Crumbs, Clothes, and Clutter...

Just a regular, everyday mess at the Castro's!

If I could pick three words to describe an average day in my home, they would be chaotic, draining, and unpredictable. Don't get me wrong, my boys are loads of fun and provide cheap entertainment on a regular basis. However, they also leave a path of destruction wherever they go. They are like three little tornadoes zipping through the halls from sun-up till sun-down!

I may sound dramatic, but it's so true! Things have turned worse since Daniel has been out of school. Andrew and Jacob alone are pretty calm children. When Daniel is home, they turn into different children. Daniel's personality has a way of bringing out their wild side. He is so much like his ADD father, whom I love dearly, but they are two of a kind!

Anyways, the point of my post is to vent my frustrations to the world (all 2 or 3 of you reading out there) with regards to housework and the tedious chores moms have to do on a daily basis. At this moment, my home is falling apart. Literally! Where can I begin....

• there are dried and stuck on chunks of cereal and rice all over the dining room floor (remnants of breakfast and lunch). Jacob will attempt to eat these tomorrow morning if they are not cleaned tonight.
• there are puddles of water on the kitchen floor from Andrew's fascination with the water dispenser on the fridge.
• miniature Lego blocks can be found in every corner and room of the house, including the toilet.
• the play room floor is currently littered with game and puzzle pieces that have been mixed up and have no home.
• the children are sleeping on blankets because their sheets are currently in the process of being changed (this process has been going on for about 6 days now).
• the dishes and laundry are annoyingly always waiting for me and will not go away.
• my vacuum cleaner is currently not working due to being clogged with wood chips (do not ask).
• my toilets, well, I'm scared to have them swabbed for bacteria analysis. My little boys are not the best at aiming the toiletbowl.
• my bathroom floor is covered with q-tips, toilet paper, and an entire package of unwound dental floss (once again, don't ask).
• things are constantly missing, like the can opener, shoes, toothbrushes, underwear, towels, the remote control, telephones, keys, my purse! What would it be like to put your hand on something when you need it?

You get the point. I have probably shared to much. You now think I am a slob and will not come eat at my house if I invited you. Well, maybe I am a slob. However, in my defense, how can anyone get anything done with three little monkeys hanging around all the time? This has always been my struggle. Lately, I think I have given up on trying to decorate and make the home feel "homey." There is just no time. I only have time to do the basics, that's it. I guess I do have time to blog, but you understand what I mean. Well, I feel better now. I guess instead of writing about housework, it would be more beneficial to actually go and do some.

I love being a mom, it is the most fun and rewarding thing I have ever done. It's just all the other junk that moms have to deal with that makes the job a downer sometimes. I have learned to just let the kids be kids and realize there is a time and season for everything. This is just not my time and season to have a clean, well-decorated home. The kids are more important and it's best to save my time, energy, and sanity for them instead of the house. But, every few weeks or so, I hit my breaking point where I just can't handle the mess anymore and I become a witchy woman. I want to do a better job of teaching my kids responsibility and the meaning of work. They are old enough to pitch in, but it's so difficult for me to put together a plan and stick to it. In the end, I just end up picking up everything and doing everything. What lesson are they learning form this? Mom is the maid!

There is no moral to the post, other than housework sucks! Excuse my dirty mouth! I accept the award for the messiest and most unorganized home and declare that it's okay! I will survive and I know that this is just part of being a mom of small children, especially boys! So, I'll just go back to my catalogs and magazines and dream of the day when my home may look like a home. In the end, those are just dreams, not reality. A home is a place where people live, so of course, it will look lived in. Magazines and catalogs are not real! They do not showcase real women or real homes! What do you think?

Jacob shredding and tearing styrofoam package for fun! Not fun to clean!