My house isn’t perfect. I achieve that about once a year and it lasts about 3.2 minutes.
Know what? I am okay with that.
Being home with your children means that your home is well used. We get more money out of our square footage than most people do daily. Because we really LIVE here and it sure does look like it most days. I didn’t used to have this relaxed attitude.
Steve would tell you that I used to be pretty picky about how the house “had” to be if it was to be considered clean. 20 years of marriage and 4 children will change you. I’ve learned to not sweat the small stuff and enjoy a “mostly” clean house.
Peace is so much more valuable than perfection.
Peace sooths, Perfectionism stresses.
Peace relaxes, Perfectionism screams.
Peace is contentment, Perfectionism is never happy.
Now I just have my MAIN 3 things to keep “Momma happy.”
1. Floor—swept—we have mostly tile & hardwood
2. Counters—cleared & wiped down—kitchen & bathrooms
3. Things in their places
We divide up the chores and share because there isn’t a cleaning lady coming to do the work. It helps to makes no one feel like a slave when we all work.
I used to do everything with that “poor me” attitude & I found it will kill the pleasure in a job accomplished every time. Now I won’t tell you that this change happened overnight. It has taken years of accepting & realizing that my highest calling is working in my home.
That said, the kids are learning the basics of keeping the house running because it is a life skill. From the beginning we’ve had them helping with dishes, cleaning, picking up and putting away. I think that is important or it is harder to teach when they are older. When they are little they want to help but that desire just isn’t there when they begin to see it is work.
So start young, work in small steps towards where you want to be & keep the peace while tossing the perfectionism!
![image[3]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip5IjPb1irdCj9HnSSXBJMrnkH4y_4DLpOkyGroMbcPNv1YMAynZMU-S_wVPpvlxOI8cLZX4-pKxX65-5zlJ5EwmCnpdcCokcNZ25gTqHqQeFFMJGXE1QF5hibORcDrAybYkh4MvrdfLY/?imgmax=800 "image[3]")
Amen to that...Everyday I am a work in progress of letting go of perfection which is alot of what my blog is about. I found you on a blog hop. Look forward to reading more of your posts.
ReplyDeletewhen my children were younger my mother always said when I would threat about my house that it is better to look lived in than not to have a life after all children deserve our time and patience and that is more important than most anything else
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with all of that!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad everyone else doesn't have the perfect house... because I sure don't. Thanks for stopping by the Great Moms Think Alike Blog Hop!
ReplyDeleteAfter my oldest was grown I tended to stop worrying about if my kids had done their chores on time or not. Because all I want to do now is spend all the time I can with them. (Happy now that my oldest has moved back home)So when I feel myself getting overwhelmed with the housework I stop what I'm doing & take them bowling or to the driving range to hit golf balls they are only young once & once they grow up you can't get all the should haves or would have dones back..New follower~Shari
ReplyDeletehttp://www.1grown2togo.blogspot.com