The Return of The Papa

Lawrence is en route as we speak. Each time I hear an airplane overhead I visualize the inside of the plane and what Lawrence is doing, usually sleeping, loud snoring... Lawrence enjoys the experience of flying, go figure!

I had grandiose plans when he left. I planned to have the house neatly organized, the handyman jobs completed, the old entertainment center (weighs several thousand pounds, OK maybe not) removed, the hutch relocated, the garage cleaned out, the toilet seats replaced, the surfaces clear of clutter. There were more projects, but my perfectionist brain just exploded while writing out the wish list. All this, while single parenting three quiet clean angels.

I do have hopes to go to the dump today, get rid of an old dishwasher and garbage. We'll see. I also have to buy a t-shirt and iron on the pictures I printed. This is a fathers day gift, so it would be nice if it was ready when we pick him up at the airport.

I wonder if at the core of every messy person is a perfectionist. If I can't do it all, with-in an unreasonable timeline, then I can't get too it, too overwhelming! I have done more dumping than ever before. I have come to the sad realization that I am not a closet pack rat as I came to realize a few years ago, but a FULL BLOWN PACK RAT!!!! Not a flattering realization. But, the first step toward recovery is understanding your problem, so now I can become an anti-pack rat.

I have to share something that makes me giggle. A few weeks ago Caleb walked into a friends house, she also has 3 kids, although her youngest 2 are 4 going on 5. He walks into her house and confidently says, my house is much cleaner than yours. This person is NOT a pack rat and has a very tidy house. I do go through moments of cleanliness, although they don't last long, due to the stuff landing on the floor so quickly after being cleaned. I have been purging for the last 5 years and have just begun to anti-pack rat purge, which is different than what I have done before, hence the need to go to the dump. We've been doing weekly drop-offs at the thrift store for a few months now.

OK, enough of that, I hope Lawrence took pictures so I can post them of his trip to Philippines. He spent it sweating as it was HOT HOT HOT and SWEATY! Lawrence visited Sherwin, and was able to take him out for lunch, then his mom joined him last Saturday and they were able to visit Sherwin together several times.