Trashing the Boys' Room

from: spreadshirt.com

I love this T-shirt. Because it makes me laugh.

I suppose I am an okay mom. You might have to ask my boys though. Last Saturday, when they didn't clean their room, I kicked them out of the house with no shoes on, told them not to leave the property, and then I bagged up their room.

The best part? I ceremoniously would unlock the back door, announce which bag I was on, and then toss the bag out into the dirt driveway.

"Bag number THREE!" And up it sailed, arcing until it landed with a "thud" making a little dust cloud from the impact.

I got to 5 bags.

Now, on the plus side, my girls saw what was going on and decided to Spring Clean their bedroom, asking if it was okay to toss some of the things they didn't use anymore.


Yes, yes it is. Thank-you very much.

I even moved furniture out of the boys' room. They had nothing.

I finished in under 30 minutes, and when I invited them back in, they cried. They cried when they saw they had nothing. No clothes, no toys, no furniture. Everything they owned was in the driveway.

I told them that later in the day, when I wasn't angry and they had a chance to sit in their empty room and contemplate their situation, they could bring in one bag at a time and put things away.

We went grocery shopping, and when we came home, they spent an hour and a half putting their stuff away.

Best thing? They filled a giant trash bag full of stuff to throw away.

I'm not sure what a great mom would have done. Maybe calmly worked side by side (AGAIN for the millionth time), helping her sons realize the value of a tidy room and the purpose of a trash can and dirty clothes hamper? (I mean seriously...they have two places to put dirty clothes and neither one is used regularly without a constant reminder.) Would she have pulled a Mary Poppins and sang happy cleaning songs with her children?

I'm not sure what a great mom would have done. I'm not sure I even care. All I know is that my boys' room has been clean this week. And, I am OKAY with that.

I wonder how long it'll last?

Taking a Nap Before 9AM is Okay. Because I said so!

The last two mornings I had to take a nap before 9am. I went to bed too late, got up way too early, and just couldn't function.

Problem is, it put a damper on my entire day both times.

Not today though. No nap. Even though I got up at 4:30 am to let my dog out (weird!) and was waking up, I forced myself to shut down the ol' noggin and just hoped I would sleep some more. I turned off my 5:30 alarm and kept the 6:25 one on. It worked. I was able to sleep a bit more, and I am able to function!

Probably helped my sleep last night that I didn't OD on Diet Pepsi in the evening hours.

Just so you know, I am done with the month of May. It can be over now. Please. Last week I was at a baseball thing every night of the week, or so it seemed. This week I am literally at a baseball thing (or two), or a board meeting, or a Pinewood Derby every night this week. I just want to stay home. Not eat out of an ice chest for dinner.

That's okay. It is almost over. The week seems lighter next week. Last week was supposed to be a light week as well...

Next year, if we decide to do it again, both boys will be old enough to be on the same team. That will help a ton.

Can't wait for summer.

Oh, and I got a new to me car this weekend. It's kind of old...but I love it! It is so much more comfortable than my Mazda. Nothing is falling off of it, there are no mice living in it...it has music...all in all, a winning combination! It is a 2006 Lincoln Navigator. It feels so fancy, fancier than me. It also feels a little bit like a grandma car. But that is okay, because to get better gas mileage out of it, I'm driving even more like a grandma than I usually do. So it fits! Haha. Seating for 8, and a cargo area that will fit all my groceries? Yes, PLEASE! Ryan's legs don't touch the dash, either. Score!

Do I Have Anything to Say, and Happy Mother's Day!

Yesterday was the best Mother's Day ever, so far, in my almost 12 year history of being a mom. No one puked, bled, or threw a tantrum! That probably comes with the blessing of growth, and you know what? I'll take it.

It is likely just the mood I am in, but I am feeling especially pensive today. I am also feeling lazy, tired, not hungry, and my feet are cold. But I want to focus on the pensive feeling. The peering into my brain, the doubts, the questions, and the trying to be patient with myself feelings. These feelings all stem from this change in circumstances that I am going through with my schooling being finished, the Bar exam looming in front of me, and the aftermath of it all. Will I pass the first time? I hope so. But, it is no guarantee.

What about my writing projects? Do I lay those aside or keep plowing through? I don't like to read what I write. To see my words on a page and thrown back at me is difficult. But here I am, revisiting the idea that I had three years ago when I knew, KNEW that I needed to write a book and submit it to a publisher. I didn't listen, exactly to that prompting. I hemmed and hawed and wrote "Trailer Life" instead. But now I think it is time to start working again. To pull it out, brush it off, and put forth something I can be happy with. I guess this is the time when I need to take that leap of faith and plug my nose while I jump in with both feet. Quash the nagging little voice in my head that tells me I am incompetent, that I can't do it, and that I have no business even trying.

Eh. Today is a great day. A great day to mull around with my ideas, not do laundry, and not workout. Tomorrow will be an even better day, because tomorrow I will work. It begins.

Did I mention I took a 2.5 hour nap this MORNING? The cows ate my trees and I was tired, so off I went! It was great. Did not help me at all get anything done. But oh, how I must have needed the sleep!