Last Minute Gifts

I know, I’m strange. I’m one of those people that loves to organize. I even enjoy watching those organizing shows where the professional organizer takes a chaotic room and transforms it into a lovely, functional space. But, I’m also a real mom with a job, active kids, and a dog to care for. So, on any given day, you could walk into my home and never be able to guess that I love to organize.

But, I love organizing tools - such as shelves, cabinets, canisters, and tote bags. In my garage there’s a laundry basket for all of the baskteballs, volleyballs, any type of balls. Before I purchased the basket, these balls could be found in every room of the house. In other words, wherever my daughter left the ball or wherever my husband kicked it because it was in his way is where it stayed. I would love to be able to tell you that now all of the balls always end up in that basket, but I would be lying to you. However, they do end up there 90% of the time - which is much better than I hoped for. For another example, this summer I invested in a great beach bag. This bag keeps the swim goggles, swim toys, sunscreen, and pool passes. So, when we want to go to the pool, all we have to do is grab the towels and head out the door. I will admit that this bag is great, but the bag itself doesn’t have a home. So, it lives in the hallway where we all walk. But that’s OK. Once school starts, it will find a home out of the way until next summer.

So, I will keep organizing with less than 100% success. But I will also continue to have fun with it, and will enjoy a few corners of organized bliss!

Here we are, in the dog days of summer. Have you relaxed yet? I don’t think I have. Even though school is out, our lives seem just as scheduled and crazy as they were during the school year. Last weekend was a softball tournament, one child has summer day camp that requires pick-up and drop-off, another needs to get to swimming lessons each day at 2:00. My husband has to work late so instead of getting my work done while he entertains the kids, I take them swimming. It’s been one week after another like that, and I’m beat.

To top it off, they are already advertising school supplies and back to school sales. Summer has hardly begun, and already my kids are begging to go shopping for school.

My kids are happy with this busy-ness. I’m not sure they would know what to do with down-time. However, we did have one evening with nothing to do, and they actually played with the toys they have, and they used their creativity to make a dollhouse out of cardboard. They had the time of their lives!

I think I’ll take their cue and spend a couple of minutes sitting in a deckchair and reading that book that’s been sitting in my to-do pile. I refuse to let summer pass me by, even if I have gotten a late and crazy start!