The Vast Pit of Crap

The older kids were given a usual mandate yesterday afternoon: clean up the downstairs.
The downstairs, to those not in the know, is otherwise known as the Vast Pit of Crap (aka the place where the pull out everything they own, do science experiements until everything multiplies, and then put nothing away).
This morning, in the mood to be daring, I peered down the stairs.
As Jason was chattering about Pokemon, Star Wars and the Redskins all at once, I say, in my most pretend-patient voice, "Jason, I told you guys three times yesterday to clean up the Vast Pit... downstairs."

No response.
In fact, I think he paused with his Random Ramblings only long enough to pick up one of the toddler's toys with his toes.

Oddly enough, I took his non-responsiveness as a sign he wasn't listening to me.
Therefore, about 24 seconds after he dissapeared downstairs I told my husband that perhaps one of us (aka HIM) should again declare the downstairs a Biohazard Area and tell them to clean it up.
"He heard you" hubby said, "as he went downstairs he told Sarah to get off the video games and clean."
"Then how come I hear him shooting off Nerf darts?" I dared to venture.
"He's probably shooting them at her head so she'll shut off the game."

Reasonable answer.

However, about 14.2 seconds later, Jason is again upstairs wandering aimlessly.
"So," I said "you told your sister to clean the downstairs and then you came back up?"
"WE FINISHED!" he declared, offended.
"You've been down there for 38 seconds -- how could you have cleaned up?"
He then listed a variety of items that I had indeed spotted from the top of the stairs, and had now vanished from view.
Since my standard policy is to try to avoid the downstairs unless I am in the mood to put everyone on Everything-Restriction-Until-The-Age-of-43, I decided to take his word for it.

This, of course, means that everything -- from shoes to Harry Potter cards -- is now shoved in a non-viewable corner or moved to a Jenga-like pile on the entertainment center.

Just for fun I may peek downstairs later.
Just for fun.