Now I know I've admitted before that with each child my OCD tendencies get worse. There is a home for each and every item in my house. It might be a basket for stuffed animals only or a plastic box for dollhouse things....thank God for Rubbermaid containers. If it does not have a clear "place" it has what I call a "shelf life" and is thrown away usually after I've picked it up from some random places 3-5 times. For instance, kid's meal toys...they stay for at most 7 days. The reason for this is time. If everything has a "home" it makes clean up much easier in the long run and toys remain toys not miscellaneous pieces of toys that you'll never find all the pieces to again. Yes, time management is important and when things get out of sorts, I'll admit, I get out of sorts.
All this leading up to my near panic attack the other day. While in the shower, I usually have to stick my head out the door several times in order to do a welfare check on our children. If I hear annoyed screaming?....they are just gonna have to work it out. If I hear objects that I recognize being played with?....I continue on. If I don't hear anything?.....time to get out. Well the other morning I had one of those silent moments, so I wrapped up my shower, dried off as fast as I could to go hunt down what was going on. I rounded the corner and my heart started racing at what I saw....once neatly folded clothes spread like confetti all over the floor. "It is snowing" Mary Ella said while Addy was happily throwing them up in the air. I thought I was going LOSE IT! Folded laundry is the ultimate representation of time in motherhood. Ask any mom with 2 or more children and you will find laundry is one of those things that never ends. I have to do 2 loads/day just to keep the baskets from overflowing. So, yes, I let that go all over me despite the fact that I was the one who didn't put it up immediately. Do you remember when doing the laundry 2x/week was a lot? How about running the dishwasher? I remember when we ran it only 1-2x/week. Now we run it nightly. I'm not complaining, it is just funny how things evolve and change. I said to Scott the other day, "we should've been ashamed of ourselves. We lived like slobs when we didn't have children. What on earth were we doing with our time????" I honestly don't remember.....
3 comments:
Amen and AMEN, sista! Preach on!
I don't understand why children instinctively reach for the tower of folded clothes. Why not the pile of unfolded clothes. Why do they pull on the sheet or the towel you have in your hands and not the one on the floor? I feel your pain sweet Courtney!
To represent the very small minority of those couples without children, let me just say that you probably didn't waste your time, it was just used on other things. We maintain our elevated pulse rates by giving attention to various things that go by the wayside when you have a family to attend to. I would say that a couple of two can realistically run the dishwasher 1-2x per week and not be slobs. In fact, when life keeps you busy enough that you are never AT home, your house stays amazingly picked up. I HIGHLY doubt you or Scott lived as slobs. Life changes along with priorities and perspectives. Enjoy the ride!
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