Housecleaning

Even though we live in a 1.5 bedroom apartment in New York, there is still a lot of housework to do. Especially with a cat. I vacuum everyday. I dust everyday. Buildings here are old and get dirty fast. I don't know why that necessarily explains the need to clean everyday, but I am finding myself in this pregnancy bending down a lot picking up stuff off the floor. And now I've decided to literally scrub my floors. So on my knees I go. On NYC sidewalks, shoes pick up a lot of disgusting debris. Imagine walking around your floors with those shoes. As much as I insist, there are still way too many times shoes are worn inside. I'm guilty of it too. Then when I am barefoot in the house, at bedtime I notice the bottoms of my and my daughter's feet are completely dirty. I take a wet washcloth and wash our feet before we touch the beds. In the morning, I start frustratingly scrubbing, vacuuming and dusting. It's a never-ending cycle of cleaning and getting dirty.  Where does the pregnant belly come into play? Well, the bending over, picking things up off the floor, knee positions don't bode well with the sack that is attached to my stomach. I wonder what the baby must be thinking? I know at least I am burning calories. But the amazing thing to me is that my apartment never really looks that clean. I better remind myself to empty out the vacuum sack because it's got to be filled to the brim with cat hair by now. The floors need to be mopped everyday. I feel like I live in Costa Rica. There it is imperative to mop the floors daily because of the steady stream of dirt coming through the screened windows, the heat, and heavy foot traffic, plus insects. But in America I have to mop everyday? My budget won't allow for a housekeeper or cleaning person, either. I am not complaining that I have to do it myself. I've always cleaned, for the most part. I am simply astounded at how much of my time I spend doing it and how much harder it is to do it with a five month protrusion of a pregnant belly in the constant way.