Sometimes the seemingly obvious hits me and I can look around and suddenly see things differently. Like tonight, I was laying in bed thinking of all the things I hadn't done lately. We had a really really busy weekend, Jack had a birthday party, so a lot of the normal things got pushed to the side. Now the house is in complete disarray and I'm trying to match up the random pieces of clothing that are actually clean to make outfits for everybody.
And then that voice in my head starts playing. Why can't you just keep the kitchen clean? If you would just do more laundry you wouldn't have to scrape the bottom of the drawers for clothes. I can't believe the house still looks like this and you've been home all day!
And then the REAL voice chimes in while I'm laying there in bed cataloging all of the things I did with my time today. You played sidewalk paint with Jack. You played with the pretend food with Sarah. You made them each breakfast and lunch. You changed diapers. You changed 45 pairs of toddler underpants. You kept a timer so another human being could be reminded to pee in the potty. You put the baby down for a nap.
And you know what I realized?
I can not do it all.
I can not do the job of taking care of my children and the job of keeping house all at the same time. Sure, I can juggle them and squeeze parts of each job into and around the other. But if it takes an hour to dress and feed the kids in order to get us out the door, I cannot expect to also clean the kitchen, do laundry and scrub a bathroom in that time.
Most importantly, I can expect to be the best mama I can be. And secondly, I can try to be the best home-maker I can be. And when my husband walks through the door at the end of the workday, he will be happy and relaxed if he sees his wife and children happily playing together and full of stories of their adventures. (And then maybe he won't notice that he doesn't have any clean underwear.)
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6 comments:
very well said, Mother Bunny! I applaud you and your realization!
why do we expect so much of ourselves??
I'm marching right behind you in this parade! I totally agree.
Fabulous post! You've just written exactly what I feel every day.
Yep, yep, so very true. I take much more pride in the fact that I take care of and play with my child than if my house is clean.
Amen, Amen, Amen.
You took the words right out of my head.
Amen to that! I used to think I would have all the time in the world to keep the house clean but I was so wrong. Toilets can wait. Spending time with our kids - much more important.
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