Friday, October 11, 2013

{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!

7 quick takes sm1 7 Quick Takes about carpet beetles, Minecraft, Pong, and pirates

6 comments:

  1. You're right, a little dirt never killed anyone. And field trips are more important than having an empty sink!

    You know what's funny? As a kid, I had my own room (because there were five of us and my two brothers shared one, my two little sisters shared another, and that left me odd man out), and I made my bed every single day. I treated my room like my own little apartment, my own little corner of the world, and I wanted it neat. As a grown-up, however, I almost never make the bed! It just doesn't seem as important anymore!

    Thanks for joining my site. I haven't had a new follower in ages, so I was tickled to see you on there. I just tried to join yours, but my computer isn't letting me. I'm determined to figure out how to do it!

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    1. Thanks! It was fun to share everything - including the kitchen sink!

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  2. Oh, it's always good to know mine isn't the only kitchen that looks like that, but mine gets that way twice a day. Grrr. I don't know what I'd do without a dishwasher. Good for you for taking more time with your babies though. I'm always telling myself "all this can wait" but I get pretty cranky if I leave it too long...I'm working on that!

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    1. I'm probably too okay with our clutter! We play a lot more than we clean, so I'm struggling to develop a work ethic in the kids....maybe we can swap :)

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  3. #4!! My husband took our toddler to the store the other day, and I got to unload the dishwasher all by myself...so exciting! Ha...

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    1. It's AMAZING how productive I can be when I'm alone. I usually wash dishes while I'm making a meal so I'm doubling up on my kitchen chores at once.

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