clutter aplenty, clutter galore

sometimes, i just want to sit in a peaceful, clean house listening to nothing but the hum of the refrigerator. wouldn't that be nice? wouldn't it be awesome if the house was clean almost all the time because people simply put their stuff away when they were done w/ it? it sounds doable, right? but it's totally not here. i cannot be one of those moms who won't sit down if there are dirty dishes in the sink or cheerios on the living room floor. if that were the case, i'd be even less rested than i am now & i would be grumpier & less pleasant to live with, in spite of my clean house. from where i'm sitting, let me just take a couple pictures to show you what my kitchen/office space looks like. one moment please...

ok, here's my desk...

awful, i know, but i never have a chance to feel lonely when i'm surrounded by so many signs of creativity & life. plus, there's a polly pocket if i need a friend, beverages, a doll bed if my hand needs a nap, & q-tips in case my ears feel itchy. and i never lack for markers. markers aplenty, markers galore.

to my right, we have the school corner/kitchen table. since we haven't done structured school since may & our kitten has learned to pile things up or knock them over to get where she wants to go, it has gotten ridiculously out of control.

i can't believe i'm even putting these on here because it's shameful. and embarrassing. but it's my life & i'm a fan of realism at my own expense. i suspect i'm not the only mom who is surrounded by nastiness or clutter because she'd rather live than clean.

but behind me we have my new friend, mrs. microwave. and when she has a good idea, she lights up on the inside!

and who doesn't like to have a wide, happy face smiling at them while they wash dishes or make snacks? she doesn't say much, more of a gentle presence in the room, but she hums sometimes. and she can be a real hot head if you push her buttons.

and if i was cleaning things, i probably wouldn't have the time or inclination to make the teddy bear campfire for brooke when she's bored in the house on yet another hot, rainy day.

the teddy bear campfire is a family favorite around here. doesn't that little fire just warm your heart?

and if i expected my world to stay clean, i probably wouldn't want my desktop to look like this...

but if i made brooke clean that off, then i wouldn't get to enjoy the gnome family & their rustic cabin. i wouldn't get to sit here, always wondering if one of those raccoons in the tree house is going to fall onto my head. i wouldn't get to check that dangling yarn trap regularly to see what meaty goodness it's caught this time.

and i wouldn't get to see the cute little turtle on the ladybug rock.

or the playful raccoon babies frolicking about in their diorama.

if my life was more orderly, i might not let brooke "go on her animal side" when she's home & transform herself into a jaguar.

and i'd miss out on her happiness at being able to color her face to really get into character. i'd never be smiling at the bits of gray marker left around the edges of her nose & eyes afterwards when she washes it off that leave her looking kinda zombie-ish. it's hard to take her seriously when she's got those bits, but it makes me happy anyway.

and if i kept the living room clean on a regular basis, then i would never get the camera handed to me around the edge of the bathroom door to show me this...

brooke cleaned up the living room to make me happy & so that i could vacuum w/ the new machine & she couldn't wait for me to see it, so she took a picture & handed it to me because i was apparently taking too long. there's nowhere to hide around here.

so in conclusion, my house is messy, but i wouldn't trade the mess for the kid or cats. i love my life & my messy little house w/ all it's quirky little decorations & arrangements.

UPDATE: here's a link to someone's blog who addressed my same current cleaning situation. i think it fits w/ mine today very nicely. and by this standard, i've had a fairly successful day.