I'm not complaining, trust me.
Just reflecting.
Things are good.
But there is no way, I mean NO way, I will ever get done what I'd like to get done in a day.
I could.
If I really wanted to, I could put the TV on all day and trap my kids in the living room and yell at them to stay there and find something to do and go play and leave me alone.
I know people who do this. And their houses are cleaner than mine. (Their kids, of course, run rampant and display all kinds of rude behaviors.)
But that's not me.
And so I don't.
And so the list remains.
Along with dusty corners and scattered toys and the empty clean food containers that RJ throws all over the place and socks that never got folded (and probably didn't have a match anyway) and Nerf gun darts that he (thankfully) no longer tries to eat and kid cups that we can't seem to find when we're heading out the door and a single lonely towel that really shouldn't be downstairs but is deemed entirely necessary for when the baby is so messy that he gets stripped down and placed directly in the sink so that I don't have that oh shit moment with no towel and a wet naked baby who can and WILL climb out of the sink if I even step away for a split second.
And shoes.
I painted cute little chalkboard paint rectangles above each foyer hook on Roger's handmade storage unit that he made just as I asked for and assigned each of us a hook, to improve from the look we've had for the last 2 years: the "how much can this thing hold before it falls off the wall" look.
I told everyone that the hook can have ONE jacket or sweatshirt and a schoolbag and a lunchbag. I told everyone that the baskets below can have TWO pairs of shoes for each person, the rest should be in your closet in your room.
The hooks look good still, the baskets have about 47 pairs of shoes so obviously no one read the memo.... well, I take that back.... I think 38 of those pairs are mine. But who really wants to walk up the stairs 12 times to get all those shoes up? Ack.
So yes.
Things are good.
Roger scored me a second washer and dryer, which I'm loving. I still don't love laundry, but at least I can shorten the time and then hopefully muster up enough motivation to fold it all.
The family that was displaced by the fire is out of hotels and in a rental house that is close by. There are fundraisers going on several times a week and we are close to getting started on the clean up.
Have I mentioned that now that Chase is a middle-schooler, that my status has changed as well? I am now, officially, Uncool. There's not much more to say, I'm just Uncool.
I do feel some justification of all the "extra" educational stuff we focus on in this house, and the canceling of cable and the limiting of screen time and the basic environment we try to provide for our kids... Chase scored in the Advanced category in all subjects on last year's PSSA's, is pulling all A's at mid-marking period and already scored Proficient in 5th grade material in a test they give in the first few weeks to see where students' levels are at. Indy placed in the highest reading group again and scored well on her other placement tests that are not so in-depth as the higher grades. They are both proud of their achievements and the words even came out of THEIR mouths... "I guess doing the spelling and math in the summer wasn't so bad and it helped a lot Mom!"
Picture Updates
Stovetop S'Mores.
Chase went paintballing for the 1st time now that he is 10. Everything was great and fun....
.....Until he got hit... in the face and then the back of the head.
He cried. He got over it. He's planning the next time.
The dishwasher runs twice a day for 45 minutes. I wish I was the dishwasher, cuz I haven't had time to run in weeks...
That is RJ, who removed the air vent and climbed inside at Aunt Jenna's house.
This is RJ helping me with the dishes. Climb, pull, push, grab.
My new awesome accidental creation - wholewheat English muffin, toasted and topped with sliced avocado, sliced tomatoes from the garden, Swiss cheese, melted under the broiler for 30 seconds and finished with pinched Oregano (garden) and sesame seeds.
So. Delicious.
