housework

Yesterday I had a revelation of the housework sort. I realized that I could start cleaning the apartment one day, and finish it the next. Pretty groundbreaking, eh?

I am frequently guilty of making to-do lists that even well-organized people without small children could not finish. And here I am, semi-organized, with 2 small children, wondering why I can't finish my to-do lists. About 10 o'clock yesterday morning I realized I could not start sewing pajamas, go to the bank and post office, clean my whole apartment, teach a session of mommy school and do a couple of loads of laundry in one day. Well, I couldn't do it without feeling stressed and frazzled and snapping at people. So, I didn't. I revised my plan. This is big for me.

So yesterday I dusted. Today I swept and mopped. When a load of laundry comes out of the dryer, I fold it and put it away instead of letting load after load pile up and sneer at me. I washed the breakfast dishes after breakfast, the lunch dishes after lunch, and when I walked into my kitchen to make dinner, there was not a dirty pile of dishes waiting for me. In its place, a clean kitchen.

So, I am trying to break down the jobs into little pieces for a change and see how it goes. So far, it has really helped me with perspective. It's helped me to slow down a little (why is slowing down so hard?), keep things simple, reflect on what's important. For example: it's more important to be a fun and patient mommy than pass out at the end of the day because my to do list got the better of me.

oh! The dryer just buzzed.
Off to fold.



Blackberry Scones. yum.