Post-Trip Catch-up (and Kitchen Update)

Amazingly, when we are away, the following things around the house do not get done:

• Laundry
• General clean-up
• Dusting
• Yardwork

I would think that for the first 2 items, there shouldn't be any more than usual, provided we were all away. It's not like dirty laundry is breeding in our absence! And there is no one home to make a mess! 

I was proven wrong. 

We are still dealing with piles (and piles, and piles) of laundry catch-up - weeks after we got back from Lisbon - and there is always another basket (or pile on someone's chair) that needs to be folded and put away. 

Random things seem to be out-of-place and impossible-to-find (this may have something to do with our kitchen renovation project). I have a long list of places that all of a sudden absolutely, critically, immediately need cleaning and organizing (like our hallway closet - oh what a disaster). I don't know if this is just seeing things with "fresh eyes" after coming home, or if somehow everyone just throws random objects into the closet (or shoves them under the bed... or kicks them into the mudroom...).

Kitchen project - we are almost, almost there. There is a cabinet under the island that needs to be replaced, and that's been taking forever. Once that piece is delivered (tomorrow? next week? next month? no idea...), our contractor can finish installing the island and wrap things up. There are a few spots that need a bit of touch-up, some drawers and doors need final adjustments, and there are a couple of cabinets where the back walls need to be patched up. That said - the kitchen is useable and we are slowly moving everything back in.

We had to get a new dishwasher - the old one (5 years old) started leaking (again). We had issues with it about a year ago, but my husband managed to fix it (after multiple weeks of struggle and cursing in all available languages). So, we made an executive decision to not mess around with it and get a replacement.

How do you manage post-vacation pile-up of tasks and chores? Is there anything preventative that can be done?