While I was sleeping last night, the Mess Fairies must have raced through our house. Or maybe it was the cats chasing each other. Hard to say.

Regardless, I woke to find my sofa throw blankets strewn across the living room floor, vases knocked over, shredded newspaper throughout the kitchen, and a box of my son’s favorite toys spilled all down the staircase.

Naturally, no one else was interested in helping me pick up the mess, so I wound up spending a good 30 minutes first thing this morning trying to set the house straight.

The good news? I’m pleased to say that, chubby or not, I can still lean over and reach the floor without bending my knees.

The bad news? After repeating that, oh, five or six dozen times, I now feel like my midsection’s been caught in a vise clamp. Talk about an abdominal workout!

I may have to start paying the Mess Fairies (or the cats) to do that on a daily basis until my tummy’s finally flat again.