Call & Response

The Call: Messy Room — Cheryl

There are so many things I could write about the word “aggravating,” but I’m sure I’m not alone in this. The trick, I think, is being able to let it go. In fact, I’d have to say that letting the little things slide is how I manage to stay sane in my crowded, messy house full of kids and their accoutrements.

This is a picture of Sam and Jack’s room. I did nothing special to set up this shot. Their room is exactly as pictured. It changes on a day-to-day basis: more or fewer Legos on the floor or in the beds; books often piled on the dresser; clothes generally spilling out of the hamper in the closet. Today, though, I gathered up their lights and ran them through the washer. Before I showed up with my laundry basket, dirty clothes were strewn about the floor of the closet and hanging over the side of the hamper, but Jack’s shoes had been carefully placed, side-by-side on the floor, like a beacon of light amidst the chaos of a storm at sea.

The continual mess in the boys’ room does aggravate me, but that particular room also bothers me for other reasons. Four years ago, we had our house’s second floor removed and a new one built. This being our first major renovation, we made some poor design decisions (especially when the project came down to the wire and money was running short). Two of the worst decisions we made were: 1. building Bridget’s room too small to hold, with space for anything else, that gorgeous queen-size bed that Sam now sleeps in and 2. putting the closet right there, where you see it. It makes it impossible to fit two twin beds in side by side, and any attempts to switch or re-arrange furniture prove just about fruitless, leaving me feeling very aggravated indeed.

The Response: Red, Red Wine — Jessica

The cure for aggravating days…well not really. But yes, sometimes!