Confession:

I sometimes leave my floors unswept intentionally.

I don't have a dog, but I do have a baby and this baby can sometimes double as a vacuum.

I know if I leave something on the floor long enough it will eventually get picked back up.

I make sure to leave only edible, non-spoiling items on the floor.

Those crackers, I think, are from Wednesday.

The floors were mopped Monday... of last month... or the month before that.

I see it as my way of building up her immune system, just as mother did for me. Except my mom wasn't feeding me off of the floor, it more like food items where the expiration date had conveniently been smudged out. And I would hear things like, "Oh, expiration dates are more of a guideline. The milk might say it expired two weeks ago, but really it's good for at least another week."

To this day, I refuse to eat anything within a day of its expiration date.

I've been scarred for life...

just as my daughter will be from eating food off the floor.

And so the vicious cycle continues.

. . . . .