Skip to main content

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.

Popular posts from this blog

Dignified Woman

They instructed me to make sure I have a full bladder on arriving for my ultrasound. Ha. I almost laughed in their faces. Pregnant me plus a full bladder equals a disaster. On my son's birthday back in March, I had to drive all the kids home afterward. I had drunk a lot of water and couldn't believe I had forgotten what happens to me when I drink too much water with no bathroom nearby when I'm pregnant. I counted the minutes till I got home all the while breaking the law and speeding trying to keep in mind not to drive too recklessly screaming at the poky people in front of me. It brought to mind the very first time I experienced a full bladder as a pregnant woman. It was my first baby and my husband was in the Air Force. So, when we had an ultrasound we went to the Academy in Colorado Springs. They told me to drink an astronomical amount of water before I came. I did so and then we started out for the half hour drive to the hospital. By the time we were on the

The Top 20 Clean Romance Movies Of All Time

I'm really picky when it comes to romantic movies. I prefer them clean and it's really hard to find those kind of romance movies these days. Nowadays, romantic movies are chock full of butts, boobs, and beds. Just sayin'. I was bored one day and decided to google the top romance movies of all time. You have got to be kidding me. One list had Brokeback Mountain on it. Pulease. I was, in fact, so disgusted by all of the lists that I came across that I decided to make my own. I decided to call it The Top 16 Clean Romance Movies of All Time, well, because I couldn't think of anymore to make it an even top 20. Now, my list might be different from most people. I said I was picky. First, I don't like b***** women. That scratches out a whole pile of popular movies. One of them being Gone With The Wind. Does anyone besides me want to smack that woman? Second, I don't like it when the couple end up in bed together. Uh, I don't really need to know, thankyouverymuch. Th

Candy Stash

As I bite into a luscious Reese's peanut butter cup, I have one thought in my mind. Thank you, Lord, that none of my children have food allergies. Otherwise, I would not be able to steal some of the candy bars from their Halloween candy stash. I would normally consider myself a meat and potatoes kind of gal. I would rather eat roast and mashed potatoes than candy any day. There comes a time, though, in every woman's life when eating chocolate becomes a must. Yesterday, I grabbed the pumpkin full of candy, locked the bathroom door, filled the tub with hot water, and luxuriated in a chocolate fest. It had to be done. May I say that Snickers is the best candy bar ever? Of course, Reese's comes in a very close second. Peanut butter and chocolate were made for each other. I was a bit disappointed to see no Butterfinger bars at all. What's up with that? Aidan probably noticed the less than full pumpkin because he brought me an empty one and told me that we need