Sunday, April 19, 2009

Excuse This House

Several days ago, when Travis got home from work, he mentioned how the kitchen was a mess. I told him I was sorry, but that I had chosen to play outside with Addison instead of cleaning the kitchen. I was happy when he told me how glad he was that I had spent time with her rather than worrying about the house. This got me thinking about a poem I read on my friend Kim's blog a while back. It pretty much sums up how I'm feeling right now...like my house is a mess, but I'd rather spend time with my children.

~ Excuse This House ~

Some houses hide the fact that children live there,
Ours boasts of it quite openly, the signs are everywhere.
For smears are on the windows, tiny smudges on the doors,
I should apologize I guess, for toys strewn on the floor.

But I sat down with the children,
and we played and laughed and read.
Even though the doorbell doesn’t shine,
their eyes will shine instead.
At times I’m forced to choose,
the one job or the other,
I want to be a housewife, but first
I’ll be a Mother.

Author Unknown

4 comments:

Nic said...

That's a great poem, I need to post that on m fridge!! I'm struggling with this balance right now because the house is on the market . . . not sure if it needs to be yet but we've shown it four times. I want my kids to grow up and say "My mom played with me" not "My mom kept our house clean." Glad you enjoyed your day outside!! The girls look adorable in their Easter dresses!

Jodi said...

Take the poem to heart! Take it from someone who knows all to well how fast your kids are grown and out of the house. You will have plenty of time later for cleaning house. It's much more important to spend time with your kids.

Amy said...

I think I need to frame that & post it in my kitchen...as a reminder to myself & those that stop by. :)

Robin said...

I often tell Albert that I think I can survive with three kids, but I probably won't be able to keep the house as clean. I'm glad Travis gave such a good response. Thanks for sharing the poem again, it's a good refresher.