My kitchen is always dirty. Always. No matter if I clean as I go while I’m cooking dinner, or if I put the dishes in the dishwasher before I go to bed, or if I clear off the counter before I start cooking. It just stays a mess.
And I’ve given up, really, trying to keep it pristine. I think it’s a waste of my energy at this point.
Right now, I’m focused on many other things. I’m appreciating where I am right now in life, and how much everything has changed in just five short years. We’re growing as a family, but most importantly, we’re growing stronger. It’s beautiful, really.
I realized that my family will either sink or swim based on me. They follow my lead. If Mama is sad or overwhelmed, they feel it. If I’m happy and content, they are as well.
So I’ve been making a conscious effort to be patient and to view all my so-called “issues” as blessings. For example…
If my living room is a mess, that means my kids love to play.
If my bedroom is a mess, I’m grateful that I have a decent sized bedroom and lots of clothes.
When I see dirty dishes in the sink, instead of sighing and cursing the fact that we are forever running the dishwasher, I will be grateful that we have a dishwasher. Dirty dishes mean we eat regularly.
If I feel exhausted, I will try to remember that this is what building a legacy is about. Long hours, big projects.
When my kids drive me crazy with their 1,563th request for something, I will admire their persistence instead of fussing under my breath.
If I chose to look at everything through a more positive lens, then eventually, it will become habit. And then those daily annoyances will instead be small reminders of how good life actually is.
This is great and so necessary. I was just thinking about this the other day – being a neat freak has been one of the things I have had to let go as I am sure many moms do…. There are so many things we have to be thankful for even in the midst of the things that may frustrate us. God is so good that way!
You sound just like me. I strive to keep my house clean and it seems like it never stays that way. You just taught me a valuable lesson: just be thankful. It’ll save a lot of stress in the long run.
I like. That’s a good way of looking at it. I struggle with balancing the housework demands and my priority — my baby.
I gotta tell you, I struggle with this one. There is something about a messy house that drives me crazy. I have a really hard time relaxing and playing if there is a mess around me. I have to literally force myself to let it go sometimes and just enjoy the kids or do something else. It’s always a choice, but for the most part, I’ve found that I have to at least tidy up, or I really can’t relax enough to make it worth ignoring it! I guess at least I know what works for me, huh?
@Chaunie – I struggle with this…but in telling myself that the house is messy for a REASON (because we’re home more now and enjoying time with each other), it gives me a little room to breathe, if that makes sense…
I remember my grandmother having a refrigerator magnet that said, “Boring Women have Immaculate Homes”, lol. As a look around at the baskets that are currently overflowing with clothes, and the kitchen that taunts me, thinking about that magnets makes me feel a little better. The perspective that you take is another huge help. Its a daily fight for me to not view the glass as half empty. This is a great way to practice viewing the glass as half full.