Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Merry Maids, Only Not So Merry

I'm slumpy. In a slump. Slumpy, slump, slump. And I don't know why, or what my problem is, but I'm completely annoyed with myself for being such a schmuck.

I think I've organized myself into a rut of massive proportions and I need to shake things up a bit. For example, for every day of the week, I have given myself different jobs to do so that I stay on top of everything that I have to accomplish day in and day out. Today is Wednesday which for me means cleaning all the bathrooms and doing the kitchen floor. Yesterday was Tuesday, laundry and dusting. Tomorrow, Thursday, vacumming and decluttering. You get the point.

Normally, I love this schedule because it allows me to keep a clean and organized house without ever getting too far behind and thus ending up overwhelmed, but as of yesterday, I started to feel like the maid. Make breakfast for five, clean up breakfast for five. Make school lunch. Shuttle everyone around, to Maya, to preschool, back home again. Lunch for four, clean up for four. Wipe noses. Zip jackets. Onto dinner, making something everyone likes but low-cal and healthy. More cleanup. Oversee homework and piano practice. Read scriptures. Say prayers. Into bed. Only to start again today.

Don't get me wrong...I LOVE MY LIFE. I am so grateful to get to do what I do and I know I have an amazing family. But sometimes your life catches up with you and you start to feel like your watching your life go by through a window in a house you don't recognize.

The good thing about my slump is that I am great at getting myself out of it. I know that most likely, maybe even in an hour or two, something will happen and I will be reminded of how lucky I am to get to be mom and that I have bathrooms to clean. In the meantime, I've got some floors to scrub.

6 comments:

emahaf said...

Hey at least you can work yourself out of a slump in a couple of hours, normally for me it takes at least a couple days. I think it is easy to feel like a maid, especially when you have a routine. The routine helps you get your work done, but makes you wonder if you should be getting paid more for your work.

tharker said...

We should be getting paid for some of the chores that we moms have to endure! And I don't just want a paycheck full of hugs and kisses! Just kidding. We are lucky to be able to do what we do. Give yourself a little breather, then you'll be ready to jump back into the rountine. I need to get back into mine...of course I've been saying that for over a year! I used to have a great routine like your's but apparently my schlumpy schlump is still going on!

dandee said...

I love the term "slump". I'm pretty sure we all have our "slumpy" moments. I do better without a cleaning schedule. I have my daily jobs, like dishes, 2 loads of laundry, making beds (my kids do their own), and leave the rest for when the mood hits me. I love a clean house so I get to bathrooms, dusting, and vacuuming on a regular basis, just not a schedule. This helps in keeping me from like an employee in my own home.

Marilyn said...

Hi Karen, I love your blog, so I am commenting. I think this post could relate to every mother, every where. At certain times we just feel under-valued, over-worked, and under-paid.

But just like you said, then we shift our attitudes around and realize how blessed we are to have a house to clean, and people to clean up after.

vwbabe said...

Karen, I do the same thing. I have my daily "chores". But fortunately I only have 1 child, so when they are done, I get to have an ER watching marathon. Well probably not any more since I am a working woman now, but at least I have the memories!

Alicia Leppert said...

I have seriously been having the slump issues, feeling like my life is so monotonous, just like you described. But in talking to someone about it, I learned that I am not giving myself any "me" time. I love being a mom and homemaker, but I also love being me and being my own self, not JUST a mom and JUST a wife. I'm also Alicia who needs to get out of the hose and be alone sometimes!