The other day I was talking about how I can’t seem to live up to the standards of the seemingly “perfect” mom bloggers out there. Now I know that we are just getting a tiny glimpse into their lives and that they have their own struggles too but you’ve got to admit that some moms just have it more together than others. I’m one of the “others.” I’m resigned to the fact that I’m never going to be a Catholic “Martha Stewart type” but I’ve got my good points and they’d be able to come out more often if I was a tad more organized.
Case in point, when you enter into our home you immediately see the entry way, the front room (where my desk and “office area” is) and the dining room. The area is surrounded with windows that look out to a beautiful view. However, we never use the dining room and the table has become the catch all for piles of junk and things that need to get sorted and put away. Since the table is such a mess I tend to keep the curtains shut and just add to the piles. The other day I finally cleared everything off the table and opened wide all the curtains. There was so much light and beauty outside that it literally lifted my spirits and I was a more lovable mom to my kids! (Stop laughing.)
Although I’m a mess cat, I do hate all the clutter and feel so much better when things are tidy and organized. But to get me to do it and keep it up, well, that’s another story. My youngest sister has been visiting and she kept the kids occupied so I got a good head start in cleaning and organizing the house. However, she flew back to So Cal on Tuesday (huge sniff) and I’m back on my own. So I decided that each day I’ll pick one small thing that I can work on that day. Something I can realistically accomplish in between the dishes and diapers and dirty laundry.
My first general task is to make sure that when I wake up in the early morn to feed the baby (or pump), I’ll use that time to say my morning prayers and read the gospel for the day. Since I always have my iphone with me and it has my prayer book and missal on it (I love the imissal app!) there is no excuse. That quiet time praying and just talking to God always helps me to get through the day better.
My “just for today” task is to keep an eye on that dining room table and when I see things starting to pile up on it I’ll have the kids take what belongs to them. (“Bella, put away your drawings. Andrew, take Buzz and Lighting back to your room. JP, throw away this half eaten apple…) While they are doing that, I’ll put the junk mail in the recycling bin, put the empty gifts bags back in the wrapping box, put the Costco items away in the garage pantry and open those windows and let the light shine in!
Who knows, maybe in a year from now some other struggling mother will look at me and say, “How does Bobbi do it all and still seem so sane??” Hahahaha! Okay, I couldn’t even say that with a straight face but one step at a time, baby. One step at a time.