Clean House.....

Biff is off on business tonight. Kids went to bed.  I'm catching up on some e-mail, e-bay and even a little tacky television.  Reality T.V. show? Yup. I'm watching a "Clean House" episode on T.J.'s Xbox! Good motivator! After seeing a show like this, I have no problem blowing through the house and decluttering some more.  It's never enough. Never.  There's always more on it's way in the door!

Always. Even now, tossing, tossing, tossing.  The kids think I have a hefty bag attached to my hand!  

It was so much easier when we used to sing the Barney song...clean up, clean up....da da dada da da. It was such a happy little song for all of us. I admit that back then I thought that I could be nominated as mother of the year! Just to show our kids how "fun" it was to pick up toys.  I think that faded over the years....not just mother of the year but the enthusiastic picker uppers....and they're teens now!

Just the other day, Grace and I were chatting and she said, "You'd think we'd be so good at organizing after going to Montessori!" and "hmmmm?"  That's when I blurted out,"Maybe if I had gone to Montessori too things would have been different!"  

That night, the kids had some friends over before the football game. We had pizza.  We had some juice drinks. We had lots of laughter.  We had 2 dogs. We had 2 kitties. We had one fish quiet in his room. We had Biff and I and our kids and their friends together in the kitchen.....eating pizza, telling stories, laughing and joking. We were sorry to have to leave for the game....it was a joy to be with such fresh faced, cute, funny, smart, hysterical, sarcastic, sweet, friends of our 2 teens.  Our house isn't perfect all of the time....maybe none of the time. 

It's clean.  It's just hard for me to promise soap opera perfection. It's o.k., we can always blame it on the dogs.  "We have 2 goldens!" we say to worn people.  Those with homes of perfection don't usually have dogs that are the ever loving, large shedding pooches. 

We're a little suspicious of those really big neat freaks.....don't they have anywhere to go?  Don't they have friends?  Why do they have so much time on their hands. Just kidding. Really, I'm in awe of them.

Our house isn't perfect, it's lovely...just not the shiny. sparkling variety! But with a giant jar of Crayola crayons on the kitchen table and plenty of paper, no one really cared!  

The house might have a few paw prints on a rainy day...but it's our home.  We love having fun with friends here.  I think that's what matters.  Fill the house with friends and no one cares about our antiques or sterling silver dinnerware. Our friends are happy with our fine china or paper plates....that's why we're friends!

Organization and decluttering is our challenge.  Who knows why. A friend once told me that it's because I'm an artist and artsy, not perfect. True. I'm forever grateful to that friend!

We still have some kids' art in the kitchen.  We still tack up happy notes on the fridge. I have a framed mother's day list that Grace made one mother's day morning....

"SPasiel list

1. get tray, 

    put on

2. make breckfast tray.

3. make coffie, put it on tray too

4. put a vase No watter!

    and put fake flower

5. bring it to mom

MOM do not forget! mom MOMmommommommom mom mom mom"

I have it near the kitchen sink....just so I remember this sweetness when she "forgets" to take the dishes out of the dishwasher. We're a very long way from our Barney days! And Montessori. 

We still have a junk drawer and by God, T.J. found something he needed in it tonight....Praise the Lord in the heavens above! Even T.J. had to laugh.

It's home. By the way, I turned off that show....those people were too messy! I feel so good, I may not have to clean! Oh wait, the dishwasher is finishing up now....I just might have to empty it before bed....maybe I'll give Grace the day off....after reading her sweet thoughtful note, I feel the love....even if, at 15, she's not too sure about that love......

Oh well, we love our family....and that makes it a great home.  I'm grateful. Thanks for making me wake up and smell the flowers....even if it was a "vase with no watter!" with "put fake flower".....that's home.

"j1333@

Our new kitty typed my title for today's blog post...Thomas, now known as Webster.........

<<000000000kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk=]]]]]]]]]]]]],m=> >>     is already multi tasking.  He's got talent!  Yup...I'm just like all of the other mom's in this       < <<=\\\\\\\\\\\\>>  >        helicopter/superglue/velcro world. I believe that just because our little kitty has scrolled out a few typewritten, paw punched words on my laptop, he is THE most talented kitty in the world!  Mine is the one....definitely.  This kitten is making it to the big league.  This kitten's got talent!

Why is this happening in our country?  Who are these people?  Why does everyone need to be on a t.v. show to prove that their kid or kiddy/kitty is the best and why do we have to watch them try to prove it?  On television!

We have lived side by side with some of the parents while standing on the sidelines of soccer fields or lacrosse fields, baseball diamonds, basketball courts and peeking in the window at ballet class, karate, cub scouts and brownies....... excuse me the kitten seems to have some input here!       < < < sta of ba>  >     ...who want us to know that their       < <(>>  >           their child or children have talent......above and beyond the other gazillion kids on out on those fields or wooden floors all across the country.   I feel for the kids....the pressure seems intense.

Being the best in school or sports is a dream for some kids who feel it from deep inside...that's big. Some kids seem to be poised to fulfill their parents unfulfilled dreams. We see the parents.  We see the kids.  Are they having fun?  Doesn't look like it after the game when one or both parents are doing post game breakdown.  Nervous breakdown. 

 

They say many kids are ridden with anxiety these days.  I wonder why? Parents seem to be talking about scholarships and exclusive universities....by middle school.  We hear that there is a new trend in college admissions....it's not about the grades and the multiple sports in which little kiddy excels, it's about passion and overall work and balance.

My mom always said, "Everything in moderation."....I think that applies to our kids as much as for our eating and drinking habits. what happened to that?

I keep thinking of Jon Benet Ramsay.  Oh, I've seen 2nd graders at ballet recitals wearing make up and getting bouquets bigger than baby Jon Benet.  It's just creepy.

 

The best part of my day today was a "TEENS" meeting available, through our schools,

for parents of teens in the  town.  A few of us graduated from "TWEENS"...our kids are in high school now. 

It's nice to have a safe place for our style of parenting...the ones who just do their best to have their kids do their best and find their own way with our support.  It's tricky territory.  AND it's high school, a tumultuous time in any teens life.

It's great to be with parents who have  honesty, best intentions,  a sense of humor, 

passion for children trying to learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of others who have traveled this route before us.  There are meetings for "TEENS AND BEYOND"....I kid you not.  The moderator has grown children...she says there are new things to deal with even then! Thank goodness parents benefit from a learning curve just as our children do.

The letting go curve seems to be even more intense for  parenting 2010.  I wonder why. Are we all trying to hard? Where's the balance. How about our parents?  They were far from helicopters and velcro....and they loved us....and did their best too! It seems that however we choose to parent, we all end up getting our life lessons by growing right along with our kids.  Bringing up parents is a tough job, but somebody's got to do it......just sayin'.  

Parenthood, a new weekly show this season is so real life, we see ourselves or a facsimile of in every episode.

I guess we're all just doing our best for the ones we love. 

Parenthood, the movie, isn't far from the truth! 

This is a great article from the New York Times Sept.2010 

 

By the way, the kitty really tip toed across these keys....he keeps us laughing.