Balance. Balance. Balance. Sometimes I wonder if it even exists. I've heard and read of so many woman/mother/homemaker-gurus who claim to know the recipe for balance in a busy woman's life. I have yet to hear or read about the recipe that suits me and my life.
---Beware: I'm going to talk frankly with you in this post.---
These woman/mother/homemaker-gurus know and write about what they have experienced in their life, which I think is all well and good. Thanks for sharing. But let me share something with you, cleaning my kitchen sink doesn't give me the motivation to clean the rest of my house. It just doesn't. I clean my kitchen sink because I have to. I clean the rest of my house because I feel like it is my job to ensure that my husband & children live in a clean sanitary home. Usually, I clean my house twice a month. Another shocker is that I don't do all my cleaning in one day. I do it in 2 or 3 days. I like to pace myself :) That may seem gross to some, or it may seem like too much for some. Either way, I do it because that is what works for me and my household. I so loathe to clean. Oftentimes I kick my boys out of the house so that I can just do it and get it over with. (I may be speaking to some of you and some of you may think I'm crazy. That's alright with me.) I clean much faster and efficiently if I'm cleaning to music...loud music. You're probably wondering to yourself, "Karrie, what are you talking about?...and what it is, please get to the point."
I'm getting there, my friend.
Some women enjoy cleaning. More power to you, girls! I like enjoying my house after it's clean. Some women enjoy doing the laundry. I enjoy when the laundry is folded and put away. I enjoy when the chores have been checked off all the way down the list. That rarely happens though, and I mean RARELY. When I check off one chore most of the time I'm adding two more to the list. That's just how it goes sometimes. I'm not at peace with it, but it's reality.
What irks me a little bit is when I sit down and talk to some of my friends about balance in the home and I instantly get something like, "Oh, you should go to so-and-so's website. They have such good advice about balance in the home. It all starts with a clean kitchen sink." (insert rolling eyes here.) Really? Wow. How many hours would I have saved worrying about the balance in my home had I known that it all started with a clean kitchen sink. Dang!
The fact is, every woman has a lot of "stuff" on her plate. The plate consists of work, chores, intimacy with husband, quiet time with God, exercise, lunch with friends, doctor visits, grocery shopping, laundry, and the list goes on...
Not everyone's ratios look the same. I give so much credit to the woman who has to do it all by herself because she is either a single parent or her helpmate has a demanding job. My heart goes out to the woman who has no choice but to work a 40 hour week to help her husband pay bills and put food on the table and then has all the "stuff" I mentioned on her plate on top of that and then some.
---Newsflash: There is no perfect formula.---
No one person outside of your home, Super Nanny included, has the answers for you. No one lives your life, except for you. The one thing I can honestly say that has worked for me is this, God knows you. He knows your thoughts, your "to-do list", and what's important to you. Ask him to help you prioritize the list. Some weeks, months will look different. It may be random, it may be organized, it may formulated. It won't look just like Mrs. Jones' list. It's not going to look like the balance your mommy group leader seems to have. It'll be yours though. Just yours. There's peace and sanity in that, I think. I encourage you not to stress about your to-do list or to worry about the balance of your home. I also encourage you not to compare yourself to the woman who seems to have it all together. You're not in a contest with her. Be true to yourself. Be honest with yourself. Do what you are able to do today and leave the rest for tomorrow.
**Side note: I am convinced that the only reason my sweet husband endures the ranting about my distaste for cleaning is because he knows I'll make a nice dinner.
Cleaning Day 1:
1. clean & disinfect laundry room, kitchen, dining room, and living room
2. break for lunch
3. clean 2 bathrooms
4. take a shower
5. light scented candles
6. make dinner
7. store left-overs and do dishes
Cleaning Day 2:
1. laundry
2. clean, dust, disinfect 3 bedrooms
3. laundry
4. break for lunch
5. finish laundry
6. make dinner
7. store left-overs and do dishes
White Chicken Chili (served with sweet corn muffins)
Ingredients:
2. 1 lb. cooked boneless chicken breast
3. 1 cup of water
4. 1 can of pinto beans
5. 1 can of kernel corn (drained)
6. a dollop of sour cream
7. diced ripened avocado
8. sprinkled cheddar cheese
Directions:
1. combine ingredients 1-5 and simmer for about 10 minutes.
2. scoop a helping into a bowl
3. add ingredients 6-8 for extra flavor.
4. serve with Martha White's sweet corn muffin (one pouch makes 6 muffins)
Enjoy!
