The Chores Never End With Littles…

I've always enjoyed making a big mess in the kitchen because it means I'm up to making something delicious to eat. And if you know me you know I'm a foodie. Like... I really really love to eat. Unfortunately, now after having a baby munchk who also loves to eat practically 24/7, I can't keep the darn place clean. (Side note: that girls love for food is a whole other blog post to come. She's the best little eater I know!).

Here's a video of me (sped up for your sanity) pregnant, doing the dishes while breastfeeding my toddler. Shortly after I got pregnant with my second, my milk supply started to drop and S noticed. She began to want to nurse ALL the time (I think to try and bring my supply back up, but obviously that wasn't working like it normally would) and I went through several days where I felt like I couldn't get ANYTHING done because she was continuously asking for milk. This morning specifically I remember thinking "I will not let this hinder me from getting these dishes done. If I don't get them done now, they will pile up and be worse by the end of the day". I didn't actually anticipate nursing her while doing the dishes. In fact, that was not even a thought in my mind. I was just planning to hold her because she was being needy.... But this ended up being the result. And though not by preference, I did get the dishes done this way. I'm not really sure why I recorded this except I felt like it was a moment to remember. To remember what raw motherhood sometimes ends up looking like. I mean, I would have never predicted to find myself nursing my toddler while doing the dishes. But through pure exhaustion, not wanting to hear more crying, and determination to get things done, sometimes things result in looking like this. It's the ridiculousness and reality of motherhood at times. It's purely just what it is. Raw, real, unpredictable moments with your littles.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/a075fe_23413dc1fd414585b1535a6b11498ebf/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

I asked for some feedback from you all on my Instagram this week; expressing that I'd potentially like to incorporate some of your methods for keeping up with household chores into my life. I find that laundry and dishes are what I get most behind on. There's only three of us in this house but we manage to go through a TON of clothes and even more dishes. I know the dishes situation is related to how much I cook in a day and I'm not sure there's any way around that unless I start meal prepping more (another blog to come... my Postpartum meal prepping which I will be starting again soon).

Back to the chores... many of you said that doing the dishes before the night is over is one of the most helpful things in staying ahead. (...or not getting behind). I have heard this called putting your kitchen "to rest" or " to bed for the night" and I like the idea. Ideally this is what my goal is every night. I will admit some nights it's harder to finish it all before I begin to crash for the night. This was never an issues before having a little. Or being pregnant with a little. Life is just so different now. For the better. But still very different.

Most of you, like me, said you work and clean differently everyday rather than stick to a strict schedule everyday. A minority of you said you do specific tasks on specific days, and there were others who said they felt behind and wanted to hear how others stayed caught up.

Here's what some of you had to say about how and what order you handle your daily tasks:

"I do kitchen/dishes first, then dining room, then bedrooms and bathrooms then living room"

"I use a daily chore list, weekly, monthly & seasonal list. Curious to see how others manage!"

"Best thing that helped me 'don't put it down, put it away'"

"In the last couple weeks it's helped so much when I do alllll the dishes at the end of the day. I don't have a real routine but that's one I'll keep doing as often as I can"

"Starting the dishwasher nightly has helped me with staying on top of dishes!"

"I have a schedule for chores (a few a day) and catch up on the weekends whatever I didn't do"

I love the feedback from you all. I like the "don't put it down, put it away" comment. I have also heard this called the "touch once method". This is a new tip I will be incorporating into my daily work routine.

I think it's important to remember that whatever the situation you find yourself in, the effort is what counts. Being a parent is so much more than just a clean house 24/7 (although if you're anything like me it's hard to enjoy the small moments when your house is a mess). I daily remind myself that these moments with my daughter wont last forever. It's hard when all I want to do is a simple task like chopping veggies for dinner or load the dish washer or fold the laundry... and I have her pulling on my legs. It feels as if she's staring at me with her beautiful blue eyes while saying "mama, maamaaa" more often than not throughout the days. And I feel like I'm drowning in my behindness.

I've made an effort to remind myself in those moments when I feel frustrated that she wants me again -- that she won't want me forever. Not in this way. The desire to be close to me and hold me and kiss me and see what it is I'm up to from "way up there". It won't last forever. Soon she will too big for me to hold on my hip. She actually already is heavy enough that it's getting harder to for long periods of time. And my mamas heart can only barley handle thinking of the fleeting time I have with her while she is little.

These moments, though draining and stimulating, are so short and fleeting. I want S to know that in these days I spend with her, she is my #1. I'm not choosing things over her that aren't as important. So sometimes the laundry isn't folded and the kitchen isn't fully "put to bed". And though hard, sometimes REALLY HARD, I'm learning to just be okay with that. And I hope you can too. Let's enjoy these days we share with our littles. Our babies.

And if you're out of the "littles" phase of life or not in it yet... I hope you can find ways to take a step back from whatever it is feeling overwhelming in your life and take it one moment at a time. There's no use drowning. Sometimes it's alright to float and enjoy the view.

9 month old S pulling at my leg. This has been my daily view since she learned to stand.

Motherhood is exhaustingly beautiful. I love you baby girl.