We’re infested.
With fruit flies.
I know, it’s disgusting. It’s all John’s fault. Teenage boys are gross. Grosser than gross. The grossest human beings on the planet.
Seriously.
One of John’s chores is to take out the trash and recyclables each day. Part of that task is to empty all the trash cans in the house. One in each bathroom, one in his room, one in Taryn’s room, and one in the laundry room. It would take roughly three minutes to complete this task each night.
But he rarely empties all the cans. I’m pretty sure he only empties them when I remind him.
The other rule of this house, which no one follows, is no food downstairs. Our house is split-level so downstairs includes the big kids bedrooms, a bathroom, the laundry room, and a living area. No food allowed, mostly because I know they won’t clean up their mess.
They don’t. There are constantly cups, empty bags of chips, and plates downstairs. I let it slide, as a parent you have to pick your battles. There aren’t cockroaches in Alaska, so I don’t get too upset about the mess.
Until now.
The last few days I’ve noticed fruit flies upstairs. Not a lot, but enough to irritate me. Enough that I have to double-check my wine glass so one of them doesn’t wind up in my mouth. I couldn’t figure it out. My bananas were green. There was no bad smell indicating rotten fruit or potatoes. Taryn said there were lots of flies downstairs, so she started cleaning.
The bathroom.
She found two banana peels in the garbage can in the bathroom.
You know, the one John is supposed to empty every night.
She cleaned. I cleaned. Dallas and I berated John.
His excuse (I’m not making this up) was this, “See, when I threw the peels in the garbage can I missed. So they landed in the cabinet next to the can. My chore isn’t to clean out the cabinet. It’s just to empty the trash. The banana peels weren’t in the trash, so I just left them there.”
Teenager logic.
Thanks to the internet I now I have two fruit fly traps of apple cider vinegar and dish soap in my house.
I also have a countdown to when the teenager moves out. And a glass of wine, with a cover on it.
I understand completely…as a parent who also has a split level house I want you to know that
It won’t get better until your son gets married and he and his wife move into
Your basement. Then of course your son will leave for Basic Training and his wife will stay
In your basement….at least she will be more prone to cleaning than your son.
Sippy cup for the wine. That is all.
Should be a fun post for when the twinkies find Sippy Cups of wine….
Trapping fruit flies is one of my favorite activities. Creeps my friends out.
I have also done this same fruit fly trap with the help from the internet last month. And when I went to investigate the problem I didn’t find just the rotting fruit there were also MAGGOTS! And of course the husband is TDY! Let’s just say I needed a lot more dish soap!
Brings back memories…. one of my kids hid a bunch of grapes in her closet. And, of course, forgot about them. So lovely after a few weeks.
Oh, god! We had a few once because we bought bananas at WalMart. Suffice it to say, I don’t buy ANY produce there anymore, ever.
I charge my Teen aged boy $1 for each of his chores I have to do. His allowance goes fast and it get his attention when his $15/wk is $7 , He like what can I do with this? I Tell him do your chores, I’ll only remind you once, Then if its not done you have to ‘pay’ for someone else to do it.
The twinkies, might like to pickup some pocket change, Charge John $1, then outsource it to the twinkies for 25cents.
you need to pick your battles better !!!!!!!! / i know i should have with your room so i can say you should ! /
Logic like that makes my hand feel the need to slap someone..
Is it a coincidence that my ten year old (boy) has the exact same logic?
I hate to break it to you, but there are cockroaches in Alaska. They come up on people’s household goods that have been shipped from the lower 48, etc. Then they like catching a ride to schools in kids’ backpacks and coats. Gross, huh?
John is so gross. When you come visit, bring the hot guy and leave the teen boy.
Gross, teenage boys are just Gross!! I once found a plate with watermelon rinds and half eaten pizza shoved under a bed! So gross!
Omgggg,
I hate those little bastards! x
Hee hee. I keep picturing you sipping your wine and then choking on a fruit fly. Kind of like Goldie Hawn in Overboard. “Akk akk, I just…ate a bug.”
Hahaha! That is awesome- And it kind of reminds me of the guy in the parking lot today who slammed his door open into mine and didn’t know I was in the van. He looked at the damage and just carried on- when I rolled my window down and said, “Hey, Excuse me- When you slam your door into someone else’s, you should leave a note or at least let the person know somehow.” And he said, “Yeah. I know. But, I didn’t know anyone was IN the van”. Your kid isn’t exactly like that guy but I’ve been itching to tell that story all day.
John sounds an awful lot like my brother. He’s 23 and (though he has a job and a college degree) still lives at home with our parents because it’s free. Not sure how he’s earning his keep because THIS is his kind of logic.
Oh, that is really gross! You always the situation is dire when there are fruit flies. And it’s beyond redemption when it’s in your wine.
Get it together, John!!
Fruit flies in AL? Just when I thought I have seen it all. Trust a teen to attract those…
Alaska’s too tough for cockroaches? Makes me wonder what kind of bugs survive out there – and do they drink vodka?
[...] The entire living area and hallway in the basement is this color. The space is solely used by the kids. The only time I go down there is to get something out of the scary closet under the stairs or to do laundry. Usually I keep my eyes on the floor so I don’t have to see how gross the big kids’ bathroom and bedrooms look. I try to avoid acknowledging the torn up pleather couch and the TV that is covered in dust. The only time I do a thorough investigation is when it starts to smell, like during our October fruit fly infestation. [...]