June Cleaver I Am Not

Tonight, I was talking with a group of some friends and the topic of homemaking was raised. Specifically, how on earth do some people possess the amazing ability to keep such an immaculate house?

My friend Susan laughed as she described how she imagined life would be as a stay-at-home mom-- before she had children. The house would be pristine, her children would be perfect. And naturally, she would be in awesome shape-- because she'd have so much extra time to work out, of course!

Extra time.

What exactly is that, and how can I get my hands on some?

I, for one, struggle to keep the house in a state of order. When I mentioned this tonight, I was teased a little-- "What are you talking about? Your house is always clean!" To which I should have replied, "Yes, but have you been to my house when I didn't know you were coming?" Why is it that I always come up with a witty comeback half an hour too late? *sigh*

This year I am trying to develop better organizational skills. I have spent almost the entirety of this day cleaning out my home office. It, tragically, has become the black hole of our little abode. But today-- victory!!! I can actually type this post at my computer without fear of being buried alive by piles of bills, catalogs, and the like. I am hopeful this is the year that good habits will finally stick.

There are a lot of perks that come along with being a stay-at-home mom. Comfortable wardrobe, being able to work with people you typically enjoy being around, being able to create your own schedule--generally speaking. But when you add kids to the equation, suddenly those starry-eyed fantasies of how life should be are brought back down to earth. Life gets crazy. Life gets messy. But it's wonderful that way.

I wouldn't change my life for anything. There are days when the stars align and our house hums like a well-oiled machine. Everything is in its place. Most days are not those days, however. We just keep doing the best that we can, and somehow everything seems to work out alright.

Because at the end of it all, I would rather my kids looked back on their childhood and thought, "Boy, we sure had such a super fun Mom" rather than "Boy, we sure had such a super clean house."

Maybe, someday, they'll get both. :)