Marion and I need to work out the kinks of our routine

Today is one of two of my laundry days. Seeing how my apartment is also an absolute mess, I declared today cleaning day.

With two loads of laundry down, some playtime outside, and the dishwasher running, I decided to tackle vacuuming the rug.

I took the vacuum out of the closet and Marion lost it. Crying, pointing, yelling, etc. So I told her, "It's a vacuum, Marion. It's OK." and proceeded to vacuum the rug, wondering what her reaction said about my housekeeping skills.

Marion's meltdown continued. I moved her toys off the rug but if I came within two feet of any of her belongings she would cry out. "Baboo!" (stuffed dog) "My yellows!" (crayons) "My seal!!!" (stuffed seal)

Finally I finished 3/4 of the rug and turned to go around a chair to get the other side of the rug. Apparently I moved too quickly for my toddler because she moved backwards pretty fast, slipped on a broom she had previously played with, and took a header into the floor.

Uh oh.

The hysterical crying started as soon as she picked her head up off of the floor. I immediately envisioned blood everywhere. Luckily (?) I saw only a bruise the size of a five franc piece on her cheek. I calmed her down to get rid of the hysterical crying and then, like any good mother, grabbed my camera to capture the moment.

The only thing that soothed her after that was to sit down on some pillows with her Baboo and seal and watch some Little Mermaid.

Here's a good shot of her shiner.

Now I have to figure out how I'm going to clean this place without her losing her stuff.