Keeping the house clean...

is mission impossible. Tamar and I strive valiantly to maintain order (and it's not a mess by any standards) but it seems like every time we put things back "where they belong," we turn around and something is out of place. Usually, Calanit is the instigator, but Erez is beginning to contribute.

As a Type A, obsessive compulsive, initially this got to me. Not that I was out of joint about it, but I tend to prefer things to be organized and I still do in my own little corner of the house (which seems to be shrinking as my kids encroach upon it), but I've mellowed a bit in regards to the other parts.

It's not so much that we let it disintegrate into anarchy. It's just that I realize what the disorder means. It means the vibrancy and growth of my kids. It means that there is life that is forming.

I remember growing up once I saw a comic strip from "Family Circus" where the mother saw a mess around the house and said "when will this ever be cleaned up?" At that moment, she had one of those bubble thoughts and pictured herself as an old woman going up into the attic and seeing all of the toys packed away.

Someday, that time will come for us and our house will be nice and tidy, but that will mean that we're at a different stage of life.

I happen to love the stage of life in which we find ourselves now and the energy of our kids is both invigorating and VERY draining ;-) so I'm content to let it go if Calanit decides she wants to dump her puzzle pieces in the front hall. I won't leave them there for a week, but I'll view the process of cleaning up as a benefit of parenthood and not a cost.