I don't remember anything about the cleanliness of my parents' house other than Saturday mornings were cleaning days and mom hated when we dusted around (as opposed to under) the tchotchke that overwhelmed her shelves. Was their house dirty? No. Then again, would I remember if it was? Absolutely not. I try to remind myself of this when I scan the disarray ever-present in my home and wonder how much therapy it will cause my children to need later on.
I kept a tight ship once upon a time. It was easy, with only two of us, to keep our house clean, neat, organized, etc. After we had Taidhgin, the house remained spotless, more or less. After Eibhlin came along, the house was clean. After Connlaodh was born, we moved into tolerable. Now, with the addition of Uilleam, I am lucky if I can see the kitchen island, let alone wipe it down. I used to do it all, but now I contract out my work: the four year old vacuums the living room, the eight year old wipes down sinks, and the six year old cleans all of the glass. They work very hard, they aim to please, but without fail there are streaks, crumbs, and more left behind. We do what we can, when we can, and that's all we can. What does this mean? It means that my floors and counters, as with the rest of my life, are a practice in organized chaos. Four kids, three dogs, one cat, and a husband all amount to endless sweeping, wiping, vacuuming, etc....if that's how I would choose to spend my time. Instead, I have given up the impossible dream and resigned myself to a house that is by no means clean- especially by the standards of some folks in my world- but is more of a home than I ever imagined I would be fortunate enough to have.
Don't get me wrong- I am in awe of anyone who has four kids, three dogs, one cat, a husband, a full time job, AND a spotless house....obviously she is amazing at time management and I wonder how much she would charge to come take care of my home. Until I meet Wonder Woman, however, I will be content to be grateful for the fact that I have learned to function in the clutter and that I know that one day I will miss the insanity that causes it. If keeping spotless floors and counters means I can't cuddle on the couch or hit the playground with the kids, then so be the dirty floors and counters- they'll still be there for me to clean long after the kids are gone.So, dear tile, we can rekindle our love affair then. And, let's be honest, Dr. Seuss nailed it when he said, "And this mess is so big ... And so deep and so tall, We cannot pick it up. There is no way at all!” (Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat).
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