Just a Quick Stop, Then We're Off!

Some people stay in hotels over the summer. We seem to visit our house like a hotel instead. We are home for an astonishing 68 hours before leaving again, this time for Tennessee. The only problem is, no maid comes in to make the beds, empty the trash, clean the bathroom, etc. Although we aren't really home that much to mess it up.

Amy's blog is right. The worst thing about vacation is the thinking about everything that has to be done when you get back. Now granted, we don't have to haul our camping stuff downstairs. That sure does make it easier. But we tend to still bring in several loads of crap, from laundry to dirty dishes to purchases made while on vacation. It seems to get deposited by the front door, making a nice "gate" to keep Lily away from the stairs. However, it is a not-so-pleasant reminder of what still needs to be done.

Luckily, Rob and I, in between Rockband, surfing the Internet, NCAA Football '09, lounging on carpeting and comfy couches, and Wii, have managed to unpack and put away everything, do all the laundry, put it away, and pack for this next trip. Makes me tired just thinking about it.

That's the thing, though. I don't get overwhelmed about laundry, dishes, or cleaning when I am camping. It's not that we don't do it. The camper still gets cleaned and swept. The outside mat gets swept. Toys and books get put away. Dishes are done and put away before we go to bed each night.

I think it is that we take only what we need. Anything extra is scrutinized as to whether or not it is worth the extra space to store it. When Rob and I come home, we see everything that needs to be done and all the crap we have accumulated and don't need. It's nice to have some of the stuff, but why have so much that we barely use a couple of times each year?

Some things are important to me, and I love my collections. But as I look around, I realize that I don't need or want quite a bit of what I have. How do I go about purging the unnecessary to unearth the things most important and dear to me? The garage sale is a good start, but I need more. I need to find a good charity that would appreciate the crap I like, but don't need.

Coming back from our long vacation is like seeing my house through refreshed eyes. Do I really need to redo the kitchen soon? No, it is functional right now. Not ideal or beautiful, but it works for us. Do I need to redo my bathrooms? Yes. Crappy sinks and floor=crabby Sarah. Do I need to fix my landscaping? Yes, both in the front yard and in the backyard. I enjoy being outside during the summer, but not when I embarass myself with my backyard. Ugh. Damn weeds. Do I need to repaint my "sunset" bedroom? Eventually, but I am not up there too much during the school year anyway. By being gone so long in the summer, I have a chance to think about what really bothers me about our house and what would just be nice to do. The nice-to-do can wait.