There's nothing like having a crawling baby to remind you of how filthy your floors really are.

Normally, I can overlook the crumbs and general grime that accumulates on our floors, and I put off vacuuming or mopping just one more day. That is, until I realize you can no longer discern the pattern of the linoleum over by the stove through the spilled sauce, ground in crumbs, and fallen onion skins. It is at this desperate point that I pull out the bucket and mop and work through weeks of neglect. I am not an enthusiastic housekeeper.

But, with a baby that crawls I attempt to clean a little more often. Although I should probably vacuum every day, I do manage to haul it around a few times a week. Even with this extra attention, the baby still manages to find that wrapper that was pushed under the couch, or Polly's miniscule purse that was under the carpet. I have to rescue her several times a day, pulling out all kinds of objects from between her clenched teeth. Once I came back from the bus stop and noticed that she was chewing on something. Despite her howls of rage, I managed to fish out a .... tiny woodchip. Where she had picked it up? I don't know. All I know is that she had been chewing it for the last 15 minutes as we had walked to the bus stop, waited, and came home. I shudder to think of what she actually manages to swallow in the course of a day that I don't know about.

Yesterday we were sitting at the table eating dinner and I noticed that the knees on K's outfit were a nice brown color from her travels through the house. I got a great idea-- why not put all that crawling around to good use? Put the baby to work! I think I may strap on some swiffer cloths, and let her loose on the hardwood. At the end of the day I can remove them and throw them in the trash, and not pick up my mop for at least another day!