Hey, at least I cleaned up around someplace!

Am I the only one who gets this?  I mention, in casual conversation, from time to time (not often, but when it comes up), that I spin and knit and blog about it.  People usually also know that I have twins and a job (okay, three jobs, I'd rather not think about that part).  And then they say "how do you do it all?" in a combination of awe and some mixture of disdain and bewilderment.

So, I shall now share with you my great secret, the reason why I am able to "accomplish" (other mothers of young children and people who have seen my many knitting disasters may now snicker at will) "so much."  You ready?  Here it is.

Housework?  Don't do much of it.  There it is.

My house is a bit of a disaster.  It's small.  It's cluttered.  None of you will be shocked to hear that there is wool in pretty much every nook and cranny available.  You can pretty much look in the telephone directory and find our address under "deferred maintenance."  The home decorating, never a strong suit, has turned to a feng shui-like balance between Fisher Price Little People and yarn.  The living room is decorated in "early spinning wheel" and when a door falls off a cabinet in the kitchen, we consider replacing it to be a low priority.  Hey, it's easier to see when we need more spaghetti.  Forget Martha, this household does not contain a happy homemaker.  If you don't count wool and dog fur, it's reasonably clean, but there's no house beautiful going on here.

So, I did the dishes tonight, but I didn't declutter the kitchen counter with all the junk mail.  Ah well.  But I did spruce up the blog a bit.  That whole purple thing was just supposed to be temporary while I figured out how to do this html stuff.  Yeah, I didn't get around to that.  But I think this will do.  And hopefully I won't hurt your eyes anymore.  Sorry about that.  If you can't see it, hit reload a couple of times.  My computer is very unwilling to let go of the evil lavender.

Okay, so I have an ulterior motive for telling you how messy my house is.  I'd like to invite you to visit it, and I find that things go best when I've fessed up in advance.  A little coffee and bagel stop on the way to Cummington.  Knitters, spinners, wool.  You know, the good stuff. 

The deets:

Coming to Cummington Breakfast Party

When: 8 am to 10 am, Saturday, 5/28
Where:  Chez mama, just a few blocks from Rt. 9 on the way to Cummington from the east. Email me for directions at party@mamacate.com .  C'mon, don't be shy, it'll be fun.
What: Bagels, lox, etc., coffee, tea, juice.  Potluck additions are welcome but there will be plenty to serve if no one brings anything.

Hope to see you there, and if not, at the fair!

Comments

[Anna]

You're not the only one who skips the housework, I only have 1 toddler and no out of the house jobs and I still don't bother with the cleaning, although I am a tidier upper and put stuff away, actual cleaning is reserved for when the house *actually* needs it! :o)

Have a great party, bit far for me to travel I'm afraid!

Anna

[Cara]

Okay - I've got you BOTH beat. No 9-5 job and no kids and the messiest house EVER.

I did go through the junk mail yesterday - but that proceeded to give me three bags of trash that needed to be tossed. It never ends, does it?

Sounds like a wonderful party - I'm sorry I'll be missing it.

[justine]

blog looks great. I have no kids, and my house is always a mess... no excuse except that i would rather knit than clean. Besides the dog is losing her winter fur, if I cleaned up everyday I would always be sweeping.

[Jo in Ottawa]

The blog looks even better today. I really like your new banner. And cleaning blogs is way more important than cleaning the house. I pay someone bi-weekly so that it doesn't become unhygenic (and yes, I paid attention to working conditions, insurance, holidays, etc).

Too bad I can't come to the brunch. Hope it is fun and lots of people drop in.

[Kristen]

I'm sorry I'll miss your breakfast on Sat. I'll be busy getting rained out at the beach (fun, fun!) People always ask how I have time to do all the crafts I like to show off and I say I don't clean. They usually laugh and think I'm kidding. Then when I tell them I'm totally serious they usually laugh and think I'm crazy. But a girls gotta have priorities, right??

[Margene]

Housework...we're supposed to do housework? Jeezzzz....you just burst my bubble.

[ru]

My father swears that fisher price people procreate. I believe wool must do the same. When I walked into my "workroom" 2 days after the Maryland festival, I was shocked. There is no way I bought all that fiber.

I don't see how other people have time to keep their houses clean. The fun stuff is easy to find time for...

[maggi]

AWw, dang, sure wish we could come ~ sounds like a grand time. Me, I pay someone else to clean my house, with my allergies as the excuse . . .

[Amysue]

I'm pretty sure I already mentioned that we live in a crack house, minus the crack. No health hazards, just clutter and childrens art and projects and books and fiber and fabric and did I mention we have birds? The parrot likes to toss her peanut shells all over the place....

Recently I was feeling very unworthy as a result of my lack of hosekeeping when the mother of a child wo had been over for a playdate called to tell me how she wished her husband would let her hang the children's art like we do and allow them to have in progress projects etc. She loved how our home felt like a home.

Of course she totally lost me at the beginining where she said "my husband won't let me...", the mind boggles.

[Lynn]

Housework? As the tagline in our email says "a messy home is a happy home; ours must be delirious".

Martha's black sheep cousin doesn't even reside here :-p

That said, I just might be able to make it to Cummington. :-D Just because one goes doesn't automatically mean one has to buy, right?

[Risa]

I could swear you were describing my place, except we don't have Fisher Price Little people yet. I do have mega blocks EVERYWHERE though. The twins will feel right at home this weekend :)

[Debra]

I want you to know there is hope. On Sunday my 13yo boy washed the kitchen floor and cleaned his bathroom. Not well, but better than they were. I aim for the normal range and that's good enough.

[Jenny]

In an alternate universe, down here in the land of NASCAR and tobacco (shudder), there is a house in similar straits, except ours is done in early modern Barbie and Lego. I just invested in some lovely bins and under-bed boxes (that do fit under my bed - I checked first) for the yarn/wool stash, but that's not to say that it's all been put away yet... I'm still sweeping under 2 highchairs 3x a day, but only to avoid an ant invasion. It takes 3 or 4 days to get clean laundry put away. You're right - that's how we "accomplish so much!" I figure, if everyone's wearing pants in the morning, that's enough of an accomplishment for me. ;-)

[sandy]

I find it's the spirit of a home that makes it wonderful. Not the dustlessness! :) Yes, perhaps I have adopted this way as a protective mechanism to accept MY home in it's cluttered, messy state.
I embrace your home. One thing is for sure, it is most probably a COMFORTABLE home. Which is better than museum quality.
And, if it makes you feel better, years ago ( I won't tell how many to protect the guilty) we had a washing machine mishap and water problem, and the cabinet doors were taken off to be replaced. Yeah. Well, I strung up some curtains there to hide it. No doors yet. And yet. I live a happy fullfilled life! Imagine that!
:)
I will be with you in spirit. Not body. Have a bite o'bagel for me!

[The Feminist Mafia]

Yep, I have a messy house too. With only one child, I can't find the time to clean. There's just too much fun to be had. No time for the drudgery of cleaning. I can't imagine having two kiddos...although at some point there will be another Jr., and then the house will be messier. 'Cuz I aint givin' up knittin. And yes, I'd like to chat about b-school and how a pinko can survive such an experience. Sorry I'll miss it, but have fun this weekend.

[The Feminist Mafia]

Oh yeah ... nice banner and overall site update. Looks great.