unsettled
On the proverbial road of life, I'm just starting to put my foot on the accelerator to pick up speed a bit after spending about a week and a half in a teeny tiny dip on the highway. Just kind of coasting. As you've heard before, there are ups and downs as we drive on
and this was in no way a deep dark valley, but just a feeling of blah.
Maybe more unsettled.
Yes, unsettled.
And a bit discouraged.
We're having such a full, fun summer, but I'm having the hardest time figuring out how to keep up.
Why do a couple baskets of laundry take me three days to wash, dry, fold and put away? Even though I try to clean our floors, vacuum, sweep, etc. at least twice a week to keep up with crumbs and dog hair (oh, the piles and piles of dog hair Franklin sheds...oy), it's still not enough.
And, is my house always going to feel sticky? I mean, really. The back door to our yard is sticky right now. From...toddler yogurt hands? The table feels sticky right now. From toddler yogurt hands. And the floor feels sticky right now. From toddler yogurt hands.
Will it always take Andrew and I an hour to get dinner cleaned up
and then move to putting our house back together after the babes have taken it apart? Every. Day.
Andrew keeps reminding me that this is just the phase of life we're in right now. If I lower my standards of clean, and expectations of what I should be getting done vs what can actually be done, that we can't dress the top of our coffee table like adults because Henry is drawn to any new piece of decor I try to set out like a moth to a flame, and that playing sometimes has to be, "Henry, let's clean together! Go find your vacuum while Mommy uses hers," that I'll feel better.
There's probably some truth to that.
But insecurity creeps in, and I can't figure out how everyone posting on the Internet has had three kids in the last three years, has an amazing closet full of impeccably put together outfits, cooking lavish homemade cobblers with berries they picked from their gardens, running successful businesses from home, while homeschooling their children, using essential oils, all while maintaining a beautifully decorated home.
Oh, and they're probably pregnant too. And don't have dark circles under their eyes.
I would throw in a towel, but I can't find a clean one.
I'm not even going to pretend to be keeping up. Because I'm not.
Because it's not real life, at least not for me.
There's a part of me that has always been prideful in over achieving, and wants to make a go of managing it all, but that part of me has been shrinking more and more since I started exclusively staying home/working at home a little over a year ago.
I think that's right for me, I guess I could do more too if we never wanted to sleep,
but I really, really like at least eight hours a night and will pick that almost over anything.
There's such a slippery slope at our house when it comes to keeping up with the basics, and sometimes the maintenance of only keeping up loses to figuratively shoving things in the closet and forgetting about it until tomorrow and watching House of Cards instead with a bowl of ice cream instead. Or literally. Maybe literally. Okay, yes literally.
I have however, while picking up speed as I climb another highway hill,
decided to set a few goals for myself to make the most of these next few weeks before I jump into another full fall season of shoots.
1. Make a list at the beginning of every week of things that have to get done.
And the list must include one fun thing for the kids and I to enjoy together during the week.
2. Touch it once.
If I'm checking email, respond to things immediately instead of putting it off.
Sort through the mail and pay bills now vs later.
Wipe the sticky toddler yogurt finger prints off of the table immediately before we leave for our morning walk.
You get the picture.
3. Get up before the crazy.
I've been doing this occasionally, but not consistently this summer, and the days that I'm up before the kids for just an hour are so much better than not. It gives me time to check email, shower, have a coffee, run, whatever. But for that hour I get to dictate what I do vs two little ones that dictate much of the rest of our day.
I'd love to hear if anyone else has tricks that they've learned to help keep their home healthy and happy.
I'm hoping these keep me focused and encouraged, productive, yet relaxed.
And maybe my house a bit less sticky too.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this post - I feel the same way! Our house would be a sticky, hairy, dusty mess if we didn't have a routine. And I call it that because that's what it is, a routine. From cleaning dinner up completely, to folding the blanket I've used when I head to bed, it has become a routine. We've found when we don't stick to it, we drive ourselves crazy. And we try to implement more during the weekdays, so that the weekends can be more relaxed. Those moms who post about their mess free lives either A. Have their backs to the mountain of laundry while taking pictures B. Have a cleaning lady or C. Are lying :)
ReplyDeleteWe've adopted the "touch it once" rule in our house and let me tell you... it mas made a world of difference!!!
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