Being Okay with the Mess

I can't say that I have ever been a great housekeeper, but life with little ones makes me the worst housekeeper I have ever seen.  When I worked full-time pre-kids, I was barely able to keep up with the house chores.  Then my daughter came along and it took me about 8 months to feel like I could get anything done.  Now my son is 6 months old and I do alright with cleaning but it seems like the mess grows while we are all sleeping.  It is amazing to me how much adding one tiny person to a house can make so much more mess.  When my best friend found out she was pregnant with her second, I told her she should prepare herself for her house to be in constant disarray.  She has always been better at keeping her house looking spotless than I am, but she too had to admit that sometimes you just have to let things go.  My biggest challenge isn't even the cleaning itself but the motivation to do it.  When your chores are interrupted every 10 or so minutes for a diaper change or a feeding or a boo boo, it is hard to stay focused.  The thing that seems to work for me is to set 1-3 goals of things I would like to accomplish before my husband gets home from work.  I find that this helps me keep some focus.  Now my goal is to cut down on the unnecessary distractions like the TV and Facebook:)  I would love any insights the rest of you may have on trying to keep the house in order.  But my advice for all is: it is okay to sometimes have a little mess if it helps keep mommy sane.