As mom’s we have this illusion that we can get it all done. I will be the first to admit that I always overestimate the amount of tasks I can reasonably get done in a day. This usually results in being in a constant state of anxiety because I am usually running late. I am trying to keep tiny humans alive, along with myself. I enjoy working out and eating healthy because I think it is one of the reasons I can consistently perform at such high levels.
Dinner gets made most nights but it is far from a gourmet meal. If I could figure out how to sneak veggies into peanut butter and jelly we’d have that every night. Sometimes she at so much during the day that all she wants is a banana and I am secretly excited I don’t have to cook anything. Most nights I have a shake for dinner and she always has a little bit of that.
Dishes get done about every other day. The only reason they get done so often is because I need the bottles for the baby. I have, on occasion, just washed the bottles in the bathroom sink because I didn’t feel like dealing with the rest of the dishes. The worst mistake I seem to continuously make is loading and running the dishwasher on a Sunday night. I never have time to unload it during the week and the dishes pile up way faster when I can’t hide them in the dishwasher.
I do a few loads of laundry each week. They always get washed, most of the time they make it into the drier, and sometimes get folded and put away. Instead of sorting my clothes into lights and darks they get sorted into “need to be folded or hung up” and “can sit in the clothes basket all week”. I feel like as soon as I get ambitious enough to finally go through the clean clothes sitting in the basket it’s time to do another load. Towels always get washed last. They rarely make it out of the drier until I have to actually dry another load.
Most of the time I could care less what the living room floor looks like. I swear toddlers see empty space on the floor and go find toys to dump onto it. The other day I got everything put away and my daughter was like “look mom I am throwing toys” Great child, just great. On the plus side it drives my husband nuts to see all the toys on the floor so we have started to divide and conquer. I can’t stand seeing dishes in the sink or on the counter so I deal with that while he cleans up the toys. Maybe one day we’ll be better about actually making the toddler do it. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a toddler clean before but it’s pretty similar to watching grass grow.
At the end of the day though, whether or not it “all got done” I enjoy cuddling with my toddler on the couch watching cartoons until she falls asleep. Most of the time this includes having a glass of wine (or three) for me. Sometimes I obsessed over everything that didn’t get done, but I am getting better at just living in the moment.
PS my parenting style is not for everyone. I am not asking for advice. If you are living a crazy busy life like me though, embracing the chaos and just looking for some confirmation that you aren’t alone then you’ve found it here.