Clean or Play

So I have had some issues discerning between what's important and what I thought was important. I have had this MISconception of what my role as a housewife and mom is. Not anything I put on anyone else, this is strictly a self directed judgement. I assumed that keeping the kitchen and house clean, laundry washed, folded and put away, toys picked up, creative, attractive and yummy dinner every night was all on top of my priority list, or needed to be. But, of course, I thought that doing these things while being available for my daughter and my husband would just happen. In case you are wondering how that worked out for me, it didn't. Someone or something always lost out. As time has gone on, and I watch my daughter grow, I finally realized something. If my dishes aren't done until the next morning, and the laundry doesn't get done on time (or even ever get put into drawers for that matter), if there are toys scattered across the living room (and hallway, and bedroom, etc), no one looses anything. I mean, seriously....my husband will NOT be physically harmed if he has to hunt for matching socks in a laundry basket. Things will not grow on the dishes in the sink overnight (or at least I hope not). However, if I miss my daughter dancing in the living room, or singing on her "stage", or choose cleaning over spending precious little time with my husband, we all miss out. So my new philosophy is, screw the cleaning list and dance with my daughter and cuddle with my hubby, because life is too short to worry about the little, inconsequential things that don't matter in the end. So if you come to my home, be prepared....it may be a bit untidy, but it is filled with more that dirty dishes and unkept toys....it is filled with fun, laughter and love.