I've discovered how our parents did it (not THAT 'did it')

I know how generations before us kept up the perfect housewife routine, and why they are so confused as to why, as parents today, we just can't keep up with everything:

Their outlet WAS cleaning.

I discovered this last night as I folded laundry, in a quiet room, by myself, while Captain was downstairs entertaining the 3 squalling Cabin Kids.  

If I was being productive, I had an excuse to be left alone.

Holy-Kraken.  

Now, I'm not saying the only outlet they needed was a scrub brush and a pair of rubber gloves, but during the day when they reached a breaking point they didn't have social media to connect to.  Video games weren't something everyone had.  A cell phone wasn't in their pocket to provide the instant gratification of the quiet that is the eye of the storm.

I've been fighting a congestion headache for a week.  A WEEK.  It feels like my brain is about to ooze out of my tear ducts (you're welcome for the image).  Captain had been really understanding all day about letting me escape to our bedroom for a few minutes of staring at a wall in darkness and silence, and had even encouraged me to take a 2 hour nap.  But immediately upon exciting the sanctuary of our bedroom the pain doubled from the general noise that occurs from having little people in your house.

So, after dinner, I went into the kitchen and loaded the dishwasher.  People left me alone.  Interesting.  After bathtime, I folded and put away 3 full baskets of laundry (all washed that day, even!).  No one even came to see what I was up to.

It's like there was an unspoken announcement that I was doing something B-O-R-I-N-G, and therefore wasn't worth the task of finding.  

Never thought I'd say THAT.

Now I just need to figure out how to legally put my kids in a padded room during the day so they don't destroy the rest of the house while I'm at it.