Pet Peeves

Where did that phrase come from anyway? {Pet peeve} I have concluded that it means something that is highly annoying to you (the peeve), that occurs so frequently that you are constantly having to give it your attention (your pet), like when you have a dog that requires a concerted effort, and nobody but mom is willing to give it.
(Click here to read that sad but true story.)

So I have a few that have been rubbing up against my leg today.

Open cabinet doors.  Wii stuff all over the place.

A warm blanket, no longer needed once the day heats up.
And if you look closely in the lower left corner you will find

a used glass and a half-eaten bag of candy.  BTW, we have a "no food in the family room for people under 18" rule.  Obviously not rigorously enforced enough to cause concern in the minds of ANY of my children.  

And not far from that are sweat pants.

In the middle of the family room floor.

Hoodie and tee, no longer needed, resting on the barstool.  Waiting for... laundry day?

A day's worth of parakeet mess, that most likely will roll over into two, possibly three.

A myriad of shoes, summer style.  In cooler weather the shoes are bigger and more obtrusive (and there are more socks to accompany them), but whatever the season, they pile up until I order them loaded up in a laundry basket, and placed in the room of their rightful owner.  More often than not, I fill that order myself.

These unwanted pets have hung around for years.  Sometimes, after a mom tirade, they disappear.  But only for a day or two.  But (and as my sister would say, that is a big "but"), I wouldn't trade them for the alternative:  no kids and a spotless house.  I remind myself all the time that, as long as it's not too dirty, too cluttered, or too smelly, it really won't matter in the long run.