This morning I stepped on a large, dinosaur shaped Nylabone while walking across the kitchen floor. I'm not sure what's worse...a Lego block or heavily chewed Nylabone. I was barefoot. The door frame leading into the biscuit room was my saving grace. I restored balance. Dropped a few F-Bombs. Located an old pair of Crocs flip flops. Exhale. I headed towards my office. This requires me to walk through the living room. That's when I noticed it.
The mess.
I had just vacuumed yesterday evening and had put the kid's toys in their rightful doggy toy boxes. Most of the toys had been taken out and scattered around the house. On the sofa. In our bed. The home office floor. On the DIY doggy bed. The kitchen.
My eyes scanned the living room floor. Dog hair. Biscuit crumbs. At least a dozen toys. And the kitchen? Two Nylabones, an elk antler, and 2 socks. One of the doggy blankets had peanut butter caked on from a peanut-butter-filled-chew-bone-rendezvous.
It's times like this when I think about our friends with human kids. We've heard the rants about messy rooms, toys scattered on the floor, food lodged between sofa cushions, the never ending pile of laundry, etc. I've thrown in my two cents about having to vacuum every day, the number of doggy blankets we wash a week, meal prep (we don't purchase store-bought dog food), etc. The response is usually an awkward silence.
Was I not supposed to say anything? Does our human child-free home make our tedious daily chores less daunting?
For those of us with fur-kids, our household struggles are real too...
1. Human clothes. Forget it. At least one of our fur-kids view a basket of warm clothes from the dryer as a napping spot. Top that with constant pup hugs, dog hair on the furniture, one or more of the kids in my arms or asleep on my lap, etc...dog hair is a permanent part of our wardrobe. We don't bother with lint brushes.
2. Dirt & Mud. All over the kitchen floor after we take the fur-kids outside. Blankets too. And, sometimes, clothes. The kitchen floor is swept and spot mopped daily. A full mop is completed at least twice a week.
3. Carpets. We have dark carpets and light furred pups. Vacuuming happens every single day. The steam cleaner gets a spin once a month.
4. Dog toys. Everywhere! We have 3 doggy toy boxes in the living room, but a few dozen toys are usually still scattered throughout the house. Kitchen floor. Sofa. Our bed. The kid's beds. A few times a week I scan the areas under the bed, love seat, and sofa. Grace is not my middle name. I trip over dog toys often. I'm not going to rule out a sprained ankle or broken wrist in the future.
5. Blankets. Our kids have more than a dozen throw blankets. A few used to be ours. Now, we all share. These bundles of plushy bliss reside on our bed, sofa and the living room chair. One of my biggest pet peeves are piles of unfolded blankets. I like them folded and neatly placed. The kids like to pull them down to the floor, make bungalows, nestle underneath, etc. I'm always folding blankets. And, I've given up on making the bed.
6. Dried peanut butter. Once or twice a week, we fill the kid's chew bones with peanut butter. By the end of the day, there are dried peanut butter smudges on the carpet, throw blankets, sheets and sometimes...our pillows. It looks like poop.
7. Food prep. We don't purchase store-bought dog food. We prep their food, both raw and cooked, every other day. On occasion, we treat them to scrambled eggs, a little cheese, or dog-friendly pumpkin muffins.
8. Laundry. The bulk of the laundry consists of throw blankets, towels, quilts, and bedding. We do laundry several times a week.
9. Dog poop. Yard cleanup is a must every day. That's not usually a problem because we pick up our kid's poop minutes after they go. It's not the most enjoyable activity, especially during the hot & humid weather, but it's necessary and a lot easier than cleaning poopy paws.
10. Nose art. Wet noses and windows. Windex is our friend.
11. A change in routine. Monday through Friday, our routine is generally the same. Breakfast. Back to bed. Snack time. Playtime. Nap. Supper. Etc. However, on the weekends, or if Lisa takes a vacation day, the daily routine is broken. The kids may skip nap time and bedtime is later. They get grumpy and somewhat irritable. True story.
12. General housework. Every. Single. Day. I like a tidy house. I work at home. Clutter distracts me. Like with most people, I have my idiosyncrasies. At the top of my list are messy counters, catch-all areas, and a sink full of dishes.
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