Not My Mother's Daughter...

My mom was the world's greatest house keeper.  When I lived at home, there was never a time that I didn't have clean clothes or a hot meal on the table. A square meal...a protein, a vegetable, a starch, and milk.  After dinner, the kitchen was cleaned (Spotless). The laundry was always done when it hit the floor.  The floor, could have been the kitchen table.  She made our house a home. Bedtime was family time. I snuggled in bed with her at least 3 times a week.  My dad would carry to my own bed after I drifted off to sleep listening to my mom read to me.

My mom and Caleb when he was born.

My house, on the other hand, makes my mom's house look like a castle. The living room is always equipped with various toys, which are scattered across the floor.  There is always at least two laundry baskets full of clothes in the corner.  Our bedrooms (all three) look like a tornado hit them 85% of the time. My kitchen is often laughable, and I get angry when my husband invites company over without telling me.  There is ALWAYS a mountain of laundry in my laundry room, and no matter how hard I try, we rarely see the floor.

But there is one thing I get from my mom.  At the present moment, my two children and I are lying in my over sized queen bed, watching The Upside Down Show.  I am listening to them breath in and out, and writing this.  My baby girl is to my right, my boy on my left.  Sometimes one will roll over and put their hand on my cheek and say, "I love you momma". They are the very reason my house is such a mess. After working all day, I'd rather sit with my children in a messy home, than ignore them in a clean one.  Someday I will figure out how my mom juggled a job, our household, and still managed to make me feel special.  Until then, one of these categories is gonna have to be neglected, and I assure you, it won't be my children.

If you have children, be sure their memories of you leave them longing to go back in time.....