I wonder how people do it. Like house chores and just everything in general.
We wake up, I make breakfast which is usually eggs. After breakfast I need to wash the pan, put dishes in the dishwasher, wipe the counter, not to mention cleaning up the several things Luke has done in that amount of time- today it was putting dog food in the latch hole for the dishwasher, which took some time to get out. Don't get me wrong, I really don't mind Luke exploring and making a little mess. I'm just wondering how to finish it all. Then once we're done with that, it's shower(if we didn't shower the night or day before) then getting dressed. By the time it's all said and done it's almost nap time.
That is a normal day, and it's fine, and I can handle it. But what if we want to go to story time at the library? Then we have to cut something out. Usually that is dishes or shower.
Then there's laundry. I can usually do that too, even though it takes some time to put away clothes afterward and my husband does his fair share.
The main thing is, how can I get other things done. We're still unpacking our house. How am I supposed to also unpack the house on top of the usual things?
I just feel like we'd never get play time or fun time if I do that. I don't want a perfectly clean house, I'm not willing to give up fun time with Luke. I'm just wondering how people do things. Do they give up some fun time to do these things? I don't want to look back and say, I got all the dishes done or our house was really clean all the time. I wanna look back and say that I had fun while Luke was a toddler, that we did fun things and we spent a lot of time together. Luke is a great helper, he loves to do dishes and help clean but his interest doesn't last as long as the chore takes sometimes.
Maybe it's just not possible to get things done. Maybe it's like the Mary and Martha story in the bible. Martha was so busy she didn't get a chance to just enjoy the presence of Jesus. Maybe life is more about stopping to enjoy the moments instead of constantly working yourself to the bone. Because even if I spent all day working, I still would have things to do. But then again, things still need to be done. I guess it's deciding on the need to get done vs the like to get done.
3 comments:
This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:
“Distinguish between the art of getting things done, and the nobler art of leaving things undone.”
--Julie B. Beck
It seems to be a common theme with parenting. I notice when I try harder to keep a clean house, we take fewer outings. But having a clean house makes me feel really good and inspires creativity. Maybe I should take that bit of money I'll get from watching my niece and hire a maid, lol.
I actually wish Phillip did more housework. On the days he helps (maybe once a week), I feel like it's actually possible to get the house all clean. He doesn't understand how I can't keep everything clean, and cook meals, and run errands, and care for our toddler, AND organize the house (because yes, we've been here TWO years and still are not quite settled in). I told him maybe I could do some organizing, but then other things wouldn't get done. But then out of spite, I started organizing the master bathroom one Saturday, plus did the regular chores that needed doing, (while he took Michael out), and I about fell over from exhaustion at the end of the day!
How do people do it? I commend you for recognizing that it is more important to spend time with Luke and to focus on enjoying fun times with him than it is to have a pristine home. We have been encouraged to immediately rid our home of the "stuff" that we don't need, i.e. maternity clothes and even newborn clothing that our 8 week old baby has outgrown. Just getting things out of our home into a home where they can be used and enjoyed has helped us to focus on our family.
As for routines, we're pretty free-flowing around here and content in teh knowledge that our baby is going to drive our schedule. The gals in my Mommy & Me group impress me with their routines but some of the ladies seem terribly frustrated when plans don't continue as scheduled. I think it is ok to not be so structured and to just enjoy the time with our little ones. They need so much from us, it is difficult to consider focusing on anything else, especially housework!
Ahhh I always wonder this too. I'm terribly curious about the specific details of what people have their kids do while they clean. It seems like every day my apartment gets worse instead of better, despite me genuinely trying to clean. I feel like I must just not have a good system, you know?
The other thing I wonder is why on earth my apt was ever not spotless before I had a baby. What was I doing all day!?!
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