BOY TRAPPED

Where the inside of my mind leaks onto the screen.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Sense of Accomplishment

When you live in a house with 8 people, very little that gets "done" stays "done." For example, I could spend an hour straightening and cleaning my kitchen, but within 15 minutes, some little boy would wander through in dire need of a drink of water. He'd take two sips, then leave me with a 3/4 full cup to clean up later.

I could do the laundry, but let's face it moms... that's just a job that's never done. I think the word "cycle" applies very well to laundry. 1. Take dirty laundry to laundry room, 2. Sort, 3. Wash, 4. Dry, 5. Put in a basket and ignore for a week, 6. Fold (but only because you need said basket for the next load), 7. Put clean laundry in drawers, 8. Repeat endlessly for the rest of your life.

And forget scrubbing a toilet. Even though Heather has been diligently trying to teach her boys (and mine) that if they miss, they need to clean it up, in a house with this many people who stand up to pee, it's guaranteed that a toilet will stay clean for no longer than 15 minutes.

But today, I stumbled on a chore that can give me an actual, lasting sense of accomplishment. Once mowed, no one can un-mow a lawn! I don't have to send the kids out there with explicit instructions to not re-grow the grass I just cut. Once Kirk gets home, I don't have to explain, "Well, I did mow the lawn today, but then everybody got home and now you can't even tell." In fact, I'll be able to enjoy the fact that the lawn mowing is complete and does not need to be done again for an ENTIRE WEEK!

Obviously, even the grass grows all on its own, and every chore once done eventually must be done again. But I also don't know of any other chores that can help me work on my suntan.

7 comments:

Fountaine's said...

This post is so true! I've never thought of it in this sense. And guess what, a riding lawn mower makes is even better! I never mowed my lawn at our old house but now that we've moved and have a huge yard I have mowed my lawn several time because it's a lot more fun to cruise around on the riding lawn mower! Sometimes when I see Mike out there mowing the lawn I'm a little disappointed he got to it before me.

The Fife's said...

I love mowing the lawn. Being outside, the smell of fresh cut grass. The only thing that sucks is that you have to shower afterwards!

Kirk said...

I for one will let you mow to your hearts content. I hate mowing the lawn since I am allergic to grass, no fun.

Julie said...

I'm just reading that you're pregnant! Congrats! That's so exciting for you guys. :)

Katie said...

Oh my word, Andrea, I love you, and it is so good to know I'm not the only one who does that same cycle of eternal laundry!

Steph said...

Noah and I have many of those conversations! I have a feeling they are just going to get worse!! At least we can laugh about them right now...right!!

Nichole Bowler said...

I love what you said about cleaning the toilet! I always have to do an inspection before a guest uses the boys bathroom because you never know what you're going to find in there!!