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Damage Control


The time has come to scour, organize, fix, paint, and straighten up our house to be sold.

Yikes. Just give me a Xanax right now.

"What's the big deal?" you might say, or "There shouldn't be a problem, right?" you could say. Well, there is a very big problem and it is a huge deal. Why? Because I have FIVE BOYS.

Granted, one of them just poops, eats, and sleeps (the last one on occasion), but the others tend to destroy things on a regular basis.

We've lived in this house three years this August and it was in the first year that most of the damages were done.

My mind goes back to the day that I waited in the van while Bashful had to go back into the house to get something. He came back out and proceeded to shut the door, but for some reason it wouldn't close for him. So, thinking that slamming harder would make it shut, he slammed it over and over only to have the door stubbornly refuse to shut.

I was sitting in the driver's seat with my mouth open watching this scene play out before my eyes. I finally got out of the van and ran to see what was really going on.

The kid had turned the deadbolt before trying to shut the door.

I also remember the time when I was cleaning in one of the boys' rooms and came upon something that made me wonder if I was seeing things.

About ten little nails had been driven into the wall so that only the tops could be seen.

So, due to the necessity of keeping our house damage-free for the showings, I've come up with a tip for other moms in my situation.

Every morning, I tidy everything up and then close off the upstairs with a gate. I then inform my children that if they even dare to try to test me and climb over the gate, they will end up regretting it for the rest of their lives. When the weather is nice, you can bet they are outside.

After all, fresh air is good for them, right?

This tip will also be good for those of us who just like to keep a nice, clean house. My little Happy will not be able to follow behind me destroying everything that has taken me hours to do in just seconds.

The downstairs is their living space, so every day we take 15 minutes and do a quick tidying up to keep mommy from going insane.

Now, I'm all for letting children enjoy the place that they live in, but if they want a mother who doesn't go insane periodically from the amount of cleaning she has to do, then they will learn this way that a clean house makes a happy home.

Many other moms have already learned this tip, but for some reason it took me a while to figure this one out.
For more tips, check out Rocks In My Dryer.

Comments

a Tonggu Momma said…
You are brilliant! Truly brilliant. And I stand in awe ... five boys.

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