This place is a MESS!

I am amazed when I go to my friends homes to find them neat, fresh, clean and clutter-free. Then I come home to my war-zone and think, 'What am I doing wrong?' First off, a good house-keeper I am not. Never have been, but it seems like getting the bare minimum accomplished is no small feat. I have to step aside and remember that none of my friends have 5 children first of all. Some do have 4 and I really wonder how they get it all done.
We are home during the day most days and it seems as though as soon as I get one room under control and head for the vacuum, it is destroyed before I return! Took all of 30 seconds to retrieve said vacuum! Those two little short people really can make quick work of room destruction! Then there is the shortest of the short people and the puppy following my Swiffer around the kitchen wanting to inspect the treasures it found in hopes of a snack! Eww! Fortunately, the puppy is faster at 'snack' retrieval!
Shorty, himself is more content with playing with ONE thing at a time, but he prefers the toys that come with LOTS of pieces, like blocks, legos, puzzles, you get the idea! That makes for a fun afternoon of searching for the right block needed to complete the building or the puzzle piece that was there just yesterday, but has now gone AWAL. Never a dull moment.
Now, we are just talking about the main level of the house. The upper-level of this two-story house doesn't stand a chance! The two short people do not nap at the same time, but rather stagger their naps so someone is always around to entertain mommy. As much as I love to company and appreciate the one-on-one time I get with them, it sure does take away from the time I have to manage the messes! Pumpkin-Pie is always on the move and all over the place, particularly under my feet, so I have to be very careful where I step. I swear, I need to put a bell on that girl so I don't trip over her when she goes into hyper-drive and stealth-mode at the same time! Because she is so fast, I put her put her in "the box" when it is time to go upstairs to rotate the laundry. I have to bring it down to fold(sort of negates the purpose for the bedroom level laundry room!) and can't leave the basket on the floor unless I enjoy folding and refolding the same laundry several times! She thinks it is funny pull all the laundry out of the basket and drag it across the room! Thank-you my sweet darling, I love you, too!
Now, in those RARE occasions they do overlap a smidge at naptime, I have very limited opportunity to make the best of it. That is when the laundry that has lived in baskets in my room for weeks actually gets sorted to the right rooms and mine might get put away. If I am lucky, I might actually get the bed made. I stress MIGHT! That is about the extent of my upstairs time during the week when it is just me and the two wee ones. The rest will have to wait for the weekend and HOPE the soccer games, birthday parties and other assorted gatherings are spread out enough that I have a window or two to get the MUCH needed vacuuming and dusting done.
I guess it all comes down to this: I am raising children right now who don't care one way or the other about dog hair on every surface in the house and the dust bunnies under the couch. So for now, I will just not let myself worry about what my friends' homes look like. I don't have a housekeeper nor am I one, so it is what it is. I doubt my kids will look back on their childhood and think, 'Wow, I sure wish my mom spent more time keeping our home neat and tidy instead of playing with us and getting us to the places we wanted to go.' So, I will wave my magic wand in hopes that smell I can't define will find it's own way out of here. Until then......

It's Potty Time!

First off, potty training is no small feat! I have done it three, almost four times and I still hate it! I love the freedom(and the raise!) once it is done, but the 'getting there' is a nightmare! Shorty has been doing good with the pee part for a long time now and rarely has accidents of that nature, but the other...well, that is another story altogether! He just wouldn't do it. I tried the keeping him naked thing, the timing thing, the snacks thing, you name it, but I FINALLY found the boy's price. He is a Wow Wow Wubzy JUNKIE! He is obsessed, I think with that show, so I told him Wubzy was for big boys with clean pants, so he couldn't watch it anymore unless he put the poop in the potty where it belongs. He BOUGHT it! Totally! That very day, he told me he had to go and went! He got to watch his beloved Wubzy and was a happy guy! Then a day passes and he doesn't go at all, but he talks about Wubzy, so I reminded him what Wubzy wants. Today, he tells me and he goes. He first says to me, "You are not sad?", then promptly does the 'I get to watch Wubzy' dance! YES!!! He CAN be taught! I think we are nearing the end of this adventure. As my children grow, I am saddened by the end of certain eras, but THIS is not one of them! The diapers thing is not my favorite at all, so I welcome their departure. Now, I still have ONE in diapers, but I have another year and a half before I can even think about that one!
So, for now, I am joyful for my big boy's accomplishment and his pride for having ditched the diapers! Such a proud momma I am!

school mornings

There is never enough time in the mornings. Even on the days where they are up early and dressed, fed, whatever, there is always that mad dash out the door with lunch boxes nearly forgotten, papers flying in all directions! Why is this!? It doesn't seem right, but I think I'd be confused if we had a morning that was NOT like this! It is the norm around here. With three kids that need backpacks packed, bellies filled, teeth brushed, lunches made, hair combed, it is never-ending. All the attempts to get lunches made the night before generally fail, as well as packing the back packs. Now I am placing the blame for the morning rush solely on the children. Those assignment books need to be signed and here is where I am sometimes to blame. I don't always remember to sign them before bed, so they have to be added to the morning list.
After they BARELY make the bus, I look around at the wreckage and am amazed at how up in the air things are. Breakfast strewn all over the place, shoes everywhere, discarded papers piled up on the dining room table not to mention the mess left from making those lunches in a hurry(they make their lunches, not me!) and breakfast. It takes nearly an hour to clean up from the morning before I can ever tackle the previous messes from the day before! All in a mother's day, eh?
There is always the baby's diaper that needs to be tended too as well that, unless is truly toxic, takes a backseat sometimes t the hubbub of the morning. At least she gets fed, right? That should count for something. So, while I sit here typing my blog, I am ignoring this morning's wreckage, so I'd better hop to it, before it takes on a life of its own! Oh my!