Brownie at Running the Race is feeling defeated and lazy because her housekeeping skills aren't up to par. I wish she could have seen inside my house when the kids were little! It was hard to keep everything together. I was tired all the time. It seems like a blur.
Now the kids are 10 & 13 and the house is completely different. They clean a lot! And I’ve discovered I like cleaning. But that’s because it’s possible to keep it clean when the kids are older!
The inner housekeeper in me did not emerge until the kids were much older. But it did emerge. It just had to wait until the days were over when:
1. The kids would roll around on the bed as soon as I started to make it.
2. They would pile the clean laundry in the living room up like a pile of leaves and jump in it.
3. They would write on the walls.
4. When I told them to clean off the walls they would also use the soapy water on all the books in the bookshelves.
5. When I took the markers away they would paint on each other with sunscreen.
6. They dropped popsicles on the couches.
I mean, what's the point of cleaning when that's going on around you?
 Eventually, though, things change. The kids themselves even clean! On Saturday, during chore time, our kids cleaned for the third week in a row without fighting! The kids and I all take about two hours, and by the time we're done it's spotless. The kids know how to clean everything now.
Of course, Katie likes to clean while wearing a gymnastics leotard, a skating skirt, and a formal hand-woven shawl, as in this picture, but as long as it gets done, what do I care?
So hang in there, all of you who have toddlers! Just try to create a home where people can feel comfortable, and where you have time to love and appreciate each other. The other stuff will come with time! Labels: chores, cleaning, housework |
Stumble It!
Thanks for keeping it real Sheila! I posted some of my own dirty laundry today so new moms can see it isn't all a walk in the park! Popsicles on the couch...LOL