18 November 2009

Confession

Notice the clutter covering the kitchen counters. ugh

My mom is an organized, orderly person. She keeps a clean, generally clutter-free house and although it drove me crazy as a child trying to meet her standards, I now greatly admire her ability to do so.

So during her visit last month, when she was admiring my creativity and various sewing projects and said to me, "grandma and I just wonder where you find time to do it all," I laughed and told her the way I "do it all" is by being a terrible housekeeper.

"I will walk past piles of toys and clutter on my way to the sewing table," I said.

And she responded with something like, "but that's okay. I think it's better to be making things and creating than cleaning up all the time. I wish I was more like that--able to ignore the messes and be creative. You can always clean, but you can't always sew."

Here is where I pause so that all my siblings can shut their dropped jaws. I know, right? Who knew our mother favored creativity over cleanliness. Who knew?

Up until that conversation I have always thought of this as a major weakness for me. I love to make things and hate to clean up afterward. I will step over toys and piles of laundry and full of dirty dishes and (heaven help me), I will even clear off a little spot on the kitchen counter just big enough for cooking dinner. I am not one of those who can't cook a meal until the kitchen is clean. No way.

More than I care to admit, I've been mortified when someone stops by unexpectedly and they get a glimpse into my cluttered life.

But, hey, mom says its okay. So, at least today I feel a little less pressure to make a major overhaul of my housekeeping skills. Like that will ever happen.

9 comments:

Emily said...

I agree with your mom!!! I am a little ocd when it comes to having messes and clutter around my own house. But your mom makes such a good point. You are so talented and creative and do so much, the messes can wait. Just make more cute stuff and don't worry about cleaning up.

Lizzy said...

I would give up some cleanliness for creativity. I joke around that my mental health is directly related to how clean my floors are. But it's not really a joke... it's a sickness. If fact, that's been the hardest adjustment with having a second baby; I feel overwhelmed trying to keep up with the laundry and dishes and dinner and everything else. I admire people who are able to let the messes go and life live.

Anonymous said...

I knew why we were such best friends...

Jen I said...

Able to ignore the messes and be creative - yeah, I bet I'll be saying that like her one day. Only somehow all my effort doesn't seem to result in a spectacularly clean house! I hope my lack of creativity isn't stunting my children's growth!

The Wittig Family said...

I have gotten the sewing bug lately (it might have something to do with having a place to always have my sewing machine set up now). And really, at the end of the day are you really going to say "wow, just look how clean my house is!" Or "wow, I just made a quilt for my child's bed". I bet your child will be way happier with the quilt!

jefferies said...

AWesome! I am cluttered too. I've been trying so hard to keep up with it since we moved into our house and out of apartments. I might feel better about it too if my mom condoned it :-).

Aimee & Brennen Fuller said...

Makes me feel better about also stepping over the toys AND laundry AND clutter etc etc etc. Oh the joys of clutter.

Bean said...

high five! I'm a "slob" too but my mom is waaaaaaaaaay worse. You can almost always see the floor at my house, but hardly ever the dining room table heh heh :)

Lis said...

Well, I never.