Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Motherhood and an Organized Home

Yesterday, my darling son decided he wanted to wake up at 2:30am.

He went back to sleep at 5:00 but by then, I had far too many projects in my mind that needed doing. Many were work projects. I also had to make soup for dinner with friends, but since I needed ingredients from the store, that had to wait until later in the day. (So much for my buying ahead/meal planning every week). Once I had all the ingredients and he was down for a nap, I raced to make the soup. I desperately hoped to squeeze in a nap for me after the soup was done. Sure enough, my boy only napped a little over an hour.

By 4:45pm, I was so tired that I was almost in tears as I talked to my husband on the phone, imploring him to drive fast and skip any extra stops on the way home.

I'm sure all you mothers know what I am talking about. When you are super tired, it's really hard to have the energy to wipe up crumbs, let alone desire to emulate Martha Stewart. Honestly, I just wanted to lay on the floor and stare at the ceiling. The irony is that, on the same day, both the parenting board I frequent and the daily encouragement email I receive were addressing parenting and keeping cleaning/work/marriage in balance. So it's pretty obvious we all struggle with this to some degree.

So, today, no ideas from me on how to make it work...just an admission that it's not going to be anywhere near perfect on a daily basis. Instead, let me share two really great poems that come from mothers who have been around the block:

I hope that my child, looking back on today,
remembers a mother who had time to play.
Children grow up when you're not looking,
there will be years ahead for cleaning and cooking.
So hush now, cobwebs and dust, go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby 'cause babies don't keep.


EXCUSE THIS HOUSE...
Some houses try to hide the fact that children shelter there.
Ours boasts of it quite openly, the signs are everywhere.
The smears are on the windows, little smudges on the doors.
I guess i should apologize for the toys strewn on the floor.
But I sat down with the children and we played and laughed and read,
And even though the bedroom's messy, their hearts are full instead.
For when at times I am forced to choose the one job or the other,
I WANT TO BE A HOUSEWIFE...BUT FIRST I'LL BE A MOTHER. 

I'd love to hear your suggestions on how to spend quality time with your kids and still keep up with things around the house.

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