As my children get older I realize more and more that the seconds in our days matter tremendously. Life is so rushed, not just for moms, but for everyone in general. We lose sight of what matters, even when its right in front of us. I’ve noticed lately that my son will ask me specifically what he would like, cuddle with him, watch a movie with him, go for a bike ride. I’ve also noticed how I don’t do these things enough. Cuddling is easy but it’s usually for 5 or 10 minutes. I’ll watch glimpses of his favorite shows, river monsters and bigfoot but then there’s always the, “but i’ve got to clean up first babe”, or “let me finish my chores first”, even, “If I get this done, then maybe”. UGH! What a waste of my time to just clean clean clean and for what?! Who notices, who cares? Other than making sure we are being hygienic and germ free, if the laundry piles up or if I can’t mop every other day, W H O C A R E S ????? Sometimes my husband doesn’t even notice all I do.
The other day, I literally spent all day long in one room, cleaning. Why, all day? Because I moved the furniture out, cleaned behind dressers and mirrors, the bed and desk. I took down curtains from screwed in holders and washed them. Dusted the fan that had layers of dust on it, cleaned the crevices on the furniture cracks that no one sees, cleaned under the bed and in the small spaces that while not visible we know are there. I threw out papers from years ago and organized our desks. I did this because every once in a while you have to do a thorough cleaning like this. But when my husband got home, all he could notice was how the rest of the house was untidy. You know what, I didn’t care but I did give him a piece of my mind!
The point is, if no one drops by unannounced, no one is going to judge you so don’t agonize over all the things that need to get done. Believe me, you’ll be surprised at how much you can get done little by little or even all at once. There isn’t one best way, but there are two ways I like to tackle my household cleaning. I either spend a few hours every day doing it so that I get more time on the weekends OR I do less during the week and then spend about 5-8 hours cleaning on the weekend only. It depends on what you have planned for that week. Remember to incorporate the help from the kids and husband, when possible. My message to you is don’t agonize over all that has to be done or isn’t done. Enjoy life, Enjoy the moments that are presented to you because every day is a present, so BE PRESENT!
