It's War Zone

I have now officially been a stay-at-home mom for over a year and a half. It has been a funny and somewhat trying year.

At the beginning, Eli was 6 months old and we were living in Mark's parent's unfinished basement. My duties were somewhat limited. I would roll on the carpet remnant and play with Eli until he took his nap. This included, trying to avoid being attacked by spiders dropping from the rafters and keeping my son from touching the space heater. Then, I would go upstairs when he would take a nap - which he had to be bundled up for. I would take my shower and eat some breakfast. Since it was not my house, there was not a lot deep cleaning to be done. Also, there was a cleaning lady that would come every other week to take care of what we missed. This was not a very difficult life. I rarely changed out of my sweats (lucky Mark) and put on make-up only once a week for church.

Then, we moved to Illinois and into our own "house"(or crap-hole). There were higher demands that came with living in our own house and a more active one-year-old. Eli was now walking and getting into trouble regularly. There were mealtimes in a high chair and trips to the park. And above all, there was always a mess.

Now a year later, Eli is two. We are still in a war against mess and we are running out of ammunition. I work part-time in the evenings, so that gives me a good reason to change out of my sweats at 3:30 pm.

As a stay-at-home mom, I live in a constant struggle: the Wants vs. the Shoulds.
I Should sweep the floor after every meal Eli eats, but I Want to not sweep it now, but wait until later so I don't have to do it three times a day.
I Should do the laundry, then fold it and put it away, but I Want to not do it, and definitely not put it away.
I Should mop the floor, but I Want to look on the internet instead.
I Should make dinner, but I Want to use up the rest of our money on take-out.
I Should clean the bathroom and take out the trash, but I Want to sit on the couch and eat.
I Should use Eli's entire nap time to get the house under control, but I Want to just sit and stare at the wall.

Nap time is a 2-3 hour window of semi-independence I have. During this time, I feel the battle of the Shoulds vs. the Wants raging. Typically the Shoulds gain the most territory, while the Wants just torture me.

Ah, the plight of the stay-at-home mom. If only cleaning and organization came naturally to me. Instead, projects and puzzles come naturally, and they are certainly not doing anything to help declutter my living room.

I Should end this dumb blog now.