I knew we had a problem as I lay in bed staring at the ceiling this morning. The unwelcome thought that had just flitted through my brain was:
“I don’t want to go down there to that mess!”
I could hear my daughters playing downstairs and I could just tell by the tones of their chattering and shrieking that it was going to be one of those mornings where they had completely demolished any sense of order accomplished the night before. It seems to be especially bad on weekends, when my husband and I stay in bed a little longer and relax. Something about the combination of morning and no supervision ends up with me coming down to random items scattered all over the house. Dolls, clothes and play food dumped all over the floor in the search for that one item desired. Papers and crayons left on the couch where someone was playing school. Hair clips and elastics on the floor inside the door. A blue bathrobe laying beside the coat rack. Coats and shoes dropped halfway through the house. Books everywhere!
Do you ever feel like you’re in a constant battle with your children’s toys? No matter how many times you reorganize, sort and pack bags for the Goodwill you just can’t manage to keep ahead!
Getting up with this thought and coming down to the expected chaos hardly had us starting off on the best foot this morning. I was a grumpy, growling bear prowling around in her pink pajamas barking out comments like,
“What is this doing here?!”
“Didn’t I tell you to put this away?”
“How many times do I have to tell you to put things where they belong!?”
It was less than a 5-star-Mom moment.
Ok, it lasted longer than just a moment, too!
Somehow, we did manage to get some things sorted out and once again I am packing bags, selling items on the Buy and Sell site and reorganizing toys. My daughters joined me and made a pile of stuff they don’t want to keep, which turns out to be pretty substantial!
We are cutting back to the basics.
But I know, I just know, that a month from now I’m going to feel exactly the same way I did this morning!
So HELP!
I need some ideas here.
How do I manage this ongoing battle?
I also know that these are incredibly minor, first-world problems! Really nothing to get your knickers in knots about, right? But somehow, that seems to be just the kind of aggravating feeling that drags me down.
Maybe I just need fresh perspective.
Either way, if you’re a mom, tell me what you’ve discovered that works!!
AF
Adoption, Mommyhood & the Rest 