Behind

We're behind. Again. I feel like I'm always saying or thinking this these days. It's amazing how this house can go from blissfully neat to tornadic in a heartbeat. It's one of the things I didn't count on when we added the twins. I feel like I'm always looking at cluttered surfaces, socks on the floor, shoes strewn about, toys everywhere. It's to the point where it's almost like an added challenge course: can she make dinner without stepping on any of the magnets, pots and trucks that are lying on the floor? I'm currently listening to the twins taking every lid I own out of the Tupperware cupboard and toss them gleefully onto the floor. It's a happy sound. They're singing and tossing with the occasional shriek of excitement mixed with deep concentration. It's things like this that get me to thinking about why I care so much if I'm "behind" and what does that mean for us anyway? Would I rather have a spotless house into which I'm ready to invite anyone who may drop by for a visit (like that happens) or happy kids? Can they co-exist? Maybe but I'm sure that story begins with "Once upon a time". Are people who live in unnaturally clean homes happier than I am? Less stressed? I doubt it. I've gone through my phases of being the mom who cleans up everything every time something gets dropped. I wasn't any happier than I am now. In fact, I was probably more stressed thinking about what I had to clean up next and feeling frustrated that the kids were undoing everything I had JUST done. The audacity of toddlers. I made the conscious choice to give that up years ago. I didn't want to be that mom who missed her children's formative years because I was scrubbing the kitchen floor for the third time today. But now, I'm behind. Or maybe not. Maybe I just need to shift my thinking and accept that we do what we can during the week and do a full house pickup and cleaning each weekend and then Savior Sarah can come and help deep clean every-so-often. That's been our pattern for the past few months and it's working quite well. Everyone seems to be clothed, we have food to eat, our house isn't (to my knowledge) infested with anything creepy or crawly, there are SOME surfaces that I can see most of the time and it makes it all the more satisfying when we reset everything on the weekend. We can really see that we've made a difference and our whole family has worked together to make it happen. We're a team. It works for us...most of the time. We missed our weekend cleanup this weekend so we're going to do it today. By the end of the day, our laundry will be done, we'll be able to see all of the counters, desks, tables and floors, I'll have a lovely dinner waiting for my husband when he comes home, the children will dream of sugarplums...wait, wrong story. Whatever it is at the end of the day, it will be what's right for us. I can have a clean house when my kids are grown and at that point, I'll probably reminisce fondly over picking up socks and family cleanup weekends. Until then, I'll be blissfully behind.