Hello, Housekeeping?

I had a friend tell me once that the cleanliness of your home says a lot about how you are feeling in life. If you are depressed or sad or struggling in life, your house will reflect that. So, if you have a happy outlook on life, then your house should be neat and tidy and organized. I got mad at her for saying that because I didn't agree. I believed that everything was just fine. That life was good and I was happy and everything was fine! But, my house certainly did not reflect that. And if what she was saying was true, then I was a hot mess. I have always been a clean, organized person, almost to a fault. But more often than not in the last few yeara, my house has been a disaster. Toys everywhere, unfolded laundry piled high in the laundry room, dishes in the sink, my room just a few boxes away from qualifying us a prime spot on the TV show Hoarders. And I didn't care. I came up with lots of excuses. The kids like to play. I'd rather be playing with my kids that doing dishes. I don't have time. I'm too tired. No one will notice. And then one of my friends would drop by without warning and I would be humiliated and quickly launch into excuses about why my house was a mess. Oh, please excuse the mess. We are spring cleaning. Or, I was organizing my closet and wanted to wash all of these clothes. Or, the girls are building forts. Or, the dog got into that and I haven't had a chance to pick it up. I was mortified, even when my closest friends would stop by. This wasn't the kind of person I was. I didn't do messes. I didn't do piles. I didn't do dirty. What was wrong with me? And then, I realized that my friend was right. Your house and the way it is kept is a reflection of your happiness. I was not happy. And because I wasn't happy, I would much rather put the girls to bed and lie on the couch and watch TV than to take pride in my house and take pride in my things and do basic chores around the house. In my revelation in the last few weeks, that has changed for me also. I like my house. I didn't like my house for a long time, but I finally like my house. I like that we live here and I like that the girls and I are a family in our home. And you can see the changes in my daily routine. The laundry is done on a weekly basis (and I'm too tired to fold the rest of it right now and I'm actually feeling rather guilty) but a long day of cheering on my Seahawks means that tomorrow night will be folding the rest of the laundry night. My house is picked up, and organized, and the girls also have a vested interest in this. The dishes are washed and put away. My bedroom is starting to be cleared of the boxes and the rest of the mess. I can walk into my closet. The bathrooms are looking better. The girls are keeping their rooms clean. It is amazing the tranformation that my house has gone under the past few weeks...and I feel like it a direct reflction of how we are feeling in our home. And now, today's one more thing mommy moment: Tonight, when I got home from the Seahawks game, I noticed that we didn't pick up the house last night before we went to bed, so there is a lego set in the kitchen and princess toys in the dining room, and popcorn bowls from movie night on the couch and I shared with Amelia that I was worried. "Why are you worried, mommy?" "I've been so proud of how our house looks and all of the chores that we have been doing and we had a super busy weekend, so I'm worried that we'll get sucked back into our old ways of not getting things done and our house will be a disaster again." "No way, mommy! That's not going to happen! I promise!" "Well, I hope it won't, but I know how easy it is to get lazy with chores. Like I'm probably going to bed soon instead of folding laundry. I'm just exhausted!" "Mommy, I promise you that won't happen. You know why? It's called responsibility! And we all have it now! I love our house, and I love how we all feel in our house now. And there is nothing that can stop us!" And she is absolutely right. All three of us are settled in our house. We are all happy and enjoy living in the clean, organized, functional house that we now have. And even my six year old sees that we are happier. And we won't go back to our old ways. So, my heart is happy! My girls' hearts are happy! We are not depressed or stressed or worried about other things, and our house is a direct reflection of that! I am thrilled with where we are right now in life! And I know that we can do anything together! And we have fun doing things together...even if it involves cleaning. Because, as Amelia says, we have responsibility! And I am thankful to God for the blessings He has brought us to give us that responsibility. So, if you are in the neighborhood and would like to visit, come on over! Because my house is just the way we like it, and a beautiful reflection of how we are feeling in our hearts and souls. We would love to have you over...especially if you happened to drop in when things weren't that great! What a difference peace and joy make! All around for me and the girls!