Is there such a thing as a clean dirty?

Over the last few days, I realize that even on my laziest days, I spend a great deal of time cleaning. Those of you who know me are probably wondering why my house is such a mess if I clean all day long. Well I have 5 reasons WHY the house is still a mess & their names are Bryan, Roman, Katie, Paisley & Levi. I am not even kidding!!! Every meal that we eat results in a spill of some kind. Every. Single. Meal. Today, Katie dropped her water all over the floor at breakfast & her goldfish all over the floor at lunch. Bryan yelled at Levi a couple of days ago because he knocked his cup of water over at dinner & Roman & I laughed at him. He's so naive!! How does he not know that it's not a meal in the Clower house if something doesn't get spilled? Sometimes I spill something myself, just to fit in. On top of the spills, when you're making 3 meals a day at home, plus snacks, the dishes are NEVERENDING. And don't get me started on the laundry! You know, the laundry that your husband needs clean by the next morning & he doesn't tell you about it until 9 or 10 o'clock at night? Usually after he's had such a long day and he's so exhausted that the only sweet, adoring, look I get from him is because he's manipulating me to stay up & wash his clothes for him. Yeah. That laundry! It never stops & I never say no, because I can't resist that handsome guy. Almost twenty years in & even though it annoys the crap out of me, I do it anyway. I can't help it. He works his butt off & I get to stay home & be a Mom. All day, everyday. Every single, monotonous, boring, lonely, I wanna pull my hair out if I hear the kids fighting one more time, day. Wait. Where was I? Oh yeah. The cleaning! I have soooo much work to do in my house & I desparately need to declutter, but I'm constantly pulled in another direction. Usually to clean up another spill or an overflowing toilet or wipe someone's face or butt. I forget how to even communicate with adults sometimes! When I'm told that I'll miss this, I never believe it! How can I miss this? Well, as I get older, I like to believe I'm getting wiser. Which means that I need to listen to the even older & even wiser people who tell me I will miss it. They're probably right! Heck, I have an 18 year old college student & when he mentions that he's thought about moving out, my heart breaks a little (ok, a lot!)! I don't want these guys to grow up!! The struggle is real. All you mamma's out there, young or old, I feel you, man! This job is tough!! I've been reminding myself lately that every thing I do throughout my day is an act of love for my family, which is pleasing to the Lord. When I give in to my handsome hubby & wash his clothes, it's an act of love. When I take Katie to the restroom or give my children a bath, it's an act of love. When I prepare a meal or go grocery shopping so that my family has food in the house, it's an act of love. Taking my kid to the doctor for a sprained ankle or a physical is an act of love. It's not always the good stuff or the fun stuff (even though that counts too!) But this every day, getting your hands dirty kind of thing is living a life of love & a life of service. I just need to squeeze a little self love in there, too. The other night we were headed to Visalia & our plans were thwarted, so Bryan & I, unexpectedly, had dinner together without the children. I'm not going to lie. I didn't love my meal & I hardly ate anything, but it was still pretty glorious! Just to have some time together with JUST the two of us was something we haven't had in quite some time & I found out I still like him! You should do that once in a while. Go out with your spouse, without the kids, just to make sure you still like each other. All those older & wiser people who say that you have to take care of yourself before you can take care of others? Yeah. They know what they're talking about! I guess I can do this for another 20 years...as long as he sticks around through the days of sticky floors, messy counters & couches full of laundry. 1 Corinthians 13:3 "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."