Do you ever have days like this?

If you look at the top of the picture you will see an empty bin -- that's where the books belong. My house looks like this a lot. Some times I am too occupied with other things or just too tired to even remind the boys to put their books away (and make sure they do it).

Some times I get discouraged about the state of my house. It is mostly clean, but it is almost always messy. Especially after two weeks of me being really sick, Christmas, and family visiting. Yesterday I was thinking that maybe it is because I am just a messy person and don't prioritize keeping the house neat and tidy. Of course, my husband would argue with that because he thinks that I am the most organized person he knows. I do like to organize everything, and I like to have everything in its place. The clutter filling every room of my house, however, may not say the same about me.

Today is one of the days the disorder in my house bothers me. Well, really it bothers me most days. But some days I am busy doing school with my kids, and some days I am too tired, and some days I am getting ready for a birthday party, and some days I just think the mess can wait. It won't go away, you know. From my vast experience with messy houses, I have found that the mess will always be there tomorrow. I guess the mess does bother me, just not enough.

I am not sure how to explain this picture because I am not sure it will express to you what it does to me. The scene is a room full of laundry and suitcases that need to be packed and the general clutter that usually occupies my living room. I can't remember why, but my son had put a huge pile of stuffed animals on the floor. He asked me something, and I fell down onto the animals and started playing with them. It was a wonderful moment, and one I might have missed if the baskets of laundry bothered me too much.

I am thankful that I have learned (at least partly) that there are some things that won't be here tomorrow. My kids are growing up so fast. When they are gone, I will worry about my house. Until then I hope to be enjoying them, even if there happens to be work waiting to be done in the background.