a new day

A clean slate, a new day....a new day at our house means: the living room is a mess....all the fun from the evening before, is here to deal with. We don't have a family room or a play room, so this is the room we spend our time in.....so, the cuddly blankets, a towel over the fan, the two loads of laundry someone took out of the dryer when I was gone the other day all over the couch, and toys.....trucks, matchbox cars, dollhouse stuff, dollies, a jumprope.....I like to vacuum everyday, too. Good thing. I'd hate to see what it'd look like in here if I let it accumulate for more than one day. Then the kitchen: Joseph swept after dinner last night....then, Molly really wanted to make some brownies....and then, Mariel made some banana bread....so, hello crumbs. I only did one load of laundry yesterday, since I was gone with Mariel for her wisdom teeth....but I did dry it and put it away, too. Except for the pile of Camille's clothes I couldn't put away, because she was napping....they are sitting on a kitchen chair....

I really try to keep it so the morning isn't filled with just getting the place back in order, but it's stressful in the evening when everyone just wants to wind down. Even as I write this, it strikes me as funny. By the time I got the kids to bed, then Charlotte Claire, then Camille, it was well after 10pm, then time to get the kids school clothes out, and make lunches....wind down, ha.

Anyway, it seems there is a natural state that the house is in. Which is never good enough for me, so I feel like I am fighting against everything and everyone to have it clean and neat in here. And sometimes I just don't feel like it anymore. I think what is needed here is a chore list for this afternoon, to dole jobs out, spread them around a little. It has worked well here....

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I am not a very good manager. I chip away, and manage not to get too buried, keep things clean, but cluttered....but don't have the energy to keep it as nice as I would like....and today, I have to take Kathryn to the dentist. And we have a soccer tournament this weekend with our church, and I have to buy candy for the snack bar.....so, I'll probably do that today, too.

So today, I want to take things right. I want to be patient with Jon and Charlotte Claire, and Camille the adventurer. Which will start right now, because Jon just emptied out two huge bins of dollhouse stuff, looking for a bike.....when I get up and get busy, I know I'll be tempted to slap whoever left the peanutbutter out, and scream at whoever spilled juice and didn't clean it up....but I really don't slap them....and I try not to scream at them....well, kids are awake, and need changing and feeding....