scrub, scrub, scrub!

I spent the day cleaning today from top to bottom and making sure the germs would be nowhere to be found when the brood returned home today. I ended up finding some things I had been looking for. A book we thought we lost and spent countless days searching high and low with several tear filled bedtimes, the baby thermometer that fell down behind Riley's dresser, the other black shoe that Riley had somehow managed to get into the cabinet in the bathroom (?), but most importantly I found a smidge of my sanity again. It has been a very very long two weeks. I went for 13 days with about 10 hours of sleep total in those 13 days. I was (and still am a little) exhausted. I don't know if there was a full moon or if the children just felt like climbing the walls for giggles-their's not mine. Even though I did not get to really do anything for myself today, I had 4 hours of loud music, rubber gloves and cleaners. I got to scrub away all the grunge that had built up in my brain. It was refreshing in so many ways.
My husband is off to play his "man-games". He goes every Thursday to drink, laugh, and play. He needs it and enjoys it. He is pretty stressed himself with attending school full time and working two jobs. He has been amazing at putting up with my lovely mood as well as the 3 other off shoots of my mood!
In my wake of cleaning I realized that my chilkdren do not play with half of the things they have, and there is really not much organization going on! I thought I had a good system going on, but it really isn't working. I think I am going to do the rain gutter book shelves under the window though. We have so so many books to organize and the baskets are overflowing with them. You pretty much have to dump them out to get to the book you want, and they always have the one in the bottom in mind to be reading! We also need a much better way to organize our art/craft stuff. Right now they are in those primary color plastic bins on a shelf in the kitchen, but it always looks so cluttered, I may just put doors or a curtain over the shelves to make it "hideable" if I don't feel like staring at it all the time! I love seeing the finished project and my house is by no means organized and clutter free, but I am trying to get to a point that it is "organized chaos". We may get there eventually, maybe by the time they reach puberty, but then I know we have a whole new mess to look forward to.
I am looking forward to tomorrow morning. I don't usually have the time to make a nice hearty breakfast (in other words actual cooking), but I am making it a point to get myself up early and make pancakes, sausage and hot chocolate for the very cold morning we have in store for us! I have decided to try two things and stick to them. Once a month dragging myself out of bed and making a true breakfast, not just the cereal or muffins. Also, once a month to make it to Aiden's school and have lunch with just him! He has been asking about me going and I would love to go, but it is just too difficult to take the other two and he eats at such an awkward time of day.
I am now hoping to take a few minutes to myself and work on reading my book and maybe a BIG cup of hot chocolate.