I'm developing my own color coded chart like President Bush

I hate cleaning. I really do. Since I can't afford a housekeeper I just live with various levels of tolerance for my lack of housecleaning skills. Luckily my mother comes often enough that my house gets a deep cleaning on a fairly regular basis.

My levels of tolerance:

Mild: Blissfully ignoring the mess.

Moderate: Pick up the obvious stuff and pretend like we cleaned the house.

Severe: Deep, deep cleaning. Usually peters out before we get both floors done. In my opinion as long as one floor is clean we can live on that one and ignore the other one until the "Severe" mode passes.

Today we have a Code Red.

Jake: Why do I have to clean my desk?

Me: Because we're cleaning our house from top to bottom today.

Jake: Why?

Me: So that next weekend during the long weekend we can play out in the pool all weekend long and not have a dirty house hanging over us.

Lincoln: So we're not going to live in the house between now and then?

Me: Nope.

(A little while later Lincoln walks into the bathroom while I'm scrubbing the sink.)

Lincoln: Oh. You're cleaning cleaning today.

Me: Yes. I told you we were cleaning today.

Lincoln: I thought you meant picking-up cleaning.

Me: Nope. Now where is the toilet bowl cleaner?

It's going to be a looooonnnng day.