39 Days: My Thoughts on Housework

It's not that I'm lazy. Really, it's not. If I were lazy I would never have chosen to cloth diaper. Or homeschool. I'm actually quite an overachiever in most areas. In fact, I enjoy cleaning house. I actually like mopping and dusting and scrubbing toilets. No joke! And I enjoy having a clean home. But if you come to my home, 99% of the time it will be a little messy. Or a lot messy. :) It's really an issue of priorities at this point. I have a ten year old that I homeschool (full time job), a preschooler (full time job), a two year old who is potty training and big-girl-bed-training (full time job), a one year old who is learning to walk but still needs help doing most things, and I am 34 weeks pregnant with #5. When am I supposed to clean house? At 2 a.m.? The other option would be to sit everyone in front of the TV and clean, but I'm not willing to do that. I would rather be playing with the them, reading to them, or playing outside with them, than obsessing over the dust bunnies. Who cares if we have a spotless home, but no real relationships with each other? So, given the choice between coloring with Maggie or polishing the floors, I will almost always choose coloring (unless the floors are so nasty that Rosie needs a bath after crawling on them :)). Given the choice between reading "Anne of Green Gables" with Allie during the babies' naptime or dusting the furniture, I will almost always choose reading with Allie. In a few years, Allie will be grown and gone. The furniture will still need to be dusted, even if I do it today.

Now, lest you are worrying that my home is a safety hazard :), it's really not that bad. All four children have fresh clean clothes to wear everyday. Their sheets are washed and sanitized every week. The floor gets swept, out of necessity, once or a bazillion times a day depending on how much mud we've tracked in. :) There aren't cobwebs in the corner. There aren't dishes from a week ago piled high in the sink. But please leave your white glove at home. I'll have an immaculate home when I'm 75. Unless I'm too busy playing with my grandchildren then. :) In the meantime, you can find me blowing bubbles or swinging in the backyard while they're still little.