Deprogramming

I would love to tell you that Alex came back home Sunday and transitioned seamlessly into our regular routine and our regular rules, and I guess technically I could tell you that, but it would be a lie, and seeing as how I punished Alex this afternoon for not telling me the truth about his alleged involvement with pushing the buttons on the TiVo, I should probably practice what I've been preaching.

So the truth of the matter is that it's feeling increasingly like some sort of toddler behavioral detox in our neck of the woods. OH MY MERCY it's taking every ounce of patience I have to handle Mr. Sassy McBritches and not to go in our bedroom and shut the door and eat Ruffles and french onion dip while maintaining a non-stop connection to an endless diet Coke spigot.

While watching "Notting Hill" and "Ocean's 11" over and over and over.

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And it really is good to have the little man at home again - especially just a second ago when I took a couple of hot dogs out on the deck for D. to cook with the hamburgers, and Alex jumped up and down and said, "OH! I LOVE! HOT DOGS! THANK YOU MAMA!"

(The child totally has my number with the boundless enthusiasm deal. Because I pretty much don't care what you tell me as long as you say it! With exclamation points! And then! It's all better!)

But in addition to trying to figure out how to wrangle the little man, I'm trying to figure out how to wrangle myself, too. I can, um, get a little, um, obsessive about my house, and having it on the market seems to magnify that tendency. I am trying to make my peace with the fact that people may actually be sitting on the couches, that I may actually have to cook in the kitchen, that I can't actually live with some sort of protective plastic covering on the stairs (I really did suggest that last one to David yesterday after we had the carpet cleaned, and I was Totally Serious).

Perhaps I need to find a little balance in this situation.

You think?

So right now I'm letting Alex splash in the tub, despite the fact that he's making a bit of a mess. And there are two plastic bins of toys completely emptied out in the middle of the living room floor. And there are dishes from supper just sitting in the sink, because I am LAID BACK AND DEVIL MAY CARE-ISH, that's what I am!

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to run the vacuum for the fourth time today.

(Issues! I have issues!)