I am not winning any battles right now. Life allegedly slowed down because of the pandemic, but that is a LIE. A giant, stupid lie. Life is just as chaotic as ever and that is exactly why I am losing on all fronts.
Just take a walk through the house. It's SO very obvious I can't keep up with any of the things. Mostly, I can't keep up with this thing.
I could spend 24 hours per day, 7 days per week following her around and cleaning up her messes. Toss in some routine house management stuff like kitchen counters and cooking dinners and cleaning bathrooms and ... and ... and. I need about 17 more hours in a day. And that's just to keep the house from looking like it's headed towards being condemned. It's great that I'm running at that deficit considering I also have, you know, an actual job. Plus, I'm the one who does all of the running of kids to all of the things.
So, yeah, there are crumbs on the kitchen counter at all times. It won't last, though, because I have issued my final warning about using the toaster and not cleaning up the corresponding mess. As in, I'm confiscating the toaster. Can't use a toaster with manners? You don't get to have a toaster. TAH-DAH! I will have a cleaner kitchen just like -that-.
Anyway, I'm fine. Totally fine. I'm handling all fo this SO well. Ahem.
The straw that broke the camel's back happened today. I kept Mila up past her bedtime last night to make her clean up her toys all over the living room. She thanked me this morning by dragging out ALL of the things in the 10 minutes she had to spare before going to school. After a full day of stepping over a toy every time I walked through the dining room today (because OF COURSE we have to spread our chaos all over the first floor), I made Mila pick it up the second she got off the school bus.
She walked seven steps and threw it back on the ground, along with a whole bunch of other stuff that definitely doesn't belong on the kitchen floor.
So I grabbed a trash bag and filled it to the brim with things Mila has been told to put away but didn't. That led to a bunch of drama, but the short version of what played out is that Mila seemingly learned the lesson that I needed her to learn. She cleaned up without being reminded before going to bed tonight, so I didn't have to throw away any of her stuff. Win!
But, oh, the winning does not end there. In the midst of all of this, Alexis turned to me and said, "You're a good parent. I get it now." She then had to go on and explain that she was serious because, you know, sobbing sister over in the corner, but whatever.
Good timing, Alexis. I needed that.