{7QTs} {Real Motherhood}

Joining Messy Wife for a look at real motherhood in our house in 7 Quick Takes.  Working from home, homeschooling, and having littles really puts cleaning on the bottom of my list.  Generally, things kind of build up and then I spend a couple days scrubbing.  Thursday, our house had once again reached critical mass, so before I spent the morning clearing out the debris, here's a peek into what our house REALLY looks(ed) like:

{1}

Hmm....maybe I should at least put those in the sink....

{2}

...oh wait, that's full....can't wait until I get a dishwasher!

{3}

 

Nope, I didn't make my bed....

{4}

 

...but at least there's a pile of clean laundry and presents to be wrapped for Christmas to use as decoration!

{5}

 

Unbrushed, jammies, still cute as can be

{6}

A field trip Wednesday....we probably really should have been cleaning...

{7}

...but this was OBVIOUSLY more important than clean dishes....paper plates tonight!

So, while part of the reason I don't clean like I "should" is that I don't like it and I'd rather watch Netflix during naptime, it's also an aspect of my parenting beliefs:

(1) Doing things with my kids is more important than cleaning.  

(2)  If I never take a break all day, I'm not going to be pleasant to be around. 

(3)  A little dirt never killed anyone.  

(4)  Do the laundry first during naps, because NOTHING is more annoying than two toddlers "helping" you sort and fold clean clothes.

Obviously, I could spend more time cleaning, and maybe I should.  However, a lot of the time I'm working during naptime, and lately, even without a lot of work to do, I just haven't had much motivation.  It's starting to help that Little Bean does dishes a few times a week, in addition to her other chores (anyone with tips on how to get your 8 y/o to do a load of dishes in LESS than 2 hours would be much appreciated).  I think maybe we should start taking that homeschooling advice that you start your day with chores and don't do the books until the house is clean, but I'm kind of terrified that would cause Little Bean to have to repeat the third grade! 

So, that's a look at the truth.  Full disclosure, about an hour after I took these pictures, 3 out of the 5 main living areas were cleaned.  My new fancy vacuum and I had a good morning.  Today, I'm mostly through cleaning the 4th area and hopefully by tomorrow, the girls' room will be clean(ish).  I'm not a great housekeeper, and I'm really okay with that....although I apologize to every OCD person that happened to look at those pictures.  Don't worry Mom, I did the dishes and scrubbed down the stove this morning :)

Stop by Messy Wife, Blessed Life for more Real Motherhood (with a name like that, I feel like we must be kindred spirits).

Check out Conversion Diary for some more Quick Takes!