Yes, I was called lazy because I am a stay at home mom. No words. Absolutely no words for such an ignorant comment....well, at the time I was speechless. But now, I would like to dedicate this whole post to those who are under the unfortunate misconception that just because a mom is at home she is lazy.
First of all, every mother’s situation is different from the size of their house, to why they are at home (by choice or request), to the size of their brood, to the ages in their brood and even down to the neighborhood (or lack thereof in my case) they live in, either the city/country.
Cleaning is never ending because we live in farm country and the dirt is everywhere, which means it gets super dusty super fast, and I’m constantly interrupted by fights, boo-boos, doorbells, phone calls, crabby baby let-me-hang-off-your-leg, potty training accidents (including poop). It’s not easy to clean the house. Some rooms suffer a bit. Namely, mama and papa’s room. It gets a little dusty. Bed is made, but everything else is left alone until I have the time to deep clean. Contrary to the growing popular opinion that cleaning just “takes a second”, my level of cleaning takes me quite some time. Our bathrooms, and proudly so, are urine stink-free. ( I have an insane paranoia of pee-pee smell in the bathroom) My sinks are scrubbed regularly, and the floors are constantly vacuumed. Now, I have wood floors so they also need to be mopped regularly. Uhm. That part isn’t done so regularly. I do spot clean if there is a tragic mess..mostly potty or milk. But it usually takes me about a week until I next mop. Now we have rules in the house that there is no eating anywhere else but the kitchen and only tippy cups allowed if you're thirsty and want to walk around, so this helps with the damage control and my sanity. Two birds with one stone. Two very FINICKY birds at that.
My job description includes cleaning a three bedroom, tri-level home with three bathrooms. Some moms only have one story homes. Every situation is different! My four year old is very, very imaginative and can create messes out of thin air. We went to a restaurant the other evening and we left with a TAKEOUT BOX full of clam shells. The next morning they were spread neatly over the kitchen counter. They are his friends and far be it from me to be inhospitable and demand they seek sanctuary somewhere other than my kitchen counter!! And Roma, I still have to strip her down when she eats. So, put two and two together and that means her highchair is a noodly, cheesy, cracker crumbly mess. Mess. Clean. Mess. Clean. Story of my life. It's a fact!
I get myself dressed. I get them dressed. I brush their teeth. I brush my teeth. I bathe them. I shower. I feed them, I hug them, I play with them. I change diapers.
In the end, it’s what you do with your time. I have maybe an hour to myself in a day’s time. It shouldn’t be a contest to see who has more work to do but it’s about what you do with what you have.
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Even if it means taking a break and being silly with your resident mess makers. Enjoy it because they can only be this age once. And how will they remember their mommy? A crabby woman who constantly cleaned, or a creative mommy who didn't mind making messes with them every once in a while.
