CONFESSION TIME:
There once was a time when I was single minded. By that I mean I had no idea what mommy-hood/parenting was all about. I was completely unaware of what those tiny little people can take from you. (Or give to you.)
I am happy to report that the twins have gone ahead & let me know what it's all about.
Each and every thing I judged moms about I am now guilty of:
1. Mold/pink mildew in the bathroom
2. Hair everywhere!
3. Dirty floors- Kitchen, living room, bathroom...
4. Constant laundry that is never folded
5. Toys strewn all about
6. Chewed on books
7. Sink filled to the brim with dishes
8. Neglecting household responsibilities to play with the kids
9. Empty & DIRTY refrigerator shelves
I saw these at some point or another in many homes across the greater Vancouver area. Friends, people I baby-sat for, they all had this inability to stay on top of the house work & other listed items.
I am now guilty of ALL NINE!!!
1. My bathroom has more mold/pink mildew than a third grade science experiment.
2. Since the day the boys arrived on the planet, my hair has been falling out in droves. It's in the shower, on the bathroom floor, the seats of the car, & stuck to every sweater or jacket I own. I am wondering if by their first birthday I will be bald.
3. My floors are out of control. I could sweep & vacuum everyday, and still the house would be a mess. But I don't vacuum everyday. I don't have time. And so, lint rules the roost in these parts.
4. Except for the days my mother-in-law comes and does the laundry for me, those baskets sit in the living room, patiently awaiting my exhausted hands to fold & put them away. Some days they get their wish, others they don't.
5. We do try to keep the baby toys cleaned up, but there are still times when I wonder if we will ever walk through the room without looking like we are trying to avoid land mines.
6. If a cardboard book keeps the boys from screaming, climbing up Josh's school bookshelf, or chewing on each other, let them have it!
7. Some days, I would prefer to buy all NEW dishes and just throw out the old ones. Call it laziness if you must. I call it TWINS.
8. If I do the housework instead of playing with the boys for a few days in a row, the guilt starts to consume me. And when I am laying in bed after a long day, the last thing I need is some sort of mental anxiety to keep me awake. And guilt has a wicked habit of doing just that. So I let the house go. For the love of the kids.
9. Case in point: Last week when my mom was over, she cleaned my fridge for me. She hoped it didn't offend me. It did not. Instead I was joyfully grateful. Lord knows I wasn't planning on cleaning it until the boys were at least in fourth grade.
So to all those mothers out there whom I judged in the past, please accept my sincerest apology. I truly get it now.
And for those of you who are still single minded, yet to have children and lose your house to these tiny people, bear with those of us who are in the trenches. We would clean that mold if we could, truly, but instead we must spend every spare moment snapping pictures of our adorable, drooling infants, who will be grown up & doing all these chores for us before we know it!
There once was a time when I was single minded. By that I mean I had no idea what mommy-hood/parenting was all about. I was completely unaware of what those tiny little people can take from you. (Or give to you.)
I am happy to report that the twins have gone ahead & let me know what it's all about.
Each and every thing I judged moms about I am now guilty of:
1. Mold/pink mildew in the bathroom
2. Hair everywhere!
3. Dirty floors- Kitchen, living room, bathroom...
4. Constant laundry that is never folded
5. Toys strewn all about
6. Chewed on books
7. Sink filled to the brim with dishes
8. Neglecting household responsibilities to play with the kids
9. Empty & DIRTY refrigerator shelves
I saw these at some point or another in many homes across the greater Vancouver area. Friends, people I baby-sat for, they all had this inability to stay on top of the house work & other listed items.
I am now guilty of ALL NINE!!!
1. My bathroom has more mold/pink mildew than a third grade science experiment.
2. Since the day the boys arrived on the planet, my hair has been falling out in droves. It's in the shower, on the bathroom floor, the seats of the car, & stuck to every sweater or jacket I own. I am wondering if by their first birthday I will be bald.
3. My floors are out of control. I could sweep & vacuum everyday, and still the house would be a mess. But I don't vacuum everyday. I don't have time. And so, lint rules the roost in these parts.
4. Except for the days my mother-in-law comes and does the laundry for me, those baskets sit in the living room, patiently awaiting my exhausted hands to fold & put them away. Some days they get their wish, others they don't.
5. We do try to keep the baby toys cleaned up, but there are still times when I wonder if we will ever walk through the room without looking like we are trying to avoid land mines.
6. If a cardboard book keeps the boys from screaming, climbing up Josh's school bookshelf, or chewing on each other, let them have it!
7. Some days, I would prefer to buy all NEW dishes and just throw out the old ones. Call it laziness if you must. I call it TWINS.
8. If I do the housework instead of playing with the boys for a few days in a row, the guilt starts to consume me. And when I am laying in bed after a long day, the last thing I need is some sort of mental anxiety to keep me awake. And guilt has a wicked habit of doing just that. So I let the house go. For the love of the kids.
9. Case in point: Last week when my mom was over, she cleaned my fridge for me. She hoped it didn't offend me. It did not. Instead I was joyfully grateful. Lord knows I wasn't planning on cleaning it until the boys were at least in fourth grade.
So to all those mothers out there whom I judged in the past, please accept my sincerest apology. I truly get it now.
And for those of you who are still single minded, yet to have children and lose your house to these tiny people, bear with those of us who are in the trenches. We would clean that mold if we could, truly, but instead we must spend every spare moment snapping pictures of our adorable, drooling infants, who will be grown up & doing all these chores for us before we know it!
Katie and I talk about this all the time. My kids are in school now so I've moved past the "I don't have time" to the "I don't wanna". I refuse to spend every minute of the day cleaning when I know the minute they walk in the door it's going to look like a dump. You're so right to let the house go and spend time with the boys. The house will most definitely wait!
ReplyDeleteI wish I could help more, and I love that you have your priorities the way they are. Time truly flies.
ReplyDeletei think i used to be the "single-minded" the most when i boarded an airplane & saw lots of babies! i'd roll my eyes & say under my breath- great, just great. now that i've flown lots of times with mine, i cringed when others get on the plane & see us but then i quickly change my attitude to "i-don't-care-what-you-think-someday-you'll-be-a-parent-too"!
ReplyDelete