It Takes Three to Make a Mess Go Right
(Ok, ignore my cheesy post title. My house is a little too hot and I haven’t had my second cup of coffee.)
I do not clean well or often. I probably should at least care a little more about cleaning, but there is little reward in cleaning a house where children live. In fact, I’m fairly certain a house with children does not WANT to be clean. Perhaps my lack of cleanliness is just an attempt to give the house what it wants. Yes, that puts an altruistic spin on my domestic shortcomings.
First there is my Moose: He is 15 months. He is the tiniest of us all. He has little baby hands that lack dexterity, and he could trip
on a dust bunny if it was sticking off the carpet just far enough. But he does the most mess damage in the house by far. If the living room is clean in the morning he must make a beeline for the nearest game within reach that has the most pieces and dump it everywhere. Living room: check. Despite his sometimes clumsy walking, he climbs on the table now effortlessly so nothing is safe, there are few places to put things so he can’t dissect, rip, and generally destroy them. He can de-cap markers and has a strong proclivity for coloring on things that I don’t consider appropriate writing canvases: the chair, the floor, the couch, my arm. These types of things.
But I digress. My oldest, and only daughter, is perhaps the least messy, although she is also the least likely to
be a willing participant in cleaning up anything. But I have this against her: glitter. Oh yes. The glitter usage seems to have increased dramatically of late, so if you see us out and about all bedazzled in sparkle I assure you we are not trying to be ostentatious. Aside from glitter, my daughter enjoys writing and coloring and drawing about everything, which I honestly love, except for the part where I don’t know which papers belong in the recycle bin and which I would regret throwing out till my dying day. The sheer quantity of papers is a bit alarming. And she is only in Kindergarten, so I expect that our paper problem will likely get worse.
Anyway…now you have it. The three smallest big reasons my house remains rather untidy. But don’t they look so clean and cute in the mirrors? I thought so too.
Ahhh yes! I might know of 4 other little ones who were so inclined! …not mentioning any names, of course.