How I Learned to Love My Messy House
I’m a bit of a neat freak, organization makes me happy, and I may have unrealistic expectations on how clean things should be. All of these things were totally fine when I was young and single, and my whole world revolved around me. Then I moved in with my future husband and learned that everyone has different definitions of a clean toilet. So I learned to adjust my expectations, no big deal. Then we got married, had a kid, and my neat and tidy existence took a serious turn.
Our baby grew into a tornado of a toddler and our messy house is a direct reflection of her super busy personality. All of a sudden my weekly vacuum needed to happen twice a week, every surface was unexplainably sticky, and I was finding cheerios is some pretty weird places. If I was going to keep things as sparkling clean as I wanted them to be, I’d be cleaning round the clock. So I let things slide a bit. And as a result, our house is always a little bit covered in dog hair, tiny fingerprints, and toys — oh so many toys. And I’m ok with it.
I learned to love my messy house. Here’s why…
More time spent enjoying my family
It’s pretty simple — less time cleaning means more time to spend with my awesome family. Instead of frantically picking up after my daughter all day long and wiping everything she touches, I get to actually hang out with her. I’m swapping out dusting for tea parties, dirty dishes for colouring, and laundry folding for cuddles on the couch. And I promise, the cleaning does get done eventually. It’s just slightly less thorough, and usually done in a whirlwind at the end of the day, or before we have company over.
Less time #cleaning = more time #living! Click To Tweet
We have a lot of awesome stuff
Our house might feel a little cluttered to some, but I like it that way. It’s cluttered because it’s full of all of our beloved things. There are books crammed on shelves, too many knick knacks and vacation souvenirs to count, and did I mention the toys? But without our stuff, it wouldn’t feel like our home. The books are a comfort and always ready to be picked up and read. The knick knacks and souvenirs all hold an inside family joke or special memory. And the toys… Well, the toys make my daughter happy and they mean we can make it through an inside day or two without turning on the TV. That’s reason enough to keep them around for me.
It looks lived in because it is lived in!
I can see every member of family when I look at my messy house. And I mean that in a good way! The dirty cereal bowl in the sink reminds me that my hard-working husband rises at the crack of dawn and abandoned it in a sleepy rush to get out the door while we were still peacefully slumbering. The play dough forever smushed into the carpet reminds me how adorably focused and creative my daughter gets when it comes to anything art-related. And the nose prints on the front window remind me that our over-protective dogs are always looking out for a poor unsuspecting delivery man who might dare to come to the door.
And so, I say, embrace the mess! I mean, let’s be real, you’ve got to clean the bathroom eventually. But don’t be afraid to do a little less cleaning and a little more living.
Originally published at wellthyliving.ca on March 3, 2017.
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