::thoughts on motherhood [down with the expectation of excellence]::

:photo:

Dishes piled in the sink. Laundry piled in the hall. Toys strewn from room to room.

It's not the norm in this house. Dishes never rest in the sink, always straight to the dishwasher or hand washing for me. Laundry, well it does remain piled in the basket for days on a regular basis but at least its tucked away out of sight. Toys are always put away before bed so that the floors are completely clear of clutter. Cleanliness lets me breath. It lets me do things I enjoy doing when the children are fast asleep.

Sickness invaded our home this week.....AGAIN!

I managed to do the neccessities like feeding the children and snuggling them every free minute but for the last three days I have spent most of my time on the couch or in the bed and they have spent more time than I care to admit watching movies.

I called a friend yesterday to whine share about the weeks happenings. I went on about how dirty my house has gotten and wondered out loud how people with three, four, and five children manage thier homes. She offered comfort like she always does.

She says, "my christmas tree is still up if that offers any comfort."
We laughed aloud together about the survival of motherhood.

"Just do what you can and let the small stuff go."
"You're just cleaning up to have it dirtied again."

Just a few words of encouragement she threw my way, while she said to her five year old, 
"one minute, I'm on the phone, eating lunch and trying to feed your little brother."

A perfect example of motherhood. We are the ultimate multitaskers. We juggle home, children, church, community, coupons, banking, sports, friendships and let us not forget the man of our dreams that we committed our lives to.

It's overwhelming at times.
Joyful at others.

This is motherhood.

Dirty floors.
Dirty dishes.
Dirty laundry.
But also, baby giggles, races around the kitchen, cars and baby dolls strewn from wall to wall, quarrels and kisses, singing and dancing, love and laughter.

Excellence is not a requirement to be a good mom. I am so thankful for that!