Most days I think "we (meaning my child and I) did a pretty good job of picking up after ourselves today." Then I leave her and her dad rocking to sleep, come out to the rest of the house and am stunned by the amount of residual toys, books, clothes, etc. that are every where. Some nights I pick them up. Some nights I don't... Hmmm, perhaps that's part of the problem.
I've never had as clean of a house as my mom. Her house is the one I set my standards by. As long as I've been married I've never reached this standard. I have provided myself with all sorts of excuses along the way, but maybe it's time to realize that it may never happen. Perhaps I need to define a cleanliness level for myself, and judge myself by that standard.
But she's coming to visit in a few days. I've had a number of friends over the years who tell me that it's stressful to have their parents visit because they have to clean before they arrive. I always thought, wait, isn't that why your mom comes? To help you clean and otherwise get your life in order? (That being said, when my dad comes to visit, I do often make an effort to declutter a bit, and then accept that he will help me in that process when he shows up. He has a much lower clutter tolerance than me.) But for the first time ever, I've felt the need to clean before she shows up. Which is ironic, because she really is coming specifically to help me in my pregnant state. We'll see if I act on any of my intentions, or if they stay vague impulses.
Kiddo has ideas about what to do while she's here. "When Grammy comes home, we will have birthday cake." and "When Grammy comes home, we will color eggs." It took me a while to remind Kiddo that Grammy is not coming today, or tomorrow, but soon. Hopefully Grammy's ready for the energy of my little one (cause I'm not really right now.)
