It's all an Illusion, really

Summer time. When the routines go out the window. When we eat late and go to bed late, and totally fall off of the wagon. The kids love it. Honestly, it drives me crazy. I am a person of routine, of things done a certain way at a certain time each day, week, each hour. I have tried to loosen up a bit, because, hey, it's summer....relax a bit.

It is a holiday Monday here. From my view, the Canadian government won't let us go a whole 30 days without a holiday Monday or Friday. Personally, I think it is a good idea. After all, Canadians are slowly following in the footsteps of Americans---taking less and less vacation time each year. Even when we are on vacation, the laptop and the Crackberry follow us every where. I am just as guilty about this as the DH is. I go through withdrawal if I can't get wi-fi access! Holidays are good for families, and good for the economy. People have time to relax. To spend money on clothes, and beer, and gas, and hotels. It is Caribana weekend as well, and 1000's of people are flocking to Toronto to see the parade.

So, you may be wondering, why should I care about this? Well, I am trying very hard to let things go a bit. To not be so uptight about "how things are supposed to be." I actually stayed in bed for an extra 45 minutes this morning, finishing a novel and reading a magazine. I know that some people who know me wonder how I keep it together so well. Why is it that my household runs like a well-oiled machine? Well, I am here to tell you that it is really just an illusion. It all falls apart around here on a regular basis. What I am coming to realize is this.............it is not such a bad thing. Noone is going to yell at me for unmade beds and unmown lawns. In fact, I leave the lawn like that an extra day just for the meticulous neighbors across the street. Just so they have to look at it. What I have discovered though, is this. I can leave things for a bit, but really, I pay for it later in mountains of laundry and a dirty house that now requires more than a few 20 minute cleaning sessions to get it back to a livable condition. Herein lies the balancing act. So......quick, if you want to see things in a bit of an "off-kilter" state, you better show up soon. I may just have to make the bed.