Domestic Flop

I went out with the other organizers of the playgroup last night. And once again, stayed out entirely too late. What starts as a monthly planning meeting, nearly always ends as a chat fest of a few hours -- generally lasting until 1:30 or 2am. So I'm pooped oh well.

As pooped as I am, sometimes I wake up with this agenda or invisible to-do list in my head. It's almost always more ambitious than I am, and generally never gets done. It's all the stuff I'd like to do, gee, I dunno, If I actually had time for more than knocking a toddler from the wall every time he climbs up. And I am not an ambitious person as far as domestic duties are concerned. It is not second nature to me to tidy and clean for my entire existence. My self is content to do things that please the here and now such as, gasp!, me time during Adrien's nap.

So anyway, this morning I woke with the impression that there is an awful lot of cleaning to be done -- and there is -- and that somehow I'm the perfect person for the job. What possesses me sometimes, I'll never know. So I'm thinking to myself in bed, make a list of everything that needs done -- every anal task -- and do it. Things like cleaning off the top of the fridge (I'm horrible about letting what-nots accumulate up there), or cleaning out from under the stove and refrigerator. How about actually cleaning my master bathroom for once? When company's coming I always clean the visible parts of the house, but my bedroom and master bath are in huge disarray. I need to vacuum, for one. I'd like to get the dust off the tops of my base boards. Dusting would be nice...oh, and how about maybe mopping the kitchen for once? Swiffer -- you're good, but not that good.

So it's things like that. All the little stupid stuff that nobody ever wants to do, but need to get done. Just about the only cleaning I do on (nearly) an every day basis is dishes. Yes, you heard it. Confessions of a lazy housewife. But I just don't like to clean in every spare moment that I have. Sue me? I know there are women out there who have such a set cleaning schedule that they actually have hours blocked off for certain tasks, all the while still taking care of multiple children. I know this. It must be true, I saw it on Oprah...or Dr. Phil...or something. But I'm just not that woman, nor will I ever be. But ya know what? Sometimes I feel a little guilty about it.

I feel like I'm lacking as a wife and mother because I'm not like that. I feel like I lack because during nap time I try to either nap, read, blog, or just watch adult television.

So my days aren't filled with hour long increments of daily cleaning rituals, but here is what my day is filled with: Adrien wakes up, we lounge around for a bit and then get breakfast. After breakfast, we get dressed -- but generally only if we have somewhere to go or if breakfast has dirtied pajamas. Then, we generally spend the morning going between Playhouse Disney cartoons and toys; or we have a play date that we attend around 10am-ish. If we stay home, it's generally play time and cartoons until he falls asleep for a nap. If it's a play date, I try to stay out until close to nap time and he falls asleep in the car on the way home. Then he takes his nap for a few hours (which sometimes lasts until after Daddy gets home), he gets up, we play more, he plays with Daddy, I cook dinner, more playing, more playing, endless wandering around with his Monkey and Poom (pillow), followed by him sleeping at some point. On a good day I squeeze in dishes during the nap time. But it doesn't happen a lot of days. I'll do them -- generally -- while dinner is cooking.

So basically, I have this routine: Keep toddler occupied until naptime, keep Mommy occupied during nap time, keep toddler occupied after nap time and until Daddy gets home, Daddy occupies toddler while Mommy cooks, toddler goes to sleep.

And about my to-do list? Well as ambitious as I am laying in the bed in morning, this what my day will most likely look like today: Adrien gets breakfast. Endless lounging and playing. At some point take Adrien for his first hair cut, stop by bank and any other errand. Get him home in time for lunch and his nap. Nap time. Mommy will probably nap today -- a product of being out until the wee hours. Get Adrien up. Play, play, play. Cook Dinner. Play more. Sleepy time. Wake, repeat.

So the fridge won't get cleaned. Big whoop. I'm still doing okay, right?