Cleanliness is close to....impossible

So I am literally NINE months pregnant...this Saturday. My first two girls came early, so I made sure I had everything ready about two weeks ago. "To Go" bag? Check. Laundry under control? Check. Sheets washed? Toilets cleaned? Floors scrubbed and waxed? Check, check, check. If only I had this kind of ambition when I wasn't nine months pregnant. But now that my house is officially "in order" and my most pending projects are done, the challenge is keeping it that way. Why is it so hard? It literally takes my entire evening some days just to PICK UP. It's exhausting.

So, since I've always been that girl who cringes when someone pops in unexpectedly because my house is a mess...my questions is this: HOW IS IT HUMANLY POSSIBLE TO KEEP MY HOUSE CLEAN? I think the only way is to send my family to a rental and live alone. My husband and I literally stopped speaking to each other soon after I waxed my floors because I wouldn't get off his case about taking off his shoes when he came in from the snow (why is this an issue??). Whenever I have a deadline to get my house clean, I become a mommy monster. If you track in dirt from outside or spill your crayons all over the rug and smear your shredded cheddar cheese into the wood floor ONE MORE TIME, I will bite your head off. I don't want to be that way.

I guess there has to be a compromise. A friend of mine has a sign in her kitchen that says,
"My house is clean enough to be healthy, but dirty enough to be happy." I need to be OKAY with my house's "lived in" state. I can clean it up at night and enjoy it for that hour or so, but during the day, it's going to be lived in.

Besides, some messes are just worth it. We will often spread our entire collection of construction paper, stickers, pipe cleaners and glitter glue all over the front room, but it's worth it to sit with my two girls and watch them create something new. As much as I LOVE a clean bedroom and a made-up bed, I really love it when our girls jump all over it and get tickled to tears. It's such a feat to keep my kitchen floor clean, but I don't mind stepping on something sticky when I've just decorated an entire batch of ginger bread cookies with my favorite apprentices.

I really need to relax and just do my best--but that's more of a lifetime endeavor for me, not an overnight change. Something always creeps up on me and adds a few new things to my "to do" or "to do better" list. I was just showing off my big belly to my husband and he pointed out a brand new, shiny stretch mark. Bah! Haven't I rubbed enough oils and belly butters onto my skin these nine months to prevent this?? Somehow these little ones find a way to leave their mark, whether it's on your floors, your windows, your mirrors, or your body. But it really is worth it.

May your homes be comfy and welcoming and a little bit messy with happy kids who have daily activity time! Stay tuned for some awesome winter/Christmas activities.