Some days I really wish I was a stay-at-home mom. Not to say they don't do as much, because they do, it's just that they are able to do different things (often more) than I can do. I've had so many SAHMs say to me, "I don't know how you working mom's do it," but the fact it, we don't. Well, at least I don't.
It's all I can do most days to keep my house from turning into a cyclone-induced heap of trash, much less actually have the chance to clean it. I've got mountains of dust, piles of laundry, and unmanagable clutter in every nook and cranny of this place. And I have no time to deal with it unless I am ready to sacrifice my weekends to the Clean House gods.
Now, I'm not naive enough to think that SAHMs just sit around all day and paint their toenails, but I can't help but think that 8 more hours (9 if you count the drive) in my day that I'm otherwise in the office would be one heck of an improvement. Oh, to have a house that it organized and clean. To be able to help the kids with schoolwork (yes, I would love to take some of that on!). To just be able to decorate!!! It's the simple things.
I've done the FlyLady thing for years now, and I'm still "fluttering"...can't get off the ground. Mostly because when I get home from work everyday, I don't have 15 minutes left in me. We are a house-full of "Messies" that just can't get it right and when there are four of us (ok, Trenton may not be) then it takes four to clean it up. We try, we all do (thank you, boys, including Matt!) but it is so hard and so overwhelming.
Our communal ADD-ness doesn't help either. Each one of us is so easily distracted that it is mind-blowing. And we parents don't help. Invariably one of us asks the kids to do Chore 1 and, before they can even finish, the other is asking about Chore 2. No wonder they can't keep up! I've been preaching and preaching (and preaching) to Tanner about using a timer. It does wonders for both of us when we use it.
There is also one more thing that has helped, but it has also made me long for more. I'm so blessed now to get to work at home on Fridays. I love it...and, yes, I really do work. But on top of that, I do laundry, get dinner started (usually a crock pot meal), organize the home/school office, and other little things. I will even take two 15-minute segments of time to vacuum between e-mails and conference calls. It's so wonderful. Plus, I don't have the hour in the car. I can pull an 8-hour day from 7:30 to 3:30 and have the rest of the time for myself. On a normal day, I wouldn't even be home by 4:30, much less already be there and have dinner going. The only problem is that I want to do it everyday, not just Fridays. Don't think that one will fly with the boss, though.
It's all I can do most days to keep my house from turning into a cyclone-induced heap of trash, much less actually have the chance to clean it. I've got mountains of dust, piles of laundry, and unmanagable clutter in every nook and cranny of this place. And I have no time to deal with it unless I am ready to sacrifice my weekends to the Clean House gods.
Now, I'm not naive enough to think that SAHMs just sit around all day and paint their toenails, but I can't help but think that 8 more hours (9 if you count the drive) in my day that I'm otherwise in the office would be one heck of an improvement. Oh, to have a house that it organized and clean. To be able to help the kids with schoolwork (yes, I would love to take some of that on!). To just be able to decorate!!! It's the simple things.
I've done the FlyLady thing for years now, and I'm still "fluttering"...can't get off the ground. Mostly because when I get home from work everyday, I don't have 15 minutes left in me. We are a house-full of "Messies" that just can't get it right and when there are four of us (ok, Trenton may not be) then it takes four to clean it up. We try, we all do (thank you, boys, including Matt!) but it is so hard and so overwhelming.
Our communal ADD-ness doesn't help either. Each one of us is so easily distracted that it is mind-blowing. And we parents don't help. Invariably one of us asks the kids to do Chore 1 and, before they can even finish, the other is asking about Chore 2. No wonder they can't keep up! I've been preaching and preaching (and preaching) to Tanner about using a timer. It does wonders for both of us when we use it.
There is also one more thing that has helped, but it has also made me long for more. I'm so blessed now to get to work at home on Fridays. I love it...and, yes, I really do work. But on top of that, I do laundry, get dinner started (usually a crock pot meal), organize the home/school office, and other little things. I will even take two 15-minute segments of time to vacuum between e-mails and conference calls. It's so wonderful. Plus, I don't have the hour in the car. I can pull an 8-hour day from 7:30 to 3:30 and have the rest of the time for myself. On a normal day, I wouldn't even be home by 4:30, much less already be there and have dinner going. The only problem is that I want to do it everyday, not just Fridays. Don't think that one will fly with the boss, though.
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