Last night, while sorting and putting away the laundry... I realized that this isn't the case any longer.
For you see, when I do the laundry - I see the outline of my family... The spit blankets and feet pajamas that Victoria uses on a daily basis... the small washcloths remind me of the bath she'd taken a few hours ago... splashing her tiny feet and giggling happily as she sat in the BIG GIRL bathtub with her older sister. I get to fold the ketchup stained shirts of Ava Ryan, and am brought to smile as I think about her obsession with chicken nuggets after school. I cringe with irritation as I fold a pair of pants that Stevie Lynn had only worn twice and were not dirty at all when she placed them in the hamper - but then I'm delighted to know that my daughter is only trying to be aware of her personal hygiene and the way she looks. As I fold Nicolas' shirts and hang his pants, I'm pleased that he chose me to be his wife... that I'm able to be there for him, and he's not left to do his laundry alone in his tiny apartment in Paris anymore.
Vacuuming. I can't hate it anymore, although it is the most time consuming chore in the house. Tile and wood cover 90 percent of our floors, leaving small pebbles of cat litter and cat hair and food crumbs and Lord knows WHAT else to stick to the bottom of a bare foot as it crosses the house. Even as I do this, I see remnants of my wonderful life being sucked away into a clean floor oblivion! Cat hair is swept into piles for the dustpan, and they look on with big round eyes as I clean the cat litter that they so carefully sprinkled all over my bathroom floor. I smile at the tedious task, thinking of those moments late at night when Athena will tap me on the forehead so I'll let her beneath the covers for warmth. Knowing too well that with all of the fuss of owning a cat, it's worth it for those times when Zeus will cuddle in my lap or take an afternoon nap in my bed with me.
Washing the dishes. . . by far the MOST hated chore as a child. Even the first couple years of my marriage, dishes were reserved for the husband :D In fact, it wasn't until I was pregnant with Victoria that I started to enjoy doing them. As I start to scrub the cheese, or mashed potatoes that have dried on a plate from dinner, I sometimes get lost in thought about all the wonderful meals my husband has prepared for us. I laugh at moments that I've shared with the kids in the kitchen... cookie decorating, birthday brownies, bowls of ice cream and hot chocolate or popcorn on a cold winter's day. I look back at the dining room table, and remember a time when it was just a decoration piece in my house... but now, it's utilized daily in my home... all of us, sitting together without a TV on - to eat dinner and be together. I smile bigger knowing that it takes two wet wipes to clean our table now, instead of just one... I guess a growing family will do that huh?
Ahh yes, and that wasted time of making a bed, just to UNmake it later... well, without those few moments of straightening covers and making sure there's an equal amount that falls on both sides of the bed - I wouldn't have time to reflect on the moments that are shared between those sheets! Those late nights when Victoria needs 2 more oz. of formula to get her to sleep... when she finishes, and needs to cuddle or smile or talk just 5 extra minutes to get her through the night. Or when Ava joins us because of a nightmare. Or when Stevie UNmakes the bed in order to climb inside so she can watch her cartoons in our room before she goes to bed each night. And yes, even those quiet moments when all the house is asleep - when Nicolas and I hold one another and talk about the wonderful things our life has become. I do, I make beds daily.... and I think that THIS, is my favorite chore.
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