House Cleaning

I think we all as mother's sturggle with the idea of a clean house and time to play with the kids. This article from Hearts at Home I think states the best advice ever!
~ Melissa

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I have to admit, when I saw the topic that I was assigned to write about for this newsletter- homemaking-I chuckled more than a bit. Homemaking-or cleaning as I was thinking about it- is the part of the stay-at-home-mom job where I am at my worst! I excel at the nursing duties, homework help, and snack making, but cleaning is just not my thing. It just seems like the one task that falls to the bottom of my priority list in our busy household.However, one day, a little girl freed me to be at peace with my clutter. She had come over for dinner and an evening of play. During dinner, I told her not to worry about spilling. Thankfully, our house has all brown carpet...at least I think it was that color when we bought it!Then, she and my son went off to play, and I told her not to worry about messing anything up. After all, if most things in the house are already out of place, who would notice one thing more?At the end of the evening, I took her home. I have to admit, when I saw her mom in their spotless living room, I felt a bit inadequate. I tried not to feel insecure when the little girl recounted her evening with glee, and told her mom about my housekeeping standards. Then with a serious face, she asked her mom, "Why can't we live in a house like that?"I'm sure she really didn't mean that. After all, I'm sure she really doesn't want to have to spend six weeks looking for a lost library book. (true story) But, it reassured me that the things I did do that night, like joining in a game of hide-and-seek, were important, too. While homemaking might include washing jelly hand-prints off the walls, making a house a home also includes the things we do for our families while they are inside those walls. I still aspire to having a house that looks like it came out of magazine, and I do continue to work toward that goal. However, I also realize that I can call myself a good homemaker, even if housekeeping isn't one of my top priorities.

Keeping hearts at home,
Patti Welander
Wife to Jim
Mom to James, Sam, Sarah, and Sarina
Hearts at Home Online Newsletter Editor