Shock and Awe

Long after we’ve taught our kids to drive, showed them how to do laundry, watched them get their diplomas and congratulated them on their first “real” job there is still one thing about motherhood that will haunt me – walking into my children’s bedrooms. It’s got to be one of the scariest things that I do on a regular basis – and then, only if I have to.

I do not consider myself a neat freak or hyper-organized. Still, I try to declutter throughout my house as often as possible. I do my best to live by the old adage – A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place. Well, maybe I should say that I live by that adage in two situations: 1) Somebody is coming over. Or 2) There’s nothing on TV and I’m crabby as hell.

Nevertheless, it bugs me when I walk by my kids’ bedrooms and see more clothes on the floor than in a Gap dressing room. Or, my pet peeve - dirty dishes, empty soda cans or wrappers from food. Sometimes I think that a FEMA trailer might pull up in front of our house, hearing that there was a state of emergency on our second floor. But no such luck. (And seriously? I don’t think even those people would go in unless they were equipped with hazmat suits. Yeah, it’s that bad.)

For those of you with young daughters, I have two words of wisdom: Good luck. There is virtually nothing you can do to keep up with the flurry of clothing that will fly around your daughter’s bedroom and end up on the floor. The tricky part is figuring out what’s clean or what’s simply been tried on and rejected. This is where you’ll have to resort to smelling the clothing piled on the floor. Oh yes you will!

Oh and the answer is yes. I do go in and clean up my kids’ rooms. Yeah, I know. Every single parenting manual will tell you that it’s the wrong thing to do and that they’ll never learn responsibility. That manual will also not be there to deal the ants that will invade if I don’t. Or deal with a sobbing adolescent looking for “my favorite cami!”

And even if you do decide to go for hazardous duty and go into your kids’ bedrooms, you must still be prepared for the verbal attacks: “Mooooooom, where’s my (insert name of crappy but beloved piece of clothing here)?!” It’s always spoken in an accusatory tone, implying that you had the item, lost it and didn’t care about them (the child) or the item. And when the item is found at their friend’s house, don’t spend a moment thinking you’ll get an apology. It’s not gonna happen.

Still, I’ve decided that visiting my kids’ rooms regularly and making a feeble attempt to at least find the floor is good for my soul. It makes me feel a little less frazzled, I get an up-close peek at their world and once in a blue moon, I actually get to hear the words “Thank you.” To me, it’s worth it.

Sometimes Nagging Isn't Enough

50 Things I Love About...Everything!

Because I got some calls. Because some people were worried. Because I'm not a hater, I happily bring you this list.....

1. I love my husband and my children.
2. I love puppies, especially Golden Retrievers.
3. I love chocolate of any kind, except white chocolate which I think is an oxymoron.
4. I love books in which I can get lost and that I can’t wait to get back to reading.
5. I love fall – the cooling weather and stunning colors.
6. I love football – primarily Green Bay Packers, but when desperate will watch almost any kind…unless it’s soccer in which case I have no clue what’s going on.
7. I love music that takes me by surprise and make me want to dance, even though, seriously, I can’t dance.
8. I love good red wine.
9. I love the smell of clean clothes.
10. I love sitting down to a home-cooked meal that I haven’t cooked.
11. I love laughing until my stomach hurts.
12. I love the sound of my children’s laughter.
13. I love watching my husband laugh so hard that he cries.
14. I love a movie that makes me cry at the end.
15. I love looking forward to watching my favorite TV shows.
16. I love waking up in the morning before everyone in my house. It’s my favorite time of day and I don’t have to talk to anyone.
17. I love reading the daily comics.
18. I love good friends that can fill in the gaps of my ever-failing memory.
19. I love sitting next to a pool on a hot day, listening to great music.
20. I love playing tennis – anywhere, anytime.
21. I love receiving compliments, even though they fluster me and I rarely say the right thing in response.
22. I love the smell of babies.
23. I love deep conversations in which you get lost…unless they’re way over my head.
24. I love not taking myself seriously.
25. I love unexpectedly finding something in common with someone new.
26. I love comfy shoes and clothes.
27. I love blue jeans, especially when they’re stretchy – brilliant idea!
28. I love falling asleep on a clean, cold pillow.
29. I love children that like me. How can I not?
30. I love a day where I’ve accomplished several tasks, no matter how menial they are. This explains why I’m a stay-at-home mom.
31. I love a fantastic meal eaten outside at a picturesque spot – or just a nice patio will do.
32. I love surprises.
33. I love change, unless it involves taking away someone that I love.
34. I love being alone in my house, as long as everyone is eventually returning.
35. I love Fridays when People Magazine arrives and I can sit outside and read it leisurely with great music playing on my iPod.
36. I love being in a crowd, cheering for the winning team.
37. I love listening to toddlers talk – hilarious!
38. I love back scratches.
39. I love getting mail – real mail, not junk mail.
40. I love my birthday. As I age, I try not to care, but I always do.
41. I love respectful, thought-provoking, challenging questions of faith.
42. I love making cookies on a chilly day…OK, and nibbling a bit of dough while I’m at it.
43. I love the smell of a wood fire.
44. I love a Broadway musical that gives me chills or makes me cry.
45. I love music festivals on a warm summer day when you find fantastic music and great people watching.
46. I love the sound of men’s wing-tip shoes on a marble floor. (Yeah, call me weird.)
47. I love watching Field of Dreams. Anytime, anywhere. It’s the only movie I can watch over and over and over.
48. I love the feeling of pride I get when my kids do something talented, incredible or just plain nice.
49. I love how smells and songs take me down memory lane in an instant. If a woman walks by me wearing White Shoulders perfume, I immediately think of my mom getting ready to go out somewhere nice with my dad.
50. I love the deep down feeling of contentment that comes when your children are safe, your priorities are in order and your worries are few.