kitchen first while I thawed ingredients for a crockpot in the microwave (multi-tasking). Only after I got the kitchen in a better state did I let myself sit down and write. Then I had 18 minutes and 53 seconds to finish my blog until the meat was ready for the chili I was making and I was able to load up the crockpot. As a wife and mother who works from home, it’s those mundane tasks that keep the house running like clockwork.

That night, while brushing my teeth, I used the remainder of the dental floss in the cartridge. Rest assured, however, I had more dental floss, because like my other routine duties, everything is accomplished a certain way. Each day during the week has a task, as well as every hour of every weekday. Replacing dental floss was no exception.

Then it occurred to me how much I do that probably seems invisible to my family. I started imagining myself on my death bed, my husband by my side. I indicate him to come closer as I have poignant words to impart, “Buy the smaller packages of dental floss, 10 for $10, it’s cheaper than the big cartridges.”

Then as I begin to gasp my last breath, I start awake again, “Oh, and make sure you keep the filter in the dishwasher clean and the rinse aid dispenser filled.”

Deep, rattling breath, “Wash the compost bucket once in awhile – with soap.”

“Don’t eat green potatoes, or at least peel the green skins off first.”

One last huge ragged exhale, “The passwords are…..”

Gretchen Leigh is a stay-at-home mom who lives in Covington. You can read more of her writing and her blog on her website livingwithgleigh.com, on Facebook at “Living with Gleigh.”or follow her on Twitter @livewithgleigh. Her column is available every week at maplevalleyreporter.com under the Life section.