Some days I feel like I just can’t seem to get ahead. I trade out work time for my morning workout. I sacrifice time with the kids to work. Any gains I might make on laundry or cleaning the house seem to evaporate by 1pm. I quarantine the kids to one room so I can work on the rest of the house – room by room – but return to the occupied room being a total disaster. The punishment for one child sends them upstairs – mid-tantrum – and then THAT leads to a potty accident with me cleaning up pee off the floor.
All the interruptions of the day leave me feeling unproductive and overwhelmed because today’s tasks just got added to tomorrow’s list…which still has items from last month.
I expressed this frustration to my sweet, kind husband who empathized with the situation. I explained that the worst part of all was all the never ending War on Toys & Clutter that seemed to be in the midst of a hostile takeover. I was losing ground fast, and I somehow needed to find higher ground. He said that I was exactly right.
He, like most men, used a football analogy to show he understood my plight. "We start at 1st and 10. After a couple of plays, we end up at 3rd and long. But we ALWAYS get the first down. ALWAYS." His confidence at achieving this mystical first down was almost convincing...if I didn't already feel like my half-hearted clean-up attempts around the house didn't feel like punting. And besides, if we ALWAYS get the first down, then where in the WORLD was the end zone? I needed a Hail Mary pass to win the game.
In an effort to regain control, I spent the better part of my afternoon designing a chore chart (complete with pictures since we're not fully at that reading stage yet) in hopes of INSPIRING my children to WANT to clean.
I'll keep you posted on my progress - or lack of it.
He, like most men, used a football analogy to show he understood my plight. "We start at 1st and 10. After a couple of plays, we end up at 3rd and long. But we ALWAYS get the first down. ALWAYS." His confidence at achieving this mystical first down was almost convincing...if I didn't already feel like my half-hearted clean-up attempts around the house didn't feel like punting. And besides, if we ALWAYS get the first down, then where in the WORLD was the end zone? I needed a Hail Mary pass to win the game.
In an effort to regain control, I spent the better part of my afternoon designing a chore chart (complete with pictures since we're not fully at that reading stage yet) in hopes of INSPIRING my children to WANT to clean.
I'll keep you posted on my progress - or lack of it.
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