I came out alive...

While I once prided myself with a clean car back in my college days, we're talking monthly washings and vacuuming... that's just not a reality anymore. In fact, the last time it got a really good, full interior cleaning was the month before Jackson was born. Yes, he just turned two. Sad isn't it!? Even worse, is that only a few months ago the filth got to the point where it bothered my dad and he dug out the wet vac on the front two seats.

On the way to the mall today, after Julie and I dug our way to find our seats I vowed that I just had to clean out my car sometime soon. The weather today was fabulous, the clutter and dirt finally got to me, and I went to clean out the car. I worried that I might not survive, but I did. Though, I did have to warn friends to come check on me if they hadn't heard from me in awhile!

This is kinda embarrassing, but I'm determined that I'm not the only mom with a car like this. So, maybe another friend will see this and feel a little better about herself.

The backseat-- no visible floor, period.

The passenger floor that Julie navigates through every time we go somewhere.

I brought our large trashcan over to the car ready to pitch whatever needed to go and sorted through the rest. Well, sorta... there are still boxes on top of my kitchen table that I have to go through more. But this is what I came up with.

Two boxes of crap. Three pairs of shoes (two pairs Jackson, one pair mine). Random toys. Portable high chair. Monkey puppet. Two pumpkins. Can of green beans. Unopened roll of Christmas wrapping paper. Child-size life vest. My missing music folder for ladies' ensemble. Various DVDs.

 

Six adult jacket/coats. Three toddler sized.

Two large blankets and a never-been-used set of queen sheets that I purchased in summer 2009 before I knew we would have a king sized bed. Never made it inside.

Lots of papers-- including this take home sheet from Jackson's 12 month well baby visit, from October of 2009. What is this still doing in my car?!

At least I found several of my missing plastic containers!!

And Jackson helped. He was mainly in charge of the music and hitting the button on the garage door opener so it opened and closed about a billion times.

Of course, lots got thrown away too. It feels good! If the weather is nice tomorrow, I'm gonna invite myself over to the in-laws to use their carpet-cleaner vacuum to really get this good and clean. Good knows that it might not get cleaned out again until this baby celebrates her second birthday!

Not Mom of the Year

I've come across this Not-Mom-of-The-Year contest and I looked like too much fun not to join in. It's not even the fact that it's a contest, it's just therapuetic to go out there are read other peoples stories that make me feel a little a lot better about myself as a mom and how "un-June Cleaver-ish" I am.

1. I have actually picked an Elmo movie to watch specifically because it was the longest video so that I could take a longer nap while he watched it-- there is a big difference between 46 and 54 minutes. 
2. I am too cheap to buy my son summer pj's (the winter ones are always passed down from friends) so he wears his clothes to bed every night.
3. I put Jackson down to nap with a cup sometimes-- but I do know that he doesn't fall asleep in his mouth because I hear him throw it out of his crib along with his books, toys, etc... before falling asleep. Wait- why I am I defending myself.... I already know I am a qualified Not-Mom-of-The-Year. 
4. I dropped Jackson big time when he was only a couple weeks old. I was carrying him in the bouncy seat and the seat caught on the door handle and so I dropped the seat and he slid right on to the floor... head first.
5. I call my son gross so often that it was actually one of his first words-- after meals, during diaper changes. I never noticed it until he started saying it each time.
6. We've lived in this house for nearly a year and I just finished getting his room together yesterday.
7. Our laundry is always behind--even if I wash it, it stays in the basket probably until I need the basket again to take more dirty clothes downstairs. The last time I mopped, was-- oh wait.. I haven't while I've lived in this house. The toilet-- haven't done that either. (in my defense, I did get a cleaning certificate for Christmas and they did do these each once...). 
8. And I'm always to forgetful to even call the cleaning ladies. I complain about not having a maid, but then it's because I am too lazy to just call. So the house is a remains a mess. 
9. Jackson doesn't bathe every day and he hardly ever gets to play in the bath. Most of the time, he just gets to hop in the shower with me or Derek for a quick lather and rinse before getting handed back out to the other one.
10. I let my child eat dirt.
11. I'm not even cool enough to have lots of cute pictures on this post or to make a nice ryhming poem for this thing-- it's totally boring. 

So, I totally think all my mom friends should try this-- It's like free therapy. Go ahead and share some comment-love with some of the things that qualify you as a Not-Mom-of-The-Year and be sure to read some of the other entries just so give your self-esteem a little boost!