It's a good thing DP sent me flowers

When the Dark Prince left for the sandbox, he left such a mess of dirty/clean clothing, etc., in his room and car that Lancelot and I practiced avoidance for a period of time.  The Light twin came home last week and as part of my Mother's Day present, helped me clean out his room. 

U-n-b-e-l-i-e-v-a-b-l-e!!!!!!!!

I think I have mentioned that his father and I washed 11 loads of clothing.  Scratch that!!  We're up to 15 loads and we ain't done yet!!!  Here's the tally so far and this does not include his Marine stuff:

24 pairs of pants, 35 Pairs of shorts and I AM NOT COUNTING HIS @#$#%#$#$#@ SHIRTS!!! Let's just say that there are two dresser drawers and one large bin filled with shirts so far.  So far. 

His car netted similar results:  15 pairs of shoes in the trunk, two pair of "lost" sunglasses, one "lost" ipod, one "lost" digital camera and Oscar the Grouch would just be in heaven with the amount of garbage extracted from the vehicle.

THE SMELL (you know that smell...I'm not going to describe it but we all have smelled it.  Maybe not to the degree that the car smelled.) is slowly going away.  Light and Dark Twin are going to use his car for the summer.  Light Twin is going "in" right now to detail it armed with Lysol, windex, febreze and a gas mask.   Pray for her!!!!

It occurred to me this morning that he gets the clothing thing from his father.  A tour of our closets would reveal that Lancelot is a closet clothes horse.  In our large, walk in closet, he OWNS 66% of it.  He has clothes in Dark Twin's closet as well as the basement coat closet. 

And he calls me Imelda?  I think it's time for the women of Casa Semper Fi to rise up and demand clothing parity and their equal use of closets.  Look out, Kohl's, Target, Ann Taylor, Old Navy!!  We will not be denied!!!!

Comments

[Laura, a Military Mom]

I smiled, laughed and laughed some more! There's a song..."You're going to miss this"...I know that right now you don't but some day you will remember with a smile on your face...just like mine. When #1 son entered the Army in 2002 we made him box up his stuff...he did except for the pile of clothes in the middle of the basement floor, which needed to be washed and put away(about 12 loads worth). Some where in his Army training they reminded him what he had been taught about taking care of clothes and his personal stuff. Now after two deployments, six years later he's buying his own townhome and his fiance has said he is "Mr. Clean & extreme Neat". When he left his car was FULL to over flowing with clothes, rotting food and things best left unmentioned, he now owns two vehicles and doesn't allow anyone to eat or drink in them!
I can only say "this too will pass" and you will remember and wonder when the change took place.

[DL Sly]

I think it's a cunning ploy. Just think, by the time you get all of his stuff cleaned, organized and put away, his time in the sandbox will have passed, and he'll be home. Which won't leave you any time whatsoever to *stew* (cause he knows you do). Then you'll be so glad that he's home, you'll forget how mad you were.
0>;~}

[FbL]

*heehehee*

[Marine Wife]

Wow. That's a lot of, um, stuff! Clearly, the Dark Prince hasn't pared down his worldly goods to the truly expeditionary level yet.

[Sarah]

Shoot, I thought it was bad that I had to clean out my husband's car...but all I found was a beret, a pistol magazine, MRE peanut butter, paperwork from his last jump, and 37 cents. And three pairs of nomex gloves, for some odd reason.

[Ann M.]

Wait...15 pairs of shoes in one trunk? Oh goodness. I cannot even imagine what it is going to take to get the smell out.

[Erin]

Please, come over and help me clean the piles that DH left me! I have no motivation to do it!

[wendy's tiki hut]

Oscar the grouch lives there too? My dd and I just successfully kicked him out of her room....I hope he stays gone for a while...

[liberal army wife]

Handy hint - charcoal briquets, not the ones that are pre-soaked with fluid, but the plain ones. put them in the trunk, shut the lid... wait about a week. Great absorbers of the funk. works in basements!

LAW

[SeabeeSeniorWife]

SFW - I remember a post you had about what to send him in care packages. Box up some of the nastier stuff and ship it to him with a note saying "Thought you might be missing the smells of home". LOL

[Semper Fi Wife]

Laura, he better change or I'll be apologizing to his future wife for the rest of my natural life.
Sly...Ha!!

LAW..his high school and bootcamp buddy once remarked that DP's room smelled like,"Hope is dying".

SSB...I fear I would be charged with shipping hazardous materials to an APO.

[plc]

I had the same thing with hubby. But when he came back with the "Iraqi Crabbies" he was quite upset when he couldn't find things. I should have taken pictures of everything pretty much everywhere...the floor, the kitchen counters, every surface in every room. Of course nothing was where he left it!