A glimmer of hope... and then...

Day 1 Complete.  This is what my kitchen looks like this morning.  All kids are off to school, hubby is off to work...

I have decided that every experiment needs a token mascot.  Allow me to introduce Fred and Martha - our two pairs cut up in a bowl, allowed to sit... a living science example of the powers of decomposition.  

I am huddled on our family room couch under my fuzzy blanket rocking myself back and forth.

There was a brief glimmer of hope last night.  My daughter had left her lunch box on the counter yesterday, so her punishment was that she had to make lunches for her brothers last night.  When my eldest came home after boy scouts and we told him that his sister had made his lunch, his comment was "Well that explains the mess."

Crickets chirped as my hubs and I just looked at each other... as if she had made this entire mess just by making lunches.  Complete with cereal bowls, cereal boxes, pears cut up in a bowl, etc.  

Then he shocked us both by saying "Would you like me to clean up her mess Mom?"  After I lifted my jaw off the ground and I said "Whatever, that would be great sweetie!"  My hubby looked over at me and said quietly "He's going to ruin your blog hon!"  I had just started humming the "Hallelujah Chorus" and envisioning prancing around my clean kitchen, singing the praises of my teenager for seeing a mess and being the first to take the first step towards making it right!  Shortest experiment ever!  Hallelu... oh wait...

Turns out he "cleaned up 'her' mess" by putting away the peanut butter, jelly, and bread.  Lovely fellow.  That helped so much.  Really.  It did.  

sigh.

(And for the record, he didn't say ANYTHING about his lack of lights in his room.  Little bugger.  When I said "Why aren't your lights working" - because his lack of response was driving me crazy - he responded "I dunno, maybe they are burned out")

double sigh...