It occurred to me today, almost as an epiphany as I was making the bed.  I saw that our bed was literally full of sand, both on my side and Hubs's.  Did I wipe it away?  Did I tut "This will not do!"?  Nope, I just said: "Meh", and pulled the comforter over it all to hide it.  I reckon those sheets won't be changed till at least the weekend.

The epiphany is this: My standards are so ridiculously low nowadays that I'm not even sure they qualify as standards.  They're more like ideas that are never quite realized.  I blame my son.

As regards personal hygiene since having a kid, I will say that I do try to make an effort and shower every day.  That's when my two friends Mr. Laptop and Mr. TV come in really handy - I plop M in front of one or the other and take the quickest shower known to man.  When I really go for it and treat myself to a hair washing, there is never time for drying my hair.  Instead, I scrunch that shit with mousse, and have Wet Head all day.  As far as any other major grooming, it's when I remember.  Poor Hubs.

For many months, M has had very little interest in sitting at the table with us to eat a meal.  Like any toddler, really.  Rather than fight it every day, we let him have his muffin at breakfast/ cucumber snack/ smoothie on the go.  And on the floor.  And on the couch.  And on his bed.  It makes me crazy, but I'd rather he eat that way then not at all... so we let him.  And my house is CONSTANTLY covered in crumbs and weird stains.  I should sweep or vacuum at least once a day.  But instead, I'm lucky if it gets done twice a week.  And as regards our couch and loveseat that we bought new two years ago when we moved into this house: Forget It.  Fucking microfiber.

Maybe this is the problem?

One area of the house that I do try and make an effort in is the kitchen.  I try and make homemade meals every night.  The main reason is that I'm a pig and love to eat.  But there are some areas related to food prep where things fall by the wayside as well.  One of my biggest pet peeves is emptying the dish rack.  I will Tetris the crap out of the pots and pans to avoid emptying that thing.  After supper tonight, I put a huge pot back in the fridge with nary a half portion of spaghetti in it.  I could have transferred it to a Tupperware and washed the pot... One more step, I thought.

Stackable!

I know every parent says it, but seriously: I wasn't always like this!  I used to have luxurious showers daily, and groom myself as close to perfection as I could.  Monthly waxing!  Eyebrow shaping!  Clothes shopping!

My house has never been spotless by any stretch of the imagination.  But I would never have ignored blatant piles of filth!  Never!  I would have scrubbed that dirt away as soon as I saw it!  I would have bought or rented a steam cleaner to tackle it all!

I guess one of the main things that's happened since becoming M's mom is that I choose to spend as much time as I possibly can with him throughout the day.  My house could be immaculate, and I could look fantastic every day, and my dishes could be put away... BUT, I would have to take time away from M to do all of that.  I know that there are some moms out there who do manage to do it all, and I'm not too proud to say that I'm extremely jealous of them.

I'm hoping there will be more time for things once M starts school in two years time.  Until then, Hubs should bring the sand toys to bed... God knows that's the only fun going on in there anyway.