I used to hate Mondays - well...being that it IS laundry day in This Full House of holey socks, that's a whole LOT of laundry! -  but, since the kids seem to have finished tag-teaming each other with the creeping crud, I can FINALLY brush my teeth (you're welcome) and spend a few moments in peace and relative quiet.

Seriously, I've got a houseful of people coming on Thursday (read:  time to break out the extra folding chairs and "good" toilet paper) and this is about the ONLY time I'm going to get, you know, alone.

With you, I mean.

So, let's get this party started - Blogomama.com is a blogging mom-type community that I enjoy visiting, especially on Mondays, because it's ALL about me...uh, I mean...the meme and sharing little tidbits of just how in the h-e-double hockey sticks am I going to get through another gosh-darned week of...ahem...well, never mind...let's just move on...shall we?

Today's mission - should you chose to accept - how to survive those annoying little pre-holiday preparations, without having to go CRAZY?

[drum roll, please]

Plan ahead...as little as possible.

Seriously, take it from me - we've seen everything from snow storms in the summer, to heat waves in the winter, from animals throwing up on each other, to appliances actually blowing up and at least one kid sick every freakin' holiday, or Aunt Flo making another one of her famous unannounced visits - why make yourself crazy?

Stop, take a breath and just..you know...go with the flow!

[snicker]

Sorry.

Allow yourself some time to breath and leave the rest up to...well...would it kill me to forget the stupid laundry, for once?

No.

But, like my good friend Dana, I hate...Hate...HAte...HATe...HATE cleaning out the fridge and, if I hadn't read her post, I would have probably NEVER have thought about doing it, either.

Thanks, Dana.

[rolls eyes]

Because, well...uh...cheese and rice there's so much to do this week, already...yes?

[rolls shoulders and scratches head]

I could be like my friend Mary Tsao (gosh, but I love saying her name) and clean my fridge every week and not have to deal with all the...um...well, I dunno exactly what and there's a whole lot of unidentifiable stuff growing and taking up house, in my fridge, at the moment.

But, we ARE talking Queen of the Dorks here - no, not Mary...ME! - so, after I took Thing One for her blood test on Friday (still waiting to hear if it's mono, or just a case of the creepiest crud...EVUH!) I went food shopping.

YeeHah - wild and crazy woman that I am - but, of course, you know what that means, don't-cha?

Yes, ladies (and the men who...sort of managed to stumble in...just to get out of the cold) it's time to play...

[cue the Capital One Vikings]

...what's in YOUR fridge?

Oh, it may not look so bad right now - yes, I took pictures...SO WHAT? - just be glad that you're not actually standing here and, you know, smelling it.  But, if you're into that sort of  stuff...[cough]...freak...[cough]...feel free to click on the picture and take a closer look.

[drum roll, please]

Look, it's so much brighter - I just can't put anything on the top shelf, at the moment - now, I can face the rest of the week knowing that...AT LEAST...the fridge is cleaner than it's been in, you know, weeks!

Until, I closed the door.

Now, I'm trying to figure out a way to convince Garth (not his real name) that we so NEED one of these, since the fridge is just about the ONLY thing in this house that is NOT about ready to keel over and call it a day.

Go figure.

[Edited to add:  Doctor just called.  It's NOT mono!]

You're more than welcome to join me, next time, as I teach everyone the fine art of playing:

"C'mon, kids...drop the Play Station and let's hide the laundry!"

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some serious cleaning to do...DAMMIT!