Just say no to housework!

The other evening after the kids were in bed, I stayed up and finished some laundry and cleaned my house instead of spending my time indulging in a guilty pleasure like reality TV or a trashy novel like I was craving to do.

Why did I opt for the housework? Well, obviously we all need some clean clothes to wear and the bathrooms were getting kind of yucky. But, did I need to do the work that minute? Did I need to clean everything? Would it have hurt to maybe just do one load of laundry and save the cleaning for another time? Probably not, but I had invited some friends over the next day and just felt the pressure to make everything sparkle.

Every time I visit someone else's house, it always is in immpecable order. And this does not just include the homes of those who stay-at-home. In fact, many times my working friends have homes that sparkle even brighter than their stay-at-home neighbors. Many stay up late at night, or worse yet, get up at 5am to clean before they go to work. Many moms I know spend more time cleaning and keeping things tidy than they do enjoying themselves reading, or even sleeping.

And so, the circle of pressure continues. Because I see other women keeping their homes perfect, I feel the need to do the same with mine (although even after I clean, my still is pretty far from perfection). As a result, we all spend too much time cleaning and not enough time just relaxing and enjoying life.

So I ask you- please stop it! I know you have to maintain a certain level of cleanliness in order to create a healthy environment for your family to live in- but don't do any more than you absolutely have to. If we all gave up just a little bit of neatness together, then we could eliminate a little bit of the pressure.

So the next time I come to your house, I hope to find an unfolded basket of laundry by your couch, an overflowing trash can in your pantry, and a sink full of dirty dishes.