The daily grind...

My house has been more or less clean and tidy for a few weeks now. When it gets out of control (which it magically seems to do in less than 24 hours sometimes!) it takes less than a day to reclaim. That is a blessing, and something that didn't used to be true.

Take today for example... I woke up and the kitchen table and counters were covered with stuff from lunch and dinner yesterday. Dirty dishes, leftovers that needed to be thrown out, papers, trash, boxes... It was a sight! There were dishes in the sink to be taken care of, Leif's hiking clothes in the chair in the living room, Ellie's toys on the floor... You get the idea. Shannon was coming over at 11 and I needed to get it cleaned up.

You know what? By the time Shannon came over, everything was pretty much clean. Dishes in the dishwasher, table cleaned up, clothes in the hamper, bed made, and I was dressed and fed. Ellie and I had even spent about 45 minutes outside swinging and playing by the time they arrived!

Then tonight Leif called to say they were on their way home, but he didn't call until they were about 3 minutes away, so I didn't even have time to pick up the house before he walked in the door. And you know what? It was okay! The house wasn't PERFECT, but it was nice, and 95% tidy. He noticed. He said it looked much better. And I realized that it's okay it wasn't perfect.

Me, my house, and I are a work in progress.

busy

This week has been a busy one. I spent Monday and Tuesday at Taylor's house, helping her with the babies. Today I had Bible study in the morning, then ate lunch with Leif, ran errands, and got home around 2, just in time for Ellie's nap. I put away the groceries, relaxed for about 30 minutes, and started dinner. After dinner I spent an hour or so putting away laundry. Tomorrow Erika and I are heading to Billings to take the girls to the circus and we're just going to make a day of it. Then Friday is my scrapbooking day. Erika will watch Ellie and I need to get most, if not all, of my class projects made for the open house next week. Lots to do. Busy week.

BUT I have been making an effort to get things ready the night before (milk/juice cups filled, my water bottle filled, diaper bag on the doorknob of the garage, setting out clothes, planning dinner) and that has really helped things go smoothly. I've been going to bed with a clean house and waking up to a clean house, and that has made me happier. I think Leif has been happier coming home to a clean house, too. It's all been good.