Entering the Dark Zone
Getting a five-year-old to keep his room clean is nothing short of a miracle, I think. My husband and I stayed in today, planning to clean the house. Instead, we spent about four hours going through my son’s toys, sorting, organizing, and pitching things he no longer played with. I am now a believer that McDonald’s Happy Meal Toys are the curse of the devil. 
How many of those things do children NEED? I can see the advertising executives brainstorming, “Now which toys will drive parents absolutely insane? Yes! That’s it! Let’s pick those!” 
In our quest for order amidst chaos, we found Legos mixed with marbles, action figures, and crayons. My brain is swimming with the number of puzzle pieces and other odds and ends that were beneath his toy box. Thankfully there were no dead animals or laundry older than a week. (shudder)
I considered leaving only one toy within reach and putting everything else in the attic, but I suppose that’s a little extreme. Mostly I moved a lot of stuff to the top shelf of his closet so he has less to put away.
Yesterday I had my last booksigning for Her Irish Warrior. This one was a group signing with friends from my local RWA chapter, and it was fun to catch up with everyone while hanging out in the bookstore. I’m a little sad that my first book will no longer be in stores, but it’s a good feeling knowing that The Warrior’s Touch will be out in September (or August on eHarlequin.com). Now hopefully I can get my plot finalized for a new proposal and get that going.
Starting tomorrow I am cracking the whip on myself to get back to my daily pages. 
Brainstorming is a necessary evil, but I always feel like I haven’t done anything productive. It’s tough to lose that mindset and realize that planning ahead is a Good Thing.
How was your weekend?
Michelle posted in Writing @ 5:03 pm | Viewed 2207 times
Lexi Connor Says:
I picked up a copy of Her Irish Warrior this weekend! I can’t decide whether I want to read it now or wait and read it on my plane ride to Dublin on Thursday! It feels great to have been a blog reader of yours since before you got the call and to see you doing so well. I’m really looking forward to your story.
Margery Scott Says:
LOL on the mess. I remember those days fondly - not! I played Paul Bunyan on the weekend, chopping trees and digging up stumps. Too much exercise for my decrepit old body.
Holly Says:
I couldn’t have put it better about the McDonald’s toys…My kids have way too many and seem to think they are necessity. Right now it’s the Shrek toys that talk and make noises. ACK! I love Shrek as well as the next person, but I can only stand so much of , “I’m an Ogre! Belch! and something I’ve yet to make out what it says.”
I did go through my daughter’s room a month or so ago and put up everything because, even at 4, she would REFUSE to put her stuff away when she was told to. It’s been nicer and since she’s still so stubborn about using the potty(I HATE potty training btw)…I’ve been letting her earn toys back each time she uses the potty 5 times without messing herself or her clothes.
We once had to take my stepson’s stuff too because he’d been acting out in kindergarten, but he eventually got them back, but it was a lesson he’d soon not forget. My hubby and I subscribe to Dr. Phil’s theory that you have to find your child’s “currency” and use it to your advantage. If they don’t put up their toys they’ve had out, they go away for a time until they learn to take care of their stuff.
Here’s hoping your son’s room stays tidy for a while. My kids’ rooms never do. I can spend hours on end straightening it up and it seems them come in behind me and drag things out right back out.
Can’t wait till the new book hits shelves! Best of luck crackin’ the whip!
Melissa Says:
Oh dear. I completely understand the cleaning the room thing. I don’t know how many times I’ve gone through my daughter’s toys and thrown out a bunch of useless ones or broken ones. And yes, McDonald’s happy meal toys are always in the mix!
Kelly Says:
Despite being a neat freak, my bedroom as a kid was always a disaster. Drove my parents nuts. My dad came up with a plan though - one day he went into my bedroom, picked up everything on the floor, put it in trash bags and dumped it at the end of the yard. Thankfully my mother rescued it just as the trucks were pulling up, but it taught me a valuable lesson. Which was toss everything into my closet where my Dad couldn’t see it. But hey, my room looked clean!