Like shoveling in a blizzard

I saw a cute (and true) quote on another blog today. It said "Cleaning house while kids are growing is like shoveling snow while it's still snowing."

I Googled it to try to give proper credit and found this:

Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing. ~Phyllis Diller

OH. So. True!

A few weeks ago, my Hubby was so sweet and allowed me to call in a cleaning service for a day. They spent a couple hours making my house sparkling clean.

See the kitchen? Notice there isn't anything on the counter? That NEVER happens. That island is a catch-all for all sorts of stuff every single day.



This time, I didn't vow to keep it that way. I knew better. I simply don't know HOW to keep the house clean without plopping my kids in front of the TV and ignoring them all day, every day. I'm not kidding.

I think about how my mom does it. She's a great housekeeper. Well, she does the dishes right after dinner and cleans up as she goes along while making dinner. She folds and puts away the laundry as soon as it comes out of the dryer. Etc. Sorry. As I'm cooking dinner, Logan is almost always watching Monster Jam while Jordan is attached to my leg crying to be picked up. After dinner is bath, book and bed time for both boys. When, exactly am I supposed to do the dishes? If I clank them around after they go to bed or during Jordan's nap time, it wakes them.

I can't even put stuff away because a lot of the stuff doesn't have a place to go. In some cases that might mean I don't need it. In some cases it means I need a better filing or organization system. I know this, but I simply don't have the time to go through it all without, again, just shoving my kids in front of the TV all day and ignoring them!

Laundry is another story, too. It is taking over my life. By the time I get around to folding it all, it's pretty close to unbearable. See? There's even folded laundry on top of the couch and in the front window. It takes whole hours to fold and put it away while trying to be a mom to the boys, and as you can see, Logan is watching TV. Jordan was probably attached to my leg as I took the photo.



Anyway, listen to me whine whine whine. It's an ongoing struggle.

Stuff stuff stuff. I am so sick of stuff!

But, I will be honest and tell you I am grateful to have a Hubby and two little boys to do laundry and make dinner for and to clean up after.

Ran across this poem the other day. I'll leave you with that:

Housewife's Prayer

Thank you dear Lord,
For things to do;
Tasks to complete,
That are never quite through.
Thank you for the laundry,
That piles up so fast;
For the tub I just cleaned,
Though I know it won't last.
Thanks for the toys
That litter my floor;
For the mud-caked shoes,
That sit by the door.
Thank you for the fingerprints,
On once-cleaned glass;
Thanks for my carpet,
Now covered with grass.
Thanks for the kitchen
That never stays clean;
For the skillets to scrub
That lay in my sink.
These things in my life
Just prove that I'm blessed;
God gave me a family,
I can live with the mess.
~Sheila Hammock Gosney