Thursday, January 20, 2011

Almonds

Yesterday the Hubs teased me about finding (yet again) the open bag of almonds in the pantry.  Just waiting, he insists, to fall off the shelf and make a horrible mess.


See 'em? Right there, in the middle.

Almonds are my 10am snack, I grab a handful as I am dashing out the door - taking the kids wherever it is we are going that day. I never close the bag. Irritating as it may be, this simple act of omission on my part is unfortunately a symptom of a larger phenomenon. There is so much in my life that is left undone, or done with only half my attention. There is evidence of it everywhere.

I used to clean my house every week. Top to bottom. Stem to stern. From the baseboards to the tub jets, everything was scrubbed and sanitized. Now there is dirt on the floor, crumbs under the table, and sticky milk rings on every flat surface. The baseboards? Please.

I am always in a hurry. Dashing here and there to avert a crisis, soothe a hurt, obtain a binky, refill a cup, check on suspiciously-quiet children. I am always thinking two steps ahead. Wipes are getting low, better grab a refill next time I'm upstairs. What's this sippie cup doing in the toy box, thank God I spotted it lest we have another "nasty milk" situation.  Better reload supplies in the diaper bag. This bum's red, where's the Desitin? Are we out? Heading to Target today, better check the diaper stash - where are the coupons? And isn't it someone's birthday this month?

My mind and my body are often in two completely different places. My hands working independently. There is so much to do. It's endless and relentless, and things slip through the cracks. Actually, they're not so much "cracks" anymore, with things slipping through - but rather gaping chasms where entire days slip through. 



Ugh.

Sure, I know - it's common knowledge that kids are messy and crazy, and they bring chaos into your life.  Everyone tells you to cut yourself some slack - you'll clean when they go to college. But that's not really how the world works, is it? The expectation is that perhaps you'll stop polishing the furniture with homemade, organic beeswax from the hives you tend in the backyard and instead switch to Pledge, right? No, you don't need to iron the sheets, but they still need to be changed every week.

Cut myself some slack. Where exactly? The housework has to get done - or else you end up on that show, Hoarders. You have to cook nutritious meals or else the family ends up on The Biggest Loser.  You have to keep up with the laundry, or else you end up naked.

So what's the point I'm making here? There's just too much. Too much to do. Too much to remember. If I'm going to try to remember to close the bag of almonds - something else is going to get forgotten. It's inevitable. Let's just hope it's not one of the children.

12 comments:

  1. boy dad and i can relate to this one. a package was left on the front steps. dad showed me the contents(something he ordered) while i was making dinner.after supper while i was washing dishes, i told him "did i tell you that there was a box from UPS for you" . in the course of one hour i had forgotten that he has showed me. i tell you this as it does not get better when you get older so JUST BE PREPARED he he..

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  2. I'm so there. Thank God my husband likes a clean house and understands that he's the only one capable of getting it there. With just one little one I have time for laundry and cooking, but that's it - no vacuum, no bathroom scrubbing, no sheet changing. That's his department!

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  3. At least the almonds are in the pantry rather than under a couch cushion, right!

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  4. This is so funny. And so true. Gotta find a happy medium, though. Maybe it will make you feel better if I tell you that I only change all our bedsheets once a month! Is that gross? But we don't have more health issues that any normal family! No rashes or bedbugs. You could probably do it every other week! Dust never hurt anyone either (unless they really have allergies or asthma I guess), so I just let it sit there. I've made peace with dust. Heehee.

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  5. Oh I love this post! Love Love Love it. You are so right, the almonds are the least of the worries. One of the things that I so relate to here is when you said switching from organic beeswax polish to pledge. I actually remember using organic beeswax polish, and now I just use a normal dust cloth from the hardware store. There is so much of that in the course of parenting young children. We start out so ideal, and then we just get practical. It feels good to hear someone else phrase it the way you have. Brought a smile to my day.

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  6. Dear Missy.. You forgot to add one little statement....Things get done EVENTUALLY and if you worry about all these things YOU WILL WIND UP ON THE SHOW "INSANE MOM OF TWO GOES BEZERK AND CLOSES THE BAG OF ALMONDS IN THE PANTRY AND THEN GOES FOR A LONG LONG VACATION AT THE LOONY BIN DOWN THE STREET" Take it from an OLD NANA who has raised three and had a daycare for six others... worry about the big issues and let the little ones go by... they are not important when you are making wonderful memories for your boys every day....THOSE are the important things. It will get better I promise...LOVE YOU BIG BUNCHES.....Nana MAC..

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  7. God I love you guys, you rock.
    Mom - ha!
    MM - if you didn't live across the country I would totally borrow your husband. Not that mine isn't helpful, he is.I just like doing things myself.
    Valerie - YES! I'll mention that to Hubs.
    R&T - You - keep being awesome :) You rock. Your comments make my day.
    Heather - I'm smiling crazily b/c I have such hero worship for Shivaya naturals :) Thanks for visiting and for your comment. Practical rather than ideal, YES!

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  8. Oh, boy can I ever relate to this one! Hilariously, and accurately stated. It's amazing what motherhood can do to one's ability to keep everything in order. It's a trade off, but a completely and totally worthwhile one!

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  9. I was just thinking about this today! My house is perpetually untidy, even after cleaning up. Don't tell Hubby, but sometimes I baby-gate them in the TV den for an hour or two while I get a few chores done. :)

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  10. I can pinky promise that as your kids get even a teeny bit older it gets a whole load easier. You dont have to wait til they are in college, but dont beat yourself up over the mess and disorganisation when they are this little. The days are long but the years are short - one day you'll be able to do crazy things like have flowers in vases, shelves that contain neatly organised toys and be able to goto the toilet all by yourself. But right now? Right now you just gotta let it ride...

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  11. How funny! You change the sheets once a week? Wow, I am lucky if I change them once a month!

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