Table Talk - PHS (Post-Holiday Syndrome)

This is after 2 loads in the dishwasher
and there is still a lot left to go...
Plus, you can't see how dirty the floor is!

Okay, so my house is officially a disaster and I am PHS-ing.  Hosting 9 young adults for four days tends to leave one's home in a bit of disarray...well, maybe quite a bit...or even more realistically, like a tornado blew through!  If you can remember back to my Thanksgiving blog, Day 1 of their stay was the muddy football game.  Day 2 was "shooting" out in a muddy field.  Then we went to the beach and came back with sandy shoes and smoky clothes as souvenirs.  Add to that their regular weekly laundry that they bring with them every weekend...and then start counting the laptops, the games, the gear, the homework, and the SHOES!  Canadians take their shoes off at the door, so my entry was piled with footwear...and so was my porch because of the muddy shoes I wouldn't allow inside.  And let's not forget the dishes...or the furniture moved around to accommodate the games they played and the TV they watched...or the linens--blankets for cuddling on the couch and then all the bedding and towels for 11.

Today after Sunday dinner, which was all the Thanksgiving left-overs (except I did whip up some fresh mashed potates!), I picked up the new Christmas issue of "Real Simple" (Ha!) and sat down in the comfy chair that everyone usually fights over (they were in the living room playing a game, so it was free).  I sipped my coffee and eggnog and calmly disregarded the distaster.  One of my sweet college boys (I'll name him since he told me he reads my blog!), Ryan, asked me what they could do to clean up.  I said, "Pick up your bags and leave!"  That was a joke.  I laughed and said, "It's true, Ryan, if everyone took their stuff away I think the house wouldn't be too bad!"

A little later, that's just what they did.  Like a crescendo, there was even more mess and even a little chaos as everyone began packing up and loading their stuff...and gathering up the 60-some shoes (not exaggerating---do the math:  11 people x 2 or 3 and even 4 pairs of shoes for the girls = 30+ pairs = 60+ shoes!).  Finally the cars were loaded, the hugs, good-byes and thank-yous distributed, and the kids drove off.  I shut the door and turned around to survey the damage, and then shot both arms straight into the air and shouted "Whoooo-hoooo!"  My one remaining son laughed.  He knows I love to clean.

So I went to the back bedroom and began there...gathering up the sheets and towels and starting the laundry, collecting dishes and loading the dishwasher, bagging up the garbage and recycling, taking advantage of the re-arranged furniture to vacuum and mop in places that aren't usually exposed, and packing up the fall decor.  And now tonight I am going to make a bowl of popcorn and watch the BBC DVD I've been saving for this moment and thoroughly enjoy my PHS (post-holiday syndrome)---that tiny sliver of time where my house is clean and quiet after one holiday and before another, because tomorrow . . .

                                                       I'm decorating for Christmas!!!