Household

Laundry Day (Literally) Stinks

 

Two bags of clothes sit in my garage.

I wish they were going to friends or a collection box or a donation center.

They will go in the trash.

—

I don’t check pockets when I do laundry.

My mom never checked pockets either.

I have washed (and dried) toys, pagers, money, wallets, coins, wrappers, crayons, chapstick.

—

I washed three fish oil tablets left in my sweatshirt pocket – along with a vitamin d capsule and a multivitamin.

Fish oil is supposed to help my skin glow, my body better function, my muscles not ache.

It was not supposed to ruin my clothes.

—

Washed fish oil horridly smells like: FISH that has gone bad.

I rewashed, rewashed in bleach, covered in baking soda, soaked in vinegar, rewashed.

Nothing could remove the smell.

—

My son’s favorite science center t-shirt – gone.

One of my son’s Spiderman sock from Christmas – ruined.

My sweatshirt – destroyed.

—

Random socks, little pairs of underwear, little pairs of jeans.

My husband’s workout sweatshirt.

All are wet and sitting in tied bags in my garage.

–

I wait to put them in the outside garbage can.

They smell like fish.

I don’t want to attract the cats that wander in the court.

—

I should have checked the pockets.

Better yet, I should have taken my fish oil right away.

This laundry day literally STINKS!

—

 

I’m  attempting to post every Tuesday as part of the weekly Slice of Life over at Two Writing Teachers.

What Busy Looks Like

 

We have been very busy here at our home.

Baseball schedules for two boys.

Home responsibilities.

Volunteer responsibilities.

Work responsibilities.

School.

Adventures.

Birthday Celebrations.

Opening up our home to a student.

This is what busy looks like for us.

What does busy look like for you?

Two Lollipops, Please

 

I usually ask for two lollipops, please.

Today, I wanted to be a kid again.

Today, I wanted to be responsibility-free.

Today, I didn’t want to worry about what to feed my family for dinner.

Today, I didn’t want to worry about whether my youngest was wearing his real underwear or his imaginary ones.

Today, I didn’t want to plan out my son’s school work plan.

Today, I didn’t want to organize and coordinate all I had on my plate.

Today, I asked for three lollipops, please, at the bank drive-thru lane.

One for my oldest. One for my youngest. One for me.

For just a few minutes I was responsibility-free.

My lollipop was yellow.

I’m attempting to take part in the “The Fifth Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge” through the month of March. The challenge is run by Two Writing Teachers.

Playing in the Dirt

 

I should have been working on paperwork or the pile of dishes. Instead I found myself in the midst of my flower bed. Instead of wearing my usual grubby flower bed cleaning clothes, I was wearing my jeans with a black belt, my little cute black shoes and a nice t-shirt.  What was I thinking?!!? The boys played outside. It was a beautiful day.  I decided to dig in the dirt.

I should have been checking my email to find out what important tasks or information I was missing related to my responsibilities.  Instead of wearing my gardening gloves, I was letting the fresh dirt sift through my fingers. My hands were dirty and getting scratched. I felt a worm squiggle across my fingers. The smells from the dirt transported me back to the days of making Oscar the Grouch soup in my mother’s bird bath.

I should have been taking care of paying bills and making phone calls. Instead I was digging up unwanted bushes. I thought of the flower beds we bought with this house almost twelve years ago. I thought about my pre-kids days when I would take a couple days off of work, my aunt would fly in from the Midwest and we would garden for days. Oh the money we spent on mulch and rocks and pretty flowers. Oh the time we spent running from store to store searching for the perfect perennial to put in the perfect spot.

I stepped away from the piles of pulled out bushes and raked up flower bed debris. How funny that in the midst of the bushes and dirt, I found enough lost sidewalk chalk to create a whole new bucket. The memories of yesterday combined with the moments in the present. And a whole new slate of dirt and openness to start to plan. A newness. A freshness. An opportunity to play in the dirt.

I’m attempting to take part in the “The Fifth Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge” through the month of March. The challenge is run by Two Writing Teachers.

Simple Spaghetti

 

She made a simple spaghetti. Noodles and V8 juice. Yep. Just noodles and V8 juice.

I still remember sitting at her dining room table. Slurping. Laughing. Eating.

I make a more involved spaghetti. Whole wheat noodles. Pasta sauce. Ground beef. Mushrooms. Garlic. Seasoning.

My boys sit at my table. They slurp. They laugh. They eat.

Every time I sauté the mushrooms, garlic and seasoning, I think of her. As the ground beef is browning, I remember the way she would move around her small kitchen.

As I pour the whole wheat noodles into the boiling water, I chuckle at her plain white noodles. I wonder would she use whole wheat now.

As I pour in the store-bought three cheese sauce to simmer, I can almost taste the V8 juice. As I watch my boys eat, I think of sitting at the table with my siblings and cousins.

My boys cheer for my spaghetti. I’m sure I cheered for my grandma’s spaghetti. What I wouldn’t give to slurpe, giggle and eat at her table just one more time. Her simple spaghetti of noodles and V8 juice.

My grandma died in a car accident almost fifteen years ago. The older I get, the more I miss her.

I’m attempting to take part in the “The Fifth Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge” through the month of March. The challenge is run by Two Writing Teachers.

Random Thoughts

 

Here are some of the random thoughts that went through my head Monday morning into early afternoon. I was going to continue through the afternoon and evening, but I didn’t realize how many random thoughts quickly go through my head!

I really should get up. I’m so spoiled with sleeping in on days like this.

Oh, great. Keith came home early from work because he got sick.

Oh no. The lady who delivers our mail is at our door, and I’m in my pjs. Hope I look presentable.

Exactly how does my kitchen floor get so dirty. I just swept it the other day.

Oh I hope I don’t get sick today. Wednesday would be a good day to get sick instead.

I should get Kory started on school today.  Math, Language Arts, Science and Vision Therapy. What independent work can I start him on first?  Math.

UGH!  Kory’s school-issued laptop is crashing again. Now to call in for the fourth time to have this resolved.  This time I am asking, no demanding, a replacement laptop instead of having repairs done as has happened the past three times. Do I start with nice Jessica or mean Jessica on the phone?

Back to schoolwork. Let’s start with a language arts.

Oh I have to start thinking about making lunch.  I think mac and cheese will work for today.  If they went to a “real” school, I wouldn’t have to worry about their lunches. LOL!

Oh this vein on my knee is starting to look gross. UGH. Are genetics catching up to me!!?

Will Kory just hurry up on his math already.

What to make for Keith for lunch. Chicken broth. Noodles. Done

Oh I have to leave in two hours for errands and vision therapy.  What do I have clean to wear today?

How many times do I have to remind my 3 year old to keep his hands out of his pajama pants.

Mentally calculate how to get the three of us ready to leave in an hour – and notice all the dirty dishes over the counter. They can wait until later.

Oh I wonder if that shirt hanging in my closet will finally fit this year. Yeah – it does!

Is that a bird I hear chirping? Spring. Spring. Spring.

Ugh. I really need to unpack my suitcase since we have been home for over a week now.

What random thoughts crossed through your head today?

I’m attempting to take part in the “The Fifth Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge” through the month of March. The challenge is run by Two Writing Teachers.

I can’t do it all

 

Can I let you in on a little secret? Probably one that not very many people know.

I don’t clean my house.

What you scream?

Wait. I didn’t say I live in a dirty house. I simply said I don’t clean my house.

Yes, I pick up after myself. Yes, my boys are supposed to clean their own rooms. Yes, my husband helps with daily housework. Yes, the dishes are done. Well, they are almost done some nights.

For years I have struggled with keeping a clean house. I have tried different planning schedules. Yes, we have put a cleaning schedule on our fridge. I have tried different ways to help me stay on top of cleaning bathrooms, mopping floors, and dusting. I have tried different cleaning products that are supposed to save you time and energy.

Yet, it was never enough because there was always something else calling my name – time with my family, finishing my masters degree, taking care of my children, working out, working on a freelance project. You name it and it probably was keeping me from the time to clean.

Over the years, I have thought about having someone help me. When I worked full-time before kids, I thought about it. I’ve thought about it when I’ve had an incredible freelance load. I’ve thought about it while trying to balance my responsibilities with my husband’s responsibilities. I should note he is a wonderful help to keeping our house in order, but he also runs his own business, coaches baseball, spends a lot of time with our boys and finds time for himself too.

I always found some way to out-justify my desire to have someone help me. Sometimes it was the cost. Sometimes it was the fear of having someone see the nitty-gritty corners of dirt in my house. Sometimes it was just laziness of not knowing how to find help.

That changed this year thanks to my mom’s simple question, “have you thought about having someone help you clean your house.” I had to chuckle in a way because my mom is super busy too. I remember her always struggling to stay ahead of a clean house as she and my dad worked together to build their own business.

So I did it. I called a friend who cleans houses. I asked for her help. And I am so glad. It is one less thing for me to think about in the midst of freelance writing projects, homeschooling, managing the behind-the-scenes of my husband’s business and treasurer responsibilities for two non-profits in which we are involved as well as being a mom, a wife, and just me! It is one less thing to stress about in my life.

Why am I posting this today? Because this week she should have been here to clean my house, but she is on vacation. I miss my clean house as I remind myself to make sure to vacuum before she returns to my home in two weeks. I miss her help as I’m under a “real” writing deadline. I miss having her around to chat with while she is cleaning and I’m working, teaching, or anything else other than cleaning my house! I simply miss this important part of and friend in my life because “I can’t do it all.”

What gets pushed to the side of your life because you can’t do it all? Is there a way you can change that?

I’m attempting to take part in the “The Fifth Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge” through the month of March. The challenge is run by Two Writing Teachers.