Summer Time Blues

I realize it's a little early in the summer to bewailing it already, but I am. It's only three days into vacation time, and already I'm thinking of stringing up my three younger sons.

It's not entirely their fault...but then again, it is. They figure that school is out, they can do as they please. Play chess or checkers all day--play with legos until they are scattered all over the house (don't you lOVE stepping on those sharp little buggers?)--run outside and climb all the trees (which is one of the reasons we live here, so they CAN do that...grin).

But the clutter and chaos of the house is ignored in all of this, and that's what drives me crazy. I've never been a neat fanatic--ask anyone in my family. Any flat surface tends to be piled on. HOWEVER (grin) I have to say that I have turned a new leaf - so to speak - and now try very hard to keep those surfaces clean. I don't do it as often as I'd like to, and so they do start piling up. But, it's much better than it used to be, and so I tend to notice it rather quickly.

Especially when it's my children doing the piling.

Say whenever they clear off the table for dinner...any flat surface will do to put the items they are taking off. Regardless as to their importance or ability to be found later. (we have discovered this much to our dismay) Then, we have a wood buffet that my husbands grandmother made with her own two little hands... It's gorgeous, but it has several flat surfaces that my autistic son feels is his duty to decorate. I still have Christmas stuff on there, so it's not entirely his fault...(grin) Then we have the children's desk...which is an old workshop desk with a spot for four people and four drawers on each side that has become a flat surface with legs...you can't see the top of it for the papers piled on it now. You know how it is, end of school, clean out the desks...bring everything home and dumped it on the biggest flat surface you can find? Which is usually the floor...and then we have to make everyone pick them up and it ends up on the desk.

So...the purpose of this rambling diatribe is that one of my projects for the summer, is to declutter my living spaces. This morning it was finding the garbage can that belonged in the laundry room and picking up the floor so that you can tell there is cement down there. (well...cement is better than - um, dirt...grin) I came back up to realize that everywhere I looked there was a flat surface that needed attention. Sigh.

So...now that my older girls are out of the home and no longer help in the cleaning department...it's mainly up to me to whip things into shape, along with training my sons. My youngest is learning how the dishwasher works. That's been real fun, I can tell you. And he's also on the kitchen for his daily chore and getting the message that he needs to sweep out from under the table has been difficult...(I know that hamburger bun looks petrified, but it doesn't count for a collection...)

So...I have to remind myself- I love these children, I wanted them, and it's more important to train them and love them and create a loving environment than to have a perfect house. I've long ago given up on the perfect house...now I'd just like the de-cluttered one. Is that too much to ask?

Only 82 more days until school starts... ;)