I think they must be blind

My kids had a late night tonight. We went out to dinner and didn't get home until after eight. All the usual evening chores awaited me. Dishwasher, laundry, vacuuming, and the all consuming neverending putting away of the toys. I got the dishes started and vacuuming done while the kids watched a short movie. I got a load of dirty clothes in the washer but just didn't have the energy to tackle folding the mountain range of clothing in the baskets. And the toys...oh the toys. I hustled the kids up to bed and told them I'd be up in a bit to kiss them goodnight. I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone and pick up some of toys on my way up there. It really shouldn't be too bad because I asked the kids to pick up before they went to bed and they assured me they would.

I picked up a big basket to stow toys and books that weren't where they should be and started in the living room picking up bakugan cards and matchbox cars, fairy dolls and fuzzy dice (fuzzy dice?...I have no idea). I also found a birthday cake filled with small littlest pet shop accessories (seriously...do these things have to come with a billion teacups, dishes and toys?) And then there were the books...board books, chapter books and picture books...on top of and underneath the coffee table. I stashed the books in the appropriate bookshelves, parked the cars in the garage, tossed the dice into a basket of miscellaneous junk and made my way into the kitchen.

The damage was minimal in there. I did find a few more board books under the bookshelf and the table. I also found some Fisher Price little people and their pets.

The playdough toys were strewn all over the table and some leftover blobs of playdough.

Today the kids played a clever game of hide and seek with some small stuffed dogs. It kept them occupied for a good hour but I realized as I scanned the kitchen that most of the small stuffed dogs remained hidden. They peeked out of teapots and poked out of the cabinets. I added as many as I could see to the growing pile of toys in the basket and moved on to the playroom.

Surprisingly enough, the playroom was picked up and put together. I straightened up the kitchen area...putting away dishes and teacups and tucking in the little chairs. I put the birthday cake, minus all it's contents, back on it's shelf. The mail from the mailbox was carpeting the floor and when I went to stuff them into the mailbox I found yet more Little People and pets.

Then I started up the stairs.

Here is where it all turned bad. The stairs were littered with the remains of the kids' play from the bottom to the tippity top. There were so many shoes tumbling down the steps one would think I had 10 kids. I bent down to pick up the shoes and put them in their baskets and added the cheerleader pom poms, pirate vest, pirate hook and knights armor to the basket growing heavy in my arms. I had now reached the second floor. Surely I had little left to do.

Before I could begin put the toys in the basket where they belonged, I needed to confront the remains of the hurricane that struck our second floor. Weapons of all kind-swords, guns, knives, wands-were everywhere. I picked them all up and put them back in the weapons basket (why yes, we have a weapon basket...doesn't everyone) in the dress up area. While in there, I also hung up the Princess dresses and put away the multiple pairs of plastic bejeweled shoes. Hung up the pirate and knight gear and tossed the cheerleader pom poms into the pom pom basket (and yes, we have a pom pom basket too.) In my son's room I stashed the stuffed dogs into the stuffed animal bag and put some chapter books back on his shelf.

On into the girls' room. Fairy dolls safely stowed away in their fairy houses and the little pets and their stuff zipped into the bags in which they belong. I closed up the castles and doll house and picked up a few stray Polly Pocket Princess dolls and stuck them into their basket. Found a few more stuffed animals (do these things multiply while we sleep?) and tossed them onto Katie's bed, because Lord knows she won't be sleeping in it.

Finally, finally I think I am done. And the funny thing is, the kids did spend some time picking up themselves, but, I can't, for the life of me, figure out what it is they cleaned up. Despite their oversight, I gave them each a smooch, turned on Teresa's twirling Princess nightlight and Sam's thunder and lightning storm machine and head downstairs. Maybe they just didn't see all the debris from a rainy day well played? I may want to check on what our vision health plan covers...but I'm not sure corredtive lenses will do any good.