Really, it's my own fault

I don't know how many times a week I complain about my messy house. I do know it's a theme that runs through my life. I often wonder why my friends' homes sparkle like a Mr. Clean commercial when mine is looks like the Tasmanian Devil whipped through--even when I've spent all afternoon cleaning.

Really, we're clean people. "S" and "K" take at least two baths a day, and I clean the kichen floor, often on my hands and knees, three or more times a day.

So, what is my problem, exactly? Deep down I know it's because I've raised these creative monsters.

Tuesday, the girls got out markers, scissors, construction paper and glue. They cut their names out of paper and glued them onto a larger sheet. Result: lots of big pieces of paper, and lots of baby-bite-sized papers, all over the carpet. I left this until today because I was too exhausted to clean it up.

Wednesday, I decided we needed more art supplies. I threw paint pens and more paper into my cart at Target.

Thursday, we took blankets, a snack and the small DVD player into the garage to make a movie theater. Not too messy until "K" crawled into the Diet Pepsi with Lime and spilled it on our blanket...twice. Then, there was the whole dragging the stuff back into the house and washing the blanket thing. Just what I need: extra laundry.

Friday, "S" and I set up tents in the house. We zipped everyone inside and "S," "K" and I all took a nice afternoon nap. We kept the tent up and set up two more on Saturday.

Saturday, a friend spent the night after the big school fundraiser (see yesterday's post). The girls painted flower pots (part of their teacher appreciation gifts for next week) and shadow boxes (part of their Mother's Day presents for their grandmothers) and pottery. I had to tend to "K," who has green, goopy eyes, so I left the room. I returned to find they were now using their acrylic paints on paper....and, they'd moved from their craft table to the counter--without any newspaper under their art. Which meant that I needed to wipe up all the paint immediately before it dried.

And, to think that I started this whole thing when "A" was still an infant. We designed the "bar" area of our basement as a craft area, complete with a sink and a laminate floor to minimize permanent messes. We are not big drinkers, although I love the occasional margarita or glass of wine, so our bar drawers and cabinets are full of art supplies. Paper, beads, sequins, water paints, finger paints, acrylic paints, construction paper, writing paper, old cards, markers, window markers, neon markers, pipe cleaners...and any other type of kit that it is possible to buy a kid as a present

Creative messes are a way of life around here. If the kids are not involved in an artistic endeavor, they have the sofa cushions piled on the floor to make a castle...or an alligator pit. It gets to be exhausting, but it all pays off when "S" (who is four) asks me to type a story as she dictates a conflict-filled story about a princess stuck in a dungeon with a dragon or when "A" (who is seven) spends all night on the computer creating a city landscape complete with fireworks in the skyline.