Well, I Was Right...

Yep, the bad follows the good. I got three days of all-out, life-couldn't-BE-any-better bliss before the crap rained down. Well, I can't say it rained down really..it's just that one piece of my elaborate, 458-balls-in-the-air balancing act got jettisoned into outer space unexpectedly, leaving me dumbfounded and perturbed. Doesn't it just plain old stink when you can't orchestrate every detail of your life to your liking? But things could be worse. And I'm nothing if not adaptable! LaLaLa! So, disappointments and annoyances aside...I've just come off a week of child-free bliss. My girls were happily ensconced at Camp Grandma and Grandpa last week. They had a fantastic time swimming, having tea parties, discovering river gems and lizard skeletons and a ton of other happy events while Mommy....that's right, remodeled their playroom. I should have probably spent the week doing something completely unrelated to childhood (and I did a few things -more on that later), but it was actually rather fun! I spent hours and hours painting and putting together furniture and reorganizing stuff (oh the joy!) without having to feel guilty for saying 12 times a day...Hey, go watch another movie and don't you dare stick your hand in that paint can or you will be sorry. And it turned out so cute. I myself would like to play in there now. And I did. Do you realize how relaxing it is to put puzzles together? If it's good enough for a mental patient, it's good enough for me I always say. LaLaLa!

Hate, hate, hate laundry

Why am I always posting about laundry? It is the bane of my existence. Which is saying something, because if that's the worst problem you have....right? I have instituted a new rule, though: No blogging unless a load of laundry is going. I have to find ways to corral myself and my insidious tendency to look the other way. I think the problem is that the washing devices can be seen from the kitchen and the mess must be kicked out of the way in order to enter or exit the house. This is not ideal! Whatever bonehead designed my house did not have an inkling of how infrequently I do laundry. Mr. Bonehead thought to himself, "Sure, you got one load in the washer, one in the dryer. Maybe a basket on the floor waiting to go in. Everything's neat and tidy. The end." Bonehead. The pinnacle of my humiliation? A new neighbor comes over to meet us. That's riiigggggghhhhttt. Her 5-year-old bounds after Big Stuff to revel in the playroom and the "secret stairway." At the bottom of the secret stairway? Miles and miles of dirty skivvies. It's so awful, I just can't think about it. Laundry is one of those things about stay-at-momhood that really tests me. It never ends, no one ever tells you what a great job you did on the laundry, no one cares that you even did the laundry (until they realize that you stopped doing it, like three weeks ago), you don't get to cross it off a list of action items on your Palm Pilot, no one gives you a raise if you keep up with the laundry. It's just a useless and annoying thing to do with your life. Of course, I have to keep reminding myself that it could be so much worse. What about poor Ma in Little House on the Prairie? Scrubbing those pinafores in the creek day in and day out, her knuckles bleeding and cuticles looking oh-so-ragged. OK, so they had like two pinafores, but still. That would really, really suck. Maybe I should whittle our wardrobe down to two outfits per person. HAHAHAHA...Ah, I crack myself up.

Look, Look, Look, Look!

I did it! I did it! I am master of my universe again ( at least for tonight )! I cleaned up my desk! Hooray! You inspired me. And look at my new filing system. Ugly, true, but all the many piles of paper have found their true and proper homes in neatly labeled folders. All my bills are scheduled. All my post-its are posted. My calendar is updated. My to-do list is made. Ahhhhh. I am happy again. That vicious pile of laundry is next...and it shall be conquered! And all in time to watch Lost. You can't see me, but I'm doing my happy dance right now. Oops - the blinds are open. I'm stopping my happy dance right now.

Can you help me clean up my desk?

Today was such a nice day! The temperature rose to a bearable level once again. We played outside for the first time in many, many days. The birds were singing, the robins were fat. We all have slight sunburns on our cheeks. And then you come home, and the ugly reality of everyday life crowds in on your happiness. I am sending you this picture of my horribly messy desk in the hopes that I'll shame myself into cleaning it up tomorrow. Actually, it doesn't look as messy in the picture as it really is. For once, the camera didn't add 10 pounds (hmmmm, maybe I can put it off for a few more days....) The desk is only an outward sign of the larger mess that I've allowed to build up around here. I've taken a bit of a vacation from cleaning, straightening, budgeting, organizing, planning ahead. Yes, I'll admit I have been ducking my many and unvaried (aka boring!) responsiblities. Which isn't bad in itself, but man, does it pile up on you quick! But today was a holiday.... And Small Fry and I slept until almost 10 a.m. ( I know! ).... And last week it was semi-blissful to let the little invalid sit in my lap and watch cartoons for hours, and feed her soup, and hold her hand, and nap beside her on the couch...... And today it was just imperative that I spend a full hour pushing each one of them in the swings ( Carpal tunnel syndrome notwithstanding). So, it's been time well spent IMHO. My desk, I'm sure, would disagree.