The bathroom hasn't been cleaned in a week, because what's the point? I can't keep up with all the mud. Though I have scrubbed the toilet and wiped down the sink at least once, the floors and the tub are probably health hazard territory, and it's really getting annoying to step out of the shower onto a rug of small pebbles and sand.
I had a garage sale last weekend that got mostly rained out, so now I have all this stuff, shoved in vehicles, that I need to deal with, but God help me it's not coming back in the house.
It looks like a bomb went off in my living room... and this is after I picked up most of the toys. And the diaper wipes that Huggyface decided to strew all over. He also likes to drag out that drat blasted "bug vacuum," aka dust buster, twenty times a day. At least the floor underneath all that was recently vacuumed. I could vacuum the entry a thousand times a day, and one kid could walk in and you wouldn't be able to tell. Nevermind the million shoes scattered throughout every room in the house. The kitchen floor needs to be swept and mopped, and next time I won't leave the mop water out for my cell phone to get "washed" in. (Totally my bad habit, to not empty the bucket.) But last time I mopped (9 days ago I think?) I broke the mop so... I did manage to get all the dishes done today, just in time to make chocolate chip cookies since I ran out of after school snacks, and supper is next on the list.
It's a vicious cycle.
I did start a rewards system where if each kid clears their own place without being asked then they get a few M&M's. So that helps with clearing, at least. I have considered taking away all shoes except one pair per person to help with the "shoes all over the place" problem.
The thing is, this is what I can accomplish with kids in school. What about in 20 days when they're not in school anymore and then there's NO "uninterrupted" time? Any other moms freaking out about summer? I know I should start a chores system, but I'm really great about trying to plan, and horrible about implementation. And there's just way too many options of how it could be done, what are the kinds of chores each kid should do? Should we focus on hygiene, rooms, household, homework, a bit of everything? I get stuck in being overwhelmed with it all.
And oh my gosh if the baby poops one more time today... WHAT did I FEED him???!!!! Is 17 months to early/late to toilet train?
What activities should we do? swimming? Community Ed? Gymnastics? Ballet? Baseball? Nothing? Do we want to go on vacation or get a fence (or part of one, anyway)? Summer school. Math facts. VBS. Library reading program. Trips to the park. Day trip to fun places.
AAAAAARRRGGGG!
Deep breaths.
Is this how you're anticipating summer?
Ah, the life of a parent. So grand and glorious.
I do no shoes in the house and that helps with cleanliness and it forces everyone to leave their shoes at the door. It's a big help. Also, I think of everything I can delegate to my children and then I do so. They empty the dishwasher every day. I can truly say that the more chores I give to these little people under my care, I have found them to become the better for it. Sure, my house is mostly a mess still, but I no longer feel like I am drowning. As for laundry, I could take the same exact picture as your. I hate laundry. And I think I will be drowning with a messier house in about a month when I deliver a new baby. :)
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