coming clean.

Ever wonder why the fridge sorta smells? Well, I have been wondering that very thing since about the 4th of July. The slow creep of the fridge funk has been happening throughout the course of a crazy busy summer with little to no attention paid. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I emptied the entire thing, removed every last condiment, vegetable and dairy product until it was an empty box. I then gave it a relaxing hot water and mild dish soap scrub (basically the same spa-like treatment I wish someone would give me) until it was positively sparkling. I learned two things:  

1) Very few household chores give you the instant gratification and tremendous sense of accomplishment that comes from properly cleaning out the fridge.

2) When you remove all the expired/gross/moldy objects from my refrigerator I essentially have no food. (see below and note the way the one lonely piece of leftover chiken from the night before has an entire shelf all to itself.  Talk about excess real estate).

Yes, summer is busy and some things just take a backseat to other, more important things - like going to the beach and drinking. I don't think I'm alone in saying that when that first chilly night of cool "Fall-like" air hits I am secretly excited to organize the sh*t out of the house and all its contents. Spring cleaning doesn't really thrill me the way it does for some, but I sure do love a good end of summer clean sesh.

Going through closets to see which pants are now too short (for the kids, not me. I'm pretty sure I'm done growing). Making piles of donate vs. give away vs. throw away. Realizing that the closet actually has a floor, not just an abyss of pajamas, stuffed animals, costumes and toys nobody plays with anymore. Making sure all the hangers are going in the same direction and the different types of shirts are grouped appropriately (sweatshirts, button-ups, hoodies, etc) is a thrill for my OCD to be sure.

Summer is so fleeting and so carefree.  It feels good for one season to only worry about having clean beach towels and a healthy rotation of bathing suits to keep the family weekends flowing. Back to school however, is a good excuse to really dig in and get things in order before a whole new breed of busy begins. That doesn't have to mean the big pull-your-hair-out-torture-for-everyone shopping trip either. It doesn't all have to happen at once. It can be done more simply, more slowly, and in a less retail oriented way and be just as gratifying.

Giving your kid a home grown haircut instead of dealing with some Kids Cutz (I hate the substitute "z" where an "s" should be by the way, when did that become okay?) horror show is a good way to keep the mommy blood pressure down. Grabbing the list of necessary school supplies when you're solo on a Tuesday rather than dealing with the crowds at Target on a Sunday in late August when you have the kids with you, etc.  Heck, grab yourself a nice quiet lunch next door at Panera while you're there and really live it up.

Back to school organizing is also the perfect time to play Santa Claus for a girlfriend you love. A dear friend of mine who is raising up two lovely little girls recently went through their combined arsenal of shoes and generously gifted the ones they had outgrown to me.  How happy was I to receive twenty pair of gently worn little girl shoes?  I did the same this past weekend and gifted an awesome travel highchair and an overpriced toddler enriching toy to one of my fellow mommy co-workers. Yes cleaning house when done with friends in mind can be a perfect pay it forward/everyone wins kind of situation. You get a nicely organized closet filled with things that fit your child properly and someone else gets your old crap that feels like Chirstmas to them. Win win.

A new school year is as much a fresh start for us as it is for our children. New teacher. New classroom. New friends. New possibilities. While we're cleaning out our mudrooms and closets this Fall let's also toss out any residual mommmy baggage from last year we're still keeping in that Pottery Barn storage system in our brain. Forget about the classroom Mom from last year that made you a little mental. Give the smart ass third-grader who made your kid cry last year the benefit of the doubt that they did some growing up over the summer. Whatever "it" is, put it right in the Sterilite bin with the too-short pants and the holey sweatshirts. Take a big deep breath of that crisp bus stop air and enjoy the excitement of a fresh start through the eyes of your kid. Because when people talk about the magic of being a parent, I'm pretty sure that first day of school feeling is what they are referring to.  Soak it up.

Happy first day of first grade Little.  xo, mom.