Every morning I wake up and declare, “This is the day I will actually organize my house!” This resolve lasts until breakfast with my preschooler. It takes all my energy to feed this super picky, food allergic guy. By 10AM, this image comes to mind.
I’ve seen several variations of it, and yet, every time I nod and think to myself, “Yup, I’m not giving up, I’m just choosing a happy kid and my sanity!” Those who know me well, know I’ve never been neat, but I always know where everything is. This is a true talent. Before I got married, I had help staying organized with a twice a month housecleaner. She was definitely a splurge, but so worth it! Once I got married, my husband and I decided we could eliminate the extra help because he is really on top of his game when it comes to organization. This “worked” until we had our son 4 years ago. I never anticipated the amount of stuff kids, especially little kids, “need”.
Now, as a full time working mom of a preschooler, who is about to give birth to baby #2, I have decided to prioritize, at least for the next year. Sadly for my husband and house, that means cleaning and organization will stay at the bottom of the list. Now having said that, I obviously don’t live in squalor. My friends can attest you don’t even need a hazmat suit to visit! My dishes are washed and put away, as are the clothes. Just don’t look too closely for dust (because there’s a good chance you’ll find it) and kindly ignore the piles of mail and papers on the table. Maybe once my youngest is a toddler I’ll have enough energy to juggle all three balls of this triangle. Until then, I choose my family over having a clean house.
What do you choose? Any tips for how you maybe manage all three?