I never been very organized, which translates into a pretty cluttered house. Now my house isn’t dirty–just cluttered. I have lots of “papers” that lie around, I have a lot of clothes that don’t always get put away, O’s toys sometimes litter the living room floor, and I have been known to leave a dirty dish in the sink every once in awhile.
I thought maybe once I had O, my “clean gene” would kick in. My mom is very organized and orderly–some of that had to rub off on me, right? Not so much.
The other day I was having lunch with some co-workers when we started talking about houses, cleaning, organizing, and the like. One co-worker mentioned a SAHM that had a foyer complete with drawers and organizing space so her children could put everything–shoes, backpacks, coats, etc.–away as soon as they walked in the house. I commented that my house was so small that I didn’t even have a foyer.
“I just kick my shoes off and leave them behind my front door,” I said.
“Yeah, I know,” the co-worker remarked. “I’ve seen ’em.”
Ouch. That kinda hurt.
I don’t think she meant anything by it, but I felt embarassed–a little “less than.” Both for not having a foyer and for putting my shoes behind my door.
But when I got home that night, I realized I didn’t mind my clutter-filled home. As a working, single mom (Oh yeah, I’m single now. That’s a different post for a different day.), cleaning can’t be a top priority. I wish I could have a cleaner home, but I just don’t have enough time. I don’t think O cares that I’m not a neat-freak mom, either. I have more time to spend with him, and I don’t mind when he does something like this:
What’s that a picture of, you ask? That’s O and me playing with “snow.” (And yep, that’s a diaper in the lower left corner, and what appears to be a Duke Energy bill behind O. Clutter, remember?)
O found a piece of styrofoam on the couch and started smashing it up with his hands. I joined in on the fun and started breaking it up and sprinkling it around. We had the time of our lives. And made a big mess. I’m still finding little pieces of styrofoam–even though I’ve vacuumed three times since.
But it was worth it.
Definitely worth it.