Nothing much but something new!

So, nothing earth-shattering has been happening, but I feel a need to update the blog from time to time for all my loyal readers (ok, all three or four of you, right?). Last week Jeff and I hosted a BBQ for his department at work. We busted our asses cleaning the house. In particular, I cleaned out the kids' room (actually not Arlie's - I ran out of time and she's not here anyway, but still......). In Hayley's room I enjoyed unpacking no less than 7 bags (totes, duffels, sporty little backpacks) filled with the sad remnants of sleepovers past - deodorant, the errant toothbrush wrapped loosely in toilet paper (or not at all!), extra contacts, wadded up panties that were.......clean? Dirty? Not wanting to take any chances, all the clothing wound up in the dirty pile. And I realized, all those clothes she "doesn't" have? They were packed away in sleepover bags, taken to said sleepovers, returned to home, and relegated to the dark closet to be seen nevermore. No wonder she doesn't have anything to wear! In the end, I collected around 7 deodorants, three or four toothbrushes, $15 in change, and three huge bins of cosmetics, nail polish and toiletries. I especially enjoyed uncovering the party bag from Harrison's birthday party - in January! It contained some petrified candy specimens. I tossed an impressive number of candy wrappers from Hannah's room, too. And water bottles. I stopped buying disposable plastic water bottles at Costco, but did that stop Hannah's water bottle habit? It did not. She had five or six "reusable" bottles on her bedside table and strewn around the room. And who really needs 400 beanie babies anyway? Aren't those so YESTERDAY? Harrison's room always contains bits and pieces of broken dollar store toys and strange shapes of plastic that go to who knows what? Needless to say, I filled a large garbage bag, and an equally large laundry basket with items to be given away. I can't just throw away perfectly good toys, purses, unopened cosmetics and trinkets can I? My system also includes saving "unbroken, but unneeded" items for the geocaching backpack. Plastic beads, Happy Meal toys, rubber bouncy balls, those are the sort of swag we collect around here. When all was said and done, our house never looked cleaner and wouldn't you know it, no one went upstairs anyway? But for a couple of blissful days, Jeff and I could just walk down the "kids wing" and smile because all was right and orderly in the world. Then, the kids came back. I don't need to tell anyone with kids how fast the house can go from order to disorder in seconds once kids walk through the door. Between the annoying sounds of Spongebob coming from the TV, Toaster Strudel was left out on the counter, the milk found a permanent place on the kitchen table (because everyone loves warm milk, right?), and several pairs of shoes made their way under and around the table and in the family room. This is the bane of my existence. Sigh.