Where Do They Go?

So I was thinking of an old Whitney Houston song tonight...."Where Do Broken Hearts Go".....such a beautiful, touching song:  Where do broken hearts go...Can they find their way home....back to the open arms....of a love that's waiting there...and if somebody loves you....won't they always love you....I look in your eyes and I know that you still care for meeeee....

Well I'm going to change the lyrics up a bit today....same tune, different words.....

Where do all the SHOES go....Can they find their way home....back to the shoooe tub....right there by the frooont door.....and if they find there way there....why can't they stay there...I just want my kids toooo put their shoooesss awwaayyyy!

Ok, it might not be a hit song, but jeez...I do have a few places in my house that are supposed to help us be organized and find stuff.

 Several years ago I found some stacking baskets that were perfect for shoes and I put it right by the front door. OK, I admit I probably first saw this idea in a magazine or on TV, but I claim it as mine now.....

The shoe drawers, as we call them, are stacked oldest on the bottom and on up to the youngest because I am usually getting his shoes out anyway.....but the baskets are almost always empty.  And when we are getting ready for school in the morning, or the kids want to go play outside or go to the store, NO ONE can ever find their shoes.  Why?  Because unless I am cleaning the house and collecting shoes from the living room, dining room, and bedrooms....NO ONE knows where they put their shoes. Of course when I'm cleaning the house I DO put the shoes in the appropriate shoe drawer.  Unfortunately the kids STILL can't find them because they would never consider looking there because they never put their shoes away....it's a viscious cycle.

 Maybe you've seen my kids at school, the barefoot children slogging through the snow....  Sometimes they DO find some shoes, usually one from two different pair and both are for the same foot.  And I refuse to let my kids wear sandals or flip flops to school in the winter just because those are all they can find.  I know, I am a REALLY mean Mom. 

 Amazingly enough, when I tell my kids they will go to school barefoot, while they are screaming at me to help find their shoes (I refuse to do this,) they always seem to find SOMETHING to put on their feet!  They each have at least two pair of tennis shoes and one pair of boots, fashion for the girls and cowboy for the boys. There is no reason they can't find a pair of shoes for school.  Of course, when you are walking around the house looking at the ceiling it can be difficult to find your shoes, because we don't keep shoes on the ceiling in this house, maybe you do at your house, but we don't.  Then there is the child standing in the middle of the living room staring at the TV and yelling, "Mom, I've looked everywhere, I can't find them...", not alot of shoes on top of the flat screen mounted to the wall either....

So why are the Shoe Drawers always empty, where do all the shoes go...please shoes, come back home to your tubs....Mommy needs you!