I don't know about you, but my summer has gone something like this: I can spend the entire lovely, warm summer day, going from one room to the next, picking up one mess after another. The aftermath of an elaborate battle with the army men is scattered in the dining room. The couch cushions are piled into a fort in the family room. As soon as I get the breakfast dishes put away, the counter is filled with snacks. Tiny LEGO parts are all over the entire house, just waiting for me to step on them in my bare feet. There are toy boxes in every room of the house crammed with toys and crayons and puzzles and LEGOs and books. The attic playroom is such a disaster zone, my kids avoid it entirely - which means toys are just scattered throughout the entire house.

And it's not just my kids.

My desk is piled with last weeks mail, catalogues, bills to be paid, school supply lists, To Do lists and grocery lists. The important pile is in the butlers pantry, where I glance at it every day but haven't touched it all summer.