I now know why some animals eat their young.

Its to keep them from screwing up the nice living area. And to keep their sanity.

Let me back up to last night. After I blogged. I had cleaned the kitchen. Well when BR got home at 2:45am Duke went balistic. He never barks at BR. heck, he is so old that half the time I have to wake him up and TELL him to bark at anyone. Well this woke up Bow. And he was just happy as a lark. wanting to play. I was SOOO ready for bed.
Anyway, BR went into the kitchen. and asked me what the hell had happened. I really didnt want to investigate it. But I did. It all goes back to me getting on to Matt a few weeks ago. I told him that in every aspect of life he needed to show some inititive. When he passes by something that needs throwing away, THROW it away. When he see's something that needs to be done. DO it. dont make someone ask you. Well he had seen that the sink had some dishes that needed put in the dishwasher, so he put them in. He let me know he was taking the 'inititive' and doing it. Then he turned it on. Since I KNEW that he hadnt cleaned off the table prior to starting the dishwasher I told him to turn it off.
THen I got up and cleaned the kitchen. Sure enough he had found a 1/2 a sink of dishes and wanted to run the dishwasher, there was enough on the table and counters to fill 'er up. So I did.

Then I went to put one of those brick things in. And there already was one. it was already melting. surrounded by water. But that was okay. it all has to melt anyway, right?

Well when BR got home and walked into the kitchen he found sudsy water from the dishwasher to the freezer. a good 15 feet. my whole kitchen was full of water. So I cleaned it up.

Then we went on to bed. But I had to potty first. I turned on the one light that is working. The other went out day before yesterday and its a 12 foot ceiling. well maybe 10. But it still requires a chair, time, and energy. None of which were close at hand. So when I walked in I flipped both switches out of habit. I hear a hummin and popping. not loud, but definate. I fiqure its what those fancy flourecent bulbs do when they burn out. So I make a mental note to change it tomorrow. Then as I am walking out and go to turn off the light I see an ant on the switch. I look closer.

Yep, they are all around the switch. So I go and get my poison and a screwdriver. I took off the cover and they were just teaming out. So I put in some poison gel. It didnt take them long and they were getting into it.

The light is not out. the contacts are not contacting, cause of the ant corpses. That is the popping sound. them being electicuted. HA! Boy that feels good.

So I went on to bed. Bow was still wound up tighter than an 8 day clock. but eventually I got him to sleep. BR was already snoring. must be nice.

I had to get up and get the kids off to VBS. But I did manage to remmeber to send their offerin money that they had earned the day before doing a few extra things for me. And their can of veggies for what ever they wanted it for. AND their bibles. ANd I had woke up 20 minutes before they were to be picked up! Not bad for someone half asleep and cranky. Of course we had a few incidences. Bow found a penny on Rayley's floor and tried to choke to death. We had no more than got that back up and out and had him breathin normal again that I put him down on the floor to curl Rayley's hair with the hot iron and I hear one of the boys say "BOW! you aint supposed to be eatin dirt!" He was in here eatin mud off BR's boots that he had knocked onto the floor and not picked up. Big ole clods of mud. I need a roomba. I cant keep up with vaccuming.

Since I had only gotten 2 and a half hours of sleep I decided to try and go back to sleep. Finally Bow let me.

When had a pretty good nap. aside from him waking me up snoring. a 7 month old baby and he snores like a bear.

Once the kids got home I decided to run on over to my grandfathers. I had to brave the minefield that my eldest two call a room and get Bow some clothes. He has an armour (sp) in there. Nothin fancy, but its his. well I opened it up and it was FULL of fire ants. I found him some clothes, shut the doors and headed to my grandfathers.


We had a decent little visit and then I came home to tackle the closet of Bow's and that room. But first I made lunch and cleaned the kitchen.

I ended up doing 6 loads of laundry out of Bow's clothes. And found another 6 loads at least in the boys room.

I cleaned that sucker from top to bottom. I had some of those big industrial garbage bags and I filled up 3 of them with toys, and one over flowing plus 2 kitchen bags with trash. I tried to get the kids to watch the baby for me. But he spent most of the 4 hours screaming.

They have VERY little left. Books, some, NOT all, of their matchbox cars, their imaginex dinosaurs, and paper and pens and colors. Thats IT. oh, and their sports stuff.
I found toys that I have NEVEr seen before. Found out why I had to buy Brett 3 sets of map pencils this year. Found my missing kitchen sheers. a bowl, 1/2 my clothes (sometimes I make them fold and put up clothes) 1/2 the socks in the house, and 13,837 lego's.

I made the kids fold up all the laundry as I was cleaning the room. They played instead. or faught. or picked on Rayley. Or lost Bow.
The kicker was the backpacks. Apparently the last time I had told them to clean their room they got the bright idea to stuff it all in their school backpacks, and their 2 batbags. I found those towards the end.
In just one backpack I found: (and keep in mind, my kids are NOT given Soda's and are NOT allowed to eat in their rooms)

a empty Dr Pepper bottle
7 socks (mismatched)
enough paper for a copy of Harry Potter
23 pencils, pens, map pencils and 12 full crayons and at least 23 broken peices
87 lego peices
2 shirts (that were clean)and theirs
1 of Rayley's skirts
1 of Bow's toys (he isnt allowed in there, all his toys are in here)
4 breakfast bar wrappers
3 matchbox cars
4 boxcar children kids books.
2 pair of childrens sissors (they are not allowed these either, I dont want things cut up...)
3 broken hangers (I only use plastic hangers, I will go mommy dearest on someone using a wire hanger in my house)
and 4 misc. toys

There were 4 like this.

THEN I made one of them come in and get UNDER the beds. that was another hour of cleaning up trash and picking up lego's.

If anyone ever brings another lego into my house I will string them up in a tree by their toes and give them said lego's and tell them to build a freakin ladder to save themselves.

And the ENTIRE time I am cleaning this room I am listening to Rayley tell me she is hungry. every 3 minutes.

89% of the 'trash' was work books and papers they brought home from school on the last few weeks. It was sent home through out that time so I didnt see it all in its entirerty. Till now.
And since Bretts teacher retired, she unloaded EVEYRTHIN she had in her class to the kids. pens, pencils, workbooks from 10 years ago, sticky pads, erasers, paints, markers, extra map pencils, crayons. It was awful.

Now before you think I never clean my house ( and I dont), we really did just have this room SPOTLESS in April. before my dad came. And they had JUST gotten their toys back in December. they had NO toys for months. No nothing for months. just furniture and bare walls. and the rooms were SPOTLESS at those times.

I did finally get mostly done. I stacked everything I had gathered up on the beds and told Brett to vacumm.
Then I walked out. and into my kitchen I was starving. I hadnt eated ALL day.
You couldnt see the table. there were water bottles EVERYWHERE. and cups and raman noodles, and toast, and just general junk. While I was cleaning their room they were messing up my clean kitchen.

It was already 9. I made them all a sandwich. Got me cookies and milk and then sat there while they cleaned the kitchen.
Then they decided they were tired. And since each had already taken a bath headed off to bed. I was on the phone with BR and when I got off 10 minutes later I went and got them.

There was 6 loads of laundry that I had told them to fold. I had reminded them the whole time I was cleaning their room. With them in tears they folded most of it. I didnt make them hang it all up yet. and one big basket was socks. plus a basket and a half of Bow's blankets.
Since the 7 foot by 2 foot by 2 foot (yes I did measure it) pile in the laundry room is out of their room, and since I am having to wash all of Bow's clothes due to ants in THEIR room they are GOING to help me. Come hell or highwater.

I made them get out what needed hanging up RIGHT then, and to seperate the rest. They were just SOOO tired. well I could have cared less.
I still havent gotten to Rayley's room and have to really clean my kitchen AND living room. plus all this damn laundry. And all before noon Friday, when my dad gets here. And I still have to go into town tomorrow and grocery shop. And pay bills. thats going to take at least 5 hours. PLUS, I have about 10 hours worth of computer work to do on thier yearbook before Monday. With Rayley's party on Saturday, my dad coming in and all the extra work I will be pushing it.

Oh and I did ask Matt about the dishwasher. Come to find out, he fiqured that if he put in some Ivory liqued they would get cleaner, faster. So he filled up the litle cup thingy with it. He promises to never do that again. But did point out that the tea they had spilled the day before was now gone and the floor under the table wasnt sticky anymore. I didnt know they had spilled tea yesterday. They werent even suppsed to be drinking tea yesterday. they were on a tap water only day. Since I had found tea and water bottles all over the kitchen.


On a slightly more personal note. YOu have read my rambalings on 102 blogs. I dont know if its sad that I have managed to find that much to bitch about, or if its sad that you are still willing to listen to me bitch. Either way. THANK YOU!! And please keep those emails coming. They really mean alot to me. chellebyerly sittinat excite dot com. (you fiqure it out. I am trying to avoid the spammers.. :) )