The Right Volume

It feels like FOREVER since I’ve been in this space. To my faithful readers, I’m so sorry I slipped into radio silence without so much as a word of warning. I didn’t intend for it to be so long but a hard drive crash and summer travels launched me into a loosey-goosey state and, I must say, I’m kind of enjoying it.

I used to DREAD summer. How do I entertain the kids? How will we survive the heat? What will we do when everyone I know has left for the breeze of the beach or the cool of the mountains?

I think getting some age on the kids has made all the difference. (That or all the electronic devices we own). After successfully taking the kids–sans Jon–to Atlanta and having an amazing time I’m looking around thinking Where can I road trip to next? For the first time, I feel like my youngest is road-ready.

The other thing that has me sidetracked is my house. I returned from a stay at my dear friend’s home with the most unusual and unexpected desire: to improve as a home-maker. I know! I’m as shocked as you are. I haven’t felt this way in years. 

Here’s some of what I observed in in her home: there was a place for everything and everything was returned to its place. What a novel idea. My husband would throw a party if he lived in a place like that.

There was a container at her kitchen sink that held all the brushes and sponges. She had baskets and trays on various surfaces that held clutter. And after searching all my bags thinking I’d misplaced my car keys, I realized the depth of her organizational system when I discovered them hanging on the wall hook right next to all the other keys for the household.

What can I say? I became a part of them.

Also, she talked about dinner at 10 am. What would we like? What should she make? Brilliant! It was a little different than my six o’ clock waltz to the fridge when my creativity is put to the test as I calculate what contents can be thrown together while the kids whine “I’m hungry” all through the process.

And here’s the sad truth of it all: I used to be that way. Or at least the second part, about the dinners. I’m not sure what happened but somewhere along the way I just sort of lost interest. I started thinking mediocre was fine and bare minimum was enough.

It must have been when we added a third child and the laundry exponentially grew and putting out the fires in front of me became the main (only?) thing I could handle. I slipped into reactive instead of proactive mode and, the thing is, I no longer have that excuse. Our youngest is almost four and I’ve just found hobbies to fill the spaces in between instead of organizing closets and opening the mail each day.

So, I have a new-found inspiration: to get the house in order. Only problem is, it’s SUMMER and it’s unlikely that that will happen until fall, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make a little bit of progress. We can do fun things AND responsible things.

So I bought a new tray.

I put the clutter that’s normally on the hallway chest in the tray and I think this is a huge accomplishment. Especially in the summer. The tray makes me feel neater. Jon hasn’t said a word about the tray (except that it scratched his brand new expensive sunglasses) but I think he feels that I’m neater too.

This may possibly be the only progress I’ll make this summer toward home organization. (That’s why I felt the need to tell you). Although it’s difficult at times, I want to be mentally present and engaged with my kids to soak up the remaining hot lazy days until a school routine takes them away from me.

So whether you’re in vacation mode or your regular routine, stuck at home with little ones or road-ready and fancy-free, here’s to summer and enjoying the kids and chaos all around.

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