Monday, I stayed strong

     I am back from my humanitarian trip to my brothers.  I was pleased that the the house was not as bad as it was that last time we were there.  The girls room was almost spotless, like they had not been in it since we left.  There was a little damage but not much.  The girls are 5 and 8 but both are autistic.  They are quite destructive.  The elder is getting better the younger is all I can say awful.  Do I love them? You bet!   But they leave a path of destruction every where they go and my brother just sits there and plays a video game.  It is sad.

     Some of the suggestions I had for the girls last time I was there were in follow through.  Like not allowing them to play unsupervised in their room and making sure all toys were returned to their toy bins.  This keeps the house neater for the next day.  Also their toothbrushes were up off the floor and in their little hanging cubbies I purchased last time I was there.  I feel that 10 taught and only 2 things learned is a win in this situation.  We took a truck load of old collapsing furniture and junk to the dump and almost another load of things to good will.  Taking this out of one room freed up a lot of space.  The room looked very nice when we were done.  Bro's wife was thrilled and I was happy for her.  She just needed help and encouragement.  Bro was practically useless and not very appreciative, but to heck with him.  I did not do it for him.  Bro is very depressed but will do nothing to help himself out of it.  He just expects the world to do it for him and I will not, I can not.

     The sad thing is there are so many people like my brother out there, waiting for some else to come in a solve the problem.  The problem is them.  After I helped my sister in law reclean her house (I did not scrub one wall, but boy did I want to) I left to come home.  I wanted to be home before Hub's was out of the orchestra pit.  I was able to make chicken cordon blue, baked potatoes, fried squash and a dutch crumb apple pie before he got home and boy was he surprised and happy.  The way to a mans heart.

     The littles are here today and one is asleep on Hubs shoulder.  The oldest just turned 3 yesterday, hard to believe. They are growing up so fast.  I do think they are more work now than they were when they were both under a year old.  Just busy and into everything if you are not careful.  And they are also fighting now, which is funny and also a little wearing.


     My master bedroom is a flippen mess with things brought back from bros.  My mother had given them her entire linen closet when she moved and they had not touched any of it.  I took many of the sheet sets as the trims on them were all from Sweden and I have fond memories of these.  I will remove them and reuse them.  But the laundry needs to be done and I picked an entire sink full of produce again which is waiting to be processed. 

     My joints have been really achy lately.  Especially my hips and shoulders making sleep a little hard.  Also quite head achy.  Like I am going to come down with something, but nothing materializes.  So that is something to be thankful for I guess.

     I am behind again on my September list, but I am going to revamp some of the things and exchange one for get the ironing done.  It is really out of control, and I am about out of clothes to wear.  So it will have to be done. And I dare to think my poor sister in law is behind on her laundry sometimes.  Shame on me.  It is so easy to judge.

     So today is just a catch up.  Catch up on laundry and house work, and garden and maybe set up the ironing if I can get myself to feel a little better.  Somedays are just a few steps backward.  Today is one of those days.

     Do you ever have backward days?  What do you do to conquer them?

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim