It's Superwoman's fault

I am perpetually late for everything- work, church, doctor's appointments, and anything else that has a set start time. I don't do it on purpose, and I always mean to be on time, but I have a horrible habit of underestimating how long it takes to get places. I also think I'm superwoman, and have a tendency of over-estimating how much I can do in a day, morning, hour, etc. But sometimes, it has little to do with me- some mornings one of my kids can't find his coat or another forgets his bookbag at home. Sometimes my daughter and I have a difference of opinion on clothes, like I think she should wear them and she wants to go commando in the middle of winter.

Then there are mornings when I walk into a room to find something like this-

Yes, that is Anakin Skywalker in my living room, teaching Superwoman to sort her crayons into piles by colors. It is pretty common in my home, to find Star Wars characters, super heroes, princesses, and fairies playing with each other, and helping each other to learn new things. (And in case you were wondering, both kids walked out of the house dress like this - one to school for character day, and the other to the sitter, who is now accustomed to the costumes.)

New Year, New Beginnings

I love new things- New Years Day, new school years, new recipes, new writing ideas, new craft ideas.... New things hold a million possibilities, and always seem so fresh and clean. As a child, I loved starting a new school year- my book bag was clean and light, all my notebooks and binders were filled with blank pieces of paper that might later be filled with answers to impossible math problems, amazing stories, or interesting facts. With a fresh new start, wonderful things seemed sure to follow.

But new things don't STAY new. Paper gets filled with writing (not all of it good), the corners of your binders get bent, pencils are broken. New recipes can lead to burnt suppers, and even when done properly, not all recipes are keepers. Craft projects mean messes to clean up. Starting a scarf means taking the time to finish it. New things become old things, or at the very least, normal every-day things.

As much as I love new things, I have a problem with endings. I've started 2 scarves in the last few weeks, but haven't finished one. At the end of every semester, I am done with studying, writing papers on "New Jersey during the Industrial Revolution", and conjugating irregular Spanish verbs. I pray for the last day of school to hurry up and get here already. I constantly leave clean socks in the basket, because I get tired of folding laundry. I leave dishes in the sink because that last pan is just sooo much to scrub.

This year... this year is gonna be different. I'm going to finish my pile of laundry, wash all the dishes, and end each semester strong. I'm going to finish the scarf I started for my daughter and the one one I started for my mom. I am going to finish reading the Bible (yes, the WHOLE thing). I am going to finish the certification I started at work. I am going to stick to a diet for more than two weeks.

I guess I better get started... and that means finishing this post. Happy New Year's, and may your year hold many exciting beginnings, and just as many amazing endings!

Laundry woes

My hubby and I split many chores, and laundry is one that falls on my side of the list. I don't mind laundry, but after a week without a working dryer, I was WAY behind. Now that all appliances are in working order, my kids finally have clean socks and underwear, and my mountain of dirty clothes has worked it's way down to a manageable hill, I decided to share with the world (or my handful of blog readers) my laundry woes.

Socks- Not only is there a pile of socks with no mates at the end of every basket, but matching socks is like a jigsaw puzzle. There are 6 different pairs of feet in my house, and while the kids only have one or two types of sockes (N has some with lines, and some with grey toes; K has plain pink toes, and some with girly patterns), the hubby has an endless variety. He has long socks, ankle socks, and some in between; grey toes, grey soles, plain white, some with a stripe, some that say "Hanes". I won't lie, some (ahem, most) weeks, I leave all the socks in a basket and let the family find their own matches.

Pockets full of stuff- Luckily, E has finally broken the "crayon in the pocket" habit. There were several years of shirts and pants with crayon markings on them. We have also moved past the "MP3 player in the pocket" stage- or it could be that we stopped supplying MP3 players (and they wonder why we won't shell out $200 for an Ipod). Unfortunately, both E and C are hanging in the "DS games in the pocket" stage. Which means few DS games have titles on them, since the stickers have washed off. On the plus side, DS games are resilient and work after several trips through the washer.

Clean clothes in the laundry- my kids have been known to leave some clean clothes on the floor of their room either because they didn't have room to fit shirts/pants in their drawer or just didn't feel like putting their laundry away. And of course, anything on the floor finds its way to the laundry basket downstairs eventually. I'm sure I wash more clean clothes than I realize, but occasionally I catch a clean shirt before it enters the washer, and it is followed by the typical "do you think I wash clothes because I like it?" speech met by their blank stares (b/c of course Mom likes to do laundry).

And finally- All the clothes that need to be pulled apart or turned around before being returned in a neat, clean pile. There are the balled up socks, with all their dirty, sweaty grossness. Should I undo them (EWWW) or wash them as they are (they won't get REALLY clean that way). Shirts inside out- I can't help but turn them right, but one day when I dial down my laundry OCD, I swear I'm gonna leave 'em be. And in the winter, shirts inside of shirts. I am all about layering to stay warm, but can't you take the layers apart for me?

Many have suggested that I let the kids help with the laundry, or let them takeover the chore entirely. And I've thought about it, really I have. One small problem, it has to be folded a certain way, and the stacks of laundry have to be stacked the right way. I've tried to teach them, but I'm pretty sure it is going to take several drinks (for them and me*) to make it through that lesson. Yup, as laid back as I think I am, I am completely Type-A, OCD when it comes to laundry. I've even caught myself refolding clothes my hubby has folded and rearranging the piles (he just can't get them right). So until we move to a nudist colony**, I guess I better keep this pile of laundry moving.

*Don 't worry, I wouldn't really give the kids drinks while teaching them to fold laundry, although it couldn't make their dewrinkling and folding any worse. If I ever try to teach them the right way to fold pants and shirts, I will spring for the years of counseling they will surely need. Or maybe it would be cheaper to hire a maid. Hmmm.

**Do they ever wear clothes in a nudist colony? I bet they do in the winter. Must do research.