Spring Cleaning, Laundry, Babies Coming Out...

The weekend is over.  It was the start to some crazy major spring cleaning.  One minute I was laying down, contemplating a nap and the next minute I was gutting out the boys drawers, moving bedrooms and making life for all of us easier, in the long run.

We bought this house with the idea of making two bedrooms in the basement for the older two boys.  After spending money on making the bedrooms, adding a bath... and all that stuff... they have not really made the rooms theirs.  I get it.  I wouldn't even want to be down there, as I am a chicken.  Yet.... I really wish we all knew this before we spent the money... that could have painted the house the colors I really want, put in a new kitchen and new floors... etc, etc, etc.  Sigh.  So instead, Sammy and Tyler's stuff ends up everywhere.

So I moved the boys around and for now, everyone is  sharing a room.  Everyone has a closet for their clothes.  Everyone has a place to be.  Feels much better.  Now to just get Josh to stay in his own bed.

I also realized the boys have way too many clothes!  WOW!!!  When the laundry is done... (whenever that is) there is not really room for their stuff.  I guess the key is not to go out and buy a new shirt when they don't have any but rather, just do the laundry! lol

In church, while we were all singing, Josh whispers to me, how do babies come out of your tummy?  I said, "Go ask Daddy."  Sanj looked like he was going to choke!  lol

Here's a questions for you, Jesus was baptized by his cousin, John the Baptist, right.  John the Baptist wasn't a priest or pastor or anything... he wasn't ordained, right?  How come only a ordained minister can baptize someone?

Please send me your thoughts... This will continue... I am just studying and trying to figure something out.

Aw... back to the task at hand.  Happy Monday!

I Got Me A Wife!

I got a wife!  Well, it is the closest thing that I will likely get to a wife.  After being without a cleaning person for a month... nagging, delegating... melting down... this is a need and priority in our life.

(Don't get me wrong... the boys have their chores and responsibilities and therefore nagging will still occur but... I have help again).

Sanj has been a gem and has been getting into the nitty gritty of it all.  I love this man....   Yesterday while I was out getting groceries on the way home from hockey... Sanj told the boys to clean up their rooms etc.

I was feeling so good about fact that the task had been started.  We were having family over for supper and that didn't leave a lot of time.

At some point, I walked into the laundry room which is off our eat-in kitchen.  I think I was having the beginnings of a heart attack.  (Actually, as I am typing this out, my heart is racing).  Really, only if I took a picture of the room (which I just can't), would you get a little feel for the eruption that occurred in there.

There is a laundry shoot from the boys bathroom.  Half the time, it isn't used, as apparently, it is easier to just leave the clothes on the floor after a shower.  But suddenly when they were to clean their room, they found use for the shoot.

Imagine how many pieces of clothing 6 boys can have then times that by 2.  Now imagine all those clothes being shoved down the throat of the shoot.... with all that shoving... it throws up!  My laundry room had so many clothes... clean and dirty... I could only stand there.

I stood there trying to breathe.  I was having trouble.  My eyes start to tear...  my shoulders started to shake.  I put my hands over my eyes and cry right there in front of all of them. They stare at me.

Josh is upset and hugs me.  Sanj is looking at Sammy (who really didn't care) and Tyler, who immediately puts a load in the wash.

That is one of the only things that gets a response out of them.  I could feel my tears drying up, but I still wanted more of a reaction.  I think of the laundry again, it will take me days to get it done.  By then there will be more shoved down the shoot and floors and under the beds... and then that will take more days.  Laundry!!!  It always sends me over the edge.  The tears started to come again.

Sanj reminds me that the cleaning lady will be coming tomorrow... and we will figure it out.

Ah yes, my wife .... there is hope.

This means cutting down on the eating out.  I am good with that, though.  I don't think cooking in my clean kitchen is as burdensome as laundry and toilets.

Vows for My "Wife"...

Oh cleaning lady, who we so need...

Do you vow to take this house and keep it in top notch shape?

Do you vow to change sheets, wipe off pee off the floors and seats, wipe off crustacean off surfaces that should have none, dust, wipe finger prints off my fridge and stove, mop the footprints off the floor and mostly importantly, keep on top of the laundry?

Do you promise to love my house as your own, maybe a little more?

What will I do, you ask?  All the other stuff!  Maybe even get firewood!  lol

Oh yah and  be happier!

Thank you, Jesus, for people that love to clean.  May you bless them with an extra blessing.

Amen

The Nudge...

I asked the boys to clean up and divided various areas of the house... and each to deal with their room.
I am quite pleased with the out come.  


I was sitting in the family room folding some laundry and something  caught my eye.
Are you kidding me?
No wonder the room was cleaned so quickly and everything was picked up!
My dear messy by nature Jordan shoved everything under the couch.
A quick check into his bedroom showed me a neat room but very cramped quarters under his bed!!!


Oh Bother!


I did find a solution to our dirty floors.  This "new" house has tiles that are light in colour and shows all the dirty!  A good thing, yes, I suppose.  Our last house we put down this lovely grey/taupe 12x12 tile.  I loved it.   It hide the dirt well... but was easy to clean when I cleaned it. 

I bought the Swifer Wet Jet... the boys love it because it is kind of like a toy... with a button to press to squirt out the cleaner and mopping is fun!  I love it because I don't  have to worry about the mop bucket spilling or drowning a child (I saw this on Oprah years ago... and it obviously haunted me).


I am forever looking for creative ways to get the boys to add more of the housecleaning on their chores.
Of course the older ones don't care how 'fun' it may be... they realized the cleaning part of it and complain... so I just say "do it."  If you pee on the floor, seats, ceiling... lol then you can clean it.


I wonder if God gave boys their appendage  to be an annoyance to moms?
Maybe He was just punishing me for my sins by blessing me with 6 that lack aiming abilities!


I do love my boys.


I had sort of a moment the other night.  One of the reasons  I wished for a for a girl is that I feel that I will miss that relationship later in life of a daughter.  I also have seen too many ugly or stressful daughter-in-law/mother-in-law relationships and not enough positive ones to fear the future, so to speak.


I just wonder how to have a great relationship with the ladies in my boys lives.
Then the other night I was on Facebook.  The instant chat pops up and there is Tyler's "friend" saying hi.
I was a bit caught off guard.  I figured maybe she wanted me to get Tyler on line or something.
But no, she just chatted.  It was funny.  
She asked me what I was doing...
 I replied that I was putting the 2 youngest to bed... but it wasn't going to well...
She then told me that she had to put her younger brother to bed the other night and how he was hyper.


OK... we chatted for a few minutes... and I have to tell you it was weird... but cool.
I even told her that Tyler wasn't home but at hockey.
She said that she knew as he wanted her to come to his game.


I had an epiphany of sorts.  Now this isn't Tyler's girlfriend... as he isn't allowed to date till he is 30.  
But I had this moment that life is so different now a day.  There is the possibility to be friends with the ladies in my boys lives... someday.


My mother-in-law was not looking for friendship (at least back then)... it was more about respect and treating her son well.  It was about being "daughterly" but knowing my place, so to speak.  It was all so different even culturally, I suppose.


Maybe God was just opening my eyes a bit.  Maybe He was just showing me that life is full of potential... especially the future.  It is all good.  I need to be open to all that the future will hold.
I always hated when people said to me, "Don't worry, you'll have 6 daughter-in-laws some day." 


I felt that they didn't understand my desire for a daughter.  But really even I couldn't understand it.
But I know that relationships are a two way street.   The future (which I know is a LONG ways away) that will bring ladies into my life... will be full of beautiful possibilities...  I need to be willing and ready to embrace all that may be.


As I ended my chat with the friend of Tyler's, I appreciated the nudge that I felt from God.
Open Hearted... Open Minded...


My heart is pounding at bit...  lol