Cleanliness is next to...

This picture doesn't even do justice to the dishes in the sink.  I am fortunate to have two - really, really deep kitchen sinks.  So this picture literally only scratches the surface. 

A full sink can give you quite a glimpse into a person's day...or days in my case - depending on the week. 

An afternoon activity of making Jello Jigglers with Jack pulled out my batter bowl, a cake pan, a large measuring cup, kid's scissors, and several spoons (you know he licks one after another - so I have to use a lot).

I am not sure why, but for dinner I decided to try a peanut chicken recipe that I think used every single pot, pan, and lid I own.  It was alright - certainly not worth the amount of dishes I used...

Then we rushed off to a preschool round-up open house.  Once we came home we took out ALL the cookie cutters to make oodles of jiggly jigglers.  Once we gobbled up a few jigglers we wiggled up the stairs to bed.

In the morning we had a big family crepe breakfast since Jeremy has to leave on a business trip.  Before we knew it - it was noon and time for yummy mac & cheese (it turns out I did have one pan and lid left...).

In addition to all of this, Mitch has continued to eat and drink...creating a very empty bottle rack.

So, here we are - about 24 hours later with more dishes in the sink and finally a quiet moment to wash them.

Why is this worth the blog space?  Well, if you know me - this is a very hard and challenging for me.  I am one who LOVES to have everything in its place.  I like order and cleanliness.  Having a sink FULL of dishes is very stretching for me.  I have personal expectations of myself that are not being met as of late.  But, I have to stop and remind myself what is worth my time.  Is it leaving my kids to wash away - or is it taking time to read to them, race cars across the living room floor, or ride trikes in the basement - while forsaking the dishes? 

Recently my mother-in-law reminded me that I am raising kids, not a clean house.  So - even though it is a very hard thing for me - I am willing to take a few more dishes in my sink just to be sure that I can spend a few more minutes with my boys.

And, just in case you were wondering...there always is resolve, just not always when I want it.