Do you ever work yourself into a tizzy attempting to take care of everything around the house on some self-imposed, arbitrary deadline?
You know, trying to do all of the laundry – washed, dried, folded and put away – all in a matter of hours? Or when you just HAVE to reorganize the pantry after you get the kids to bed? What?! Why?! Do you tell your kids you can’t play with them or can only read 3 books instead of 5 because you just HAVE to get the kitchen cleaned and a load of laundry done before you go to bed?
Not A Nice Mama
I have certain expectations of myself when it comes to housekeeping that can actually ramp up my anxiety and then I turn into someone I don’t like at all. No one should get ragey over not being able to finish folding a load of clothes right then and there because the four-year-old needs something or your husband wants you to go to bed (wink, wink). The laundry can wait, the dishes can wait. Your family is not going to remember that the 
kitchen was always clean and the laundry was caught up. They will remember how much time you spent with them – playing with them, reading to them, cuddling with them.
Working On It
I know I have to let go of my own expectations – and I’m working on that. My husband is not going to be furious because I let a load of laundry sit in a basket for three days before I folded it and put it away. Why should I get upset with myself for that? My family needs me in more than just a housekeeping capacity. So while I feel at peace in a clean home, I also have to balance that with not going overboard on cleaning and re-organizing projects when I should be relaxing with the family.
How do you balance housekeeping and quality time with your family?
