Can I take a few minutes and be real? Really real?
I’m pretty awful at taking care of my house. It’s clean, but it’s not. It’s free of dirt and crumbs, but it’s a mess. I try to clean bathrooms once a month and wish I’d do it every weekend.
After a really long day, when I don’t have much fight left, my house is the first thing that’s dropped. It usually takes all I have left to be even-tempered and fun for my children. Since I’m being honest, fun is a stretch. I think it’s a phase, but Maximus has spent the last week complaining that he hasn’t done anything fun. I may need to step up my game a bit!
There’s a subconscious goal in my head. Bedtime. After I reach that goal, it’s like autopilot to the couch. Before I know it I’ve been sucked into the comfy cushions and I’m cruising the social media world on my phone. Forty-five minutes later and I call the night a wash. It’s the most unproductive part of my day. Believe me, I get sucked into a lot during the work day and have had my fair share of unproductive days.
I can’t exactly remember what my night life was like before Quinten. I’d like to hope that I was a little more productive. I do remember telling myself that the house could wait once I had a baby who never slept through the night. After all, babies don’t keep. Now I can’t get myself out of the routine. It’s bad. I should be cleaning the kitchen or meal planning. Instead colors and drawings liter the counters. Random items are thrown together to make meals (Usually by my husband because I walk in the door when they start getting hangry.) I know these times are hard. The days are long but the years are short. I do feel that. But I also feel that we need to find some kind of healthy balance in our home. I’m not sure how to figure that out with two jobs that constantly pulli us back in, two children who require constant attention, and a house to look after.
What suggestions do you have?
Cleaning lady! I know – the cost. I am the cheapskate in our marriage and fought adding it to the budget forever. But the stress. The guilt of the dirty house. Or the exhaustion from trying to get the bathroom cleaned. It was a gamechanger for my mental health. No lie. Ours comes every other week to balance my cheap tendencies with my clean tendencies. With dog and kids, we sweep and vacuum in between. But I know that every two weeks, bathrooms are being scrub and dust is going away. You will be amazed how much of your evenings/weekends are freed up!
I know. I know. I know.
Maybe I’ll ask for that for Christmas!?
You are not alone! I was just thinking this today. I’m at home with my little guy and it’s still so hard. He’s at such an energetic age that it’s both fun and exhausting. I can’t take my eyes off him for a minute so nothing gets accomplished while he’s awake and while he’s napping I can finally eat a meal and give myself a rest. I often do laundry and pick up the house a bit before the next round of play, but actually cleaning just doesn’t happen! I feel guilty but I don’t have it in me! I’d love to hire a cleaning lady but again, the guilt of doing that gets the best of me, too! double edge knife!
We are most definitely our own worst enemy! I can make myself guilty and then I can imagine that I should be guilty if Bryan has to do something. He doesn’t even have to be bothered by it and I’m still feeling guilty!
Cleaning is overrated! We try but it is an uphill battle. Cut yourself some slack, only focus on what cleaning things drive you batty. 🙂
So true! The things that drive me crazy are also the things that bring me happiness and peace when taken care of. 🙂