Do you remember?

As I sat rocking my darling baby girl, I looked around my living room. I saw the following: a game of Candy Land on the piano bench, a Buzz Lightyear gun on the floor, a baby blanket tossed on the couch, and two cowboy boots and a sand bucket by the front door. Now, none of those items should be in the living room, but I'm learning to adapt.

Do you remember what your house looked like when you were a young child? You see, my memories of the neatness of my house, are basically non-existent. What I DO remember is playing games and having fun. I know my mother let me put all the couch cushions on the living room floor so I could jump from one to another without "falling in the water." I remember my friends often came over to play, and you know, when other kids come over, ALL the toys seem to be taken out of the toy box! Oh, and lets not forget about the LEGOS! Now, as a mother, I know those things multiply, so I'm sure my own mother found them in various rooms of the house. I also spent a great deal of time outside, so I'm sure my mom spent a great deal of time washing my messy clothes and vacuuming the dirt I tracked into the house. But with all those memories, I don't remember our house ever being "messy."

With the arrival of a fourth child, I have finally realized that I will never keep my house "spotless." When they are older, they will help more with chores and their toys won't be so large, so I have hope. For now, I will try to be content with the clutter. I hope the boys remember that today we played Candy Land and made paper masks and finished our school work more than they remember the fact that I did not get around to vacuuming and have yet to run the dishwasher. . . I'm pretty sure they will :)