I would love to tell you that Alex came back home Sunday and transitioned seamlessly into our regular routine and our regular rules, and I guess technically I could tell you that, but it would be a lie, and seeing as how I punished Alex this afternoon for not telling me the truth about his alleged involvement with pushing the buttons on the TiVo, I should probably practice what I’ve been preaching.
So the truth of the matter is that it’s feeling increasingly like some sort of toddler behavioral detox in our neck of the woods. OH MY MERCY it’s taking every ounce of patience I have to handle Mr. Sassy McBritches and not to go in our bedroom and shut the door and eat Ruffles and french onion dip while maintaining a non-stop connection to an endless diet Coke spigot.
While watching “Notting Hill” and “Ocean’s 11” over and over and over.
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And it really is good to have the little man at home again – especially just a second ago when I took a couple of hot dogs out on the deck for D. to cook with the hamburgers, and Alex jumped up and down and said, “OH! I LOVE! HOT DOGS! THANK YOU MAMA!”
(The child totally has my number with the boundless enthusiasm deal. Because I pretty much don’t care what you tell me as long as you say it! With exclamation points! And then! It’s all better!)
But in addition to trying to figure out how to wrangle the little man, I’m trying to figure out how to wrangle myself, too. I can, um, get a little, um, obsessive about my house, and having it on the market seems to magnify that tendency. I am trying to make my peace with the fact that people may actually be sitting on the couches, that I may actually have to cook in the kitchen, that I can’t actually live with some sort of protective plastic covering on the stairs (I really did suggest that last one to D. yesterday after we had the carpet cleaned, and I was Totally Serious).
Perhaps I need to find a little balance in this situation.
You think?
So right now I’m letting Alex splash in the tub, despite the fact that he’s making a bit of a mess. And there are two plastic bins of toys completely emptied out in the middle of the living room floor. And there are dishes from supper just sitting in the sink, because I am LAID BACK AND DEVIL MAY CARE-ISH, that’s what I am!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to run the vacuum for the fourth time today.
(Issues! I have issues!)
I promise you – the day someone comes unexpectedly to look at your house and it’s a mess – they’ll buy it!! Life just seems to work that way.
Seriously, we have been house hunting with our grown kids recently, and you would not believe the condition of some of the houses they took us to. Dirty and messy don’t begin to describe them. I’m sure your house will look perfectly gorgeous even if it is a little “lived in”.
I’ve heard the same thing as Linda said, but I have a hard time letting it go, too–and mine has been on the market since February! This has been a LONG time to keep a house clean with multiple little Messy People in it!
Now I’m off to email you for more Effective Parenting Tips . . .
Take comfort in the fact that I share your issues and don’t even have the excuse of my house being on the market. :)
As for the deprogramming, if you figure it out or at least figure out how to get the spigot of Diet Coke flowing, let me know your secret.
I recalled when I saw this house-it had “paintings” on the walls from the owner’s kids, scratches on the hard-wood floors by the golden retriever who also made furry “ornaments” on the yard’s screen doors, and a hole in the master bedroom closet door (resembling a knuckle-punch made by a frustrated someone). To me, it looked like the owners enjoyed living in the house thoroughly so we bought it. No regrets and lived happily ever after. I guess I like a house that seemed lived in, not a perfect house that seems unrealistic, if you know what I mean.
Nobody writes like you Boo. It’s like there’s a huge OH MY MERCY whole in the blog-o-sphere when you’re out staging houses. Glad you’re back.
I am positive that your house, looking “lived in” is way better than 99% of the other houses on the market. It surprises me the condition some houses are in that are being sold.
Considering having a house on the market is a stressful time, I vote you handle Mr. Sassy McBritches and THEN go to your bedroom, shut the door and drown your sorrows in Ruffles and french onion dip.
Nobody said it had to be an either/or situation. ;)
What do you say we get together with a 12 pack of diet coke, watch lots of movies, and let the kids completely wreck the house…Doesn’t matter which one?
Thank goodness no one is looking at my house at the moment. I don’t think anyone would want it!
Hi,
Our house is on the market too, and it has been for a month. We want to sell quickly because my husband has a new job and it took him 2 hours to commute to work today, it is only 75 miles, and we live in California, so on a good day that should only be an hour!
So I understand the compulsion thing, it is almost like living in someone else’s house! I am afraid to start any project that might make a mess for fear/hope someone will want to see our home! And every time my daughter sleeps (morning nap, afternoon nap, bedtime) I race around the house tidying and putting her toys away!
So I will make you a deal – I will do your dishes if you run the vacuum around my house! :-)
Kristy
It might be painful for you but thanks for providing me with a chuckle, I love Notting Hill too. For that matter I love Ruffles with French onion dip too. Mmmm . . .
I LOVE Oceans’ Eleven. ((HUGS)) May God’s peace be with you. :-)
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That’ll do…for your exclamation point push-button, yes?
It does indeed sound like a prescription of Diet Coke and yummy snacks are in order and what any good Southern Doctor would order up for what ails you. But you would make it so fun, so I say we should all get together for said prescription and then anyone who came thru to look at the house would want to buy it if such fun goes on in your lovely abode! Let us know when the next showing is and we’ll come help you out!!! ;-)
Here, here for Suzanne’s idea!
you are so totally up my alley sister! (and like BigMama said, I don’t even have a house on the market as an excuse…)
Blessings! (and PEACE!)
I kind of have the love/dislike thing with going to Grammy’s. She adores my kids. Spoils them beyond belief, and then sends them home where I have to undo the damage and be the mean mommy. Which I guess I am ready to be since I have usually had several glorious days to myself. That first day back is haaaarrdd! Reia always gets the, “If this is how you are going to act when you come back from Grammy’s then you can’t go anymore.” She has of course figured out this is a total and complete lie. =)