the neverending (losing) battle

Oh man. Sometimes being a wife and mom and all the other things I am feels like a losing battle. I mop the floor (which I think might be my least favorite household chore) and 30 minutes later Toby runs in with muddy paws. I vacuum my carpets and Kaden spills popcorn all over them. I wipe the counters and get the kitchen sparkling, to turn around and have hungry little boys looking up at me begging for snacks. I fold laundry, get it all stacked up nicely and a little person thinks it looks like the perfect landing place sending fresh perfectly folded clothes flying. I get the kids bathed and they find an open tube of toothpaste or have some sort of potty accident. Dinner gets spilled on a clean stove, juice gets spilled on the newly shampooed carpet, fingerprints are smeared on sparkling glass, important mail is used as a sketchpad. Sometimes I cringe as I hear the crashing sound of a bucket of toys being dumped. Sometimes the last thing I want to do is get out the playdough or paints, or let Kaden run around outside in the mud.

Even though keeping things orderly, clean, and functional seems like a losing battle most of the time I am okay with that. I want the kids to have adventures. I want them to build forts in the living room. I want to proudly hang their artistic creations in our home. I want to be a part of their childhood and not always be worrying about messes. I want them to feel like they are at home in their home. I want them to feel comfortable and happy. I want to think back on this time and know that I was more concerned with them than how clean my house was. Of course there is a balance that needs to be there, and we are working on that. The boys are learning to clean up messes and to try to help things stay neat and organized. I am still trying to find the balance between having a spotless home and a home that looks like a bomb just went off. Someday we'll find that balance. For the most part our home is presentable and looks nice, but also looks lived in. It looks like a place where small children play. To me it's home. It's a happy and peaceful place. Even though it drives me nuts sometimes, it's ours and we are so happy here.