I didn't do the dishes last night.

If you knew me as a teenager – or even in college – or even for a while post college – or really anytime before I got pregnant, you’ll know that cleaning has never been high on my priority list.  It was not until I realized that I’d be responsible for a tiny person who would crawl on my floors, put things in his mouth, and learn from my example that I really decided to shape up.

I found FLYLady online.  It resonated with me.  I started working through her baby steps.  I shined my kitchen sink.  I started running my dishwasher every night and cleaning it out every morning.  (I actually race the coffee pot in the mornings… it’s never won.)  It’s shocking what having a clean sink in the morning does for the rest of my day.  It makes me feel calm and in control.  I could go on and on about the value of this program, but if you need it, you know and you’ll go check it out.

Last night, after dinner, I fed Bo and we had a 2 month old photo shoot. 

He's totally adored.

Then, I gave him a bath.    

Well - WE gave him a bath.

Then Des went to bed.

No shame in my game.

And then?  Instead of putting Bo in his bassinet and cleaning out the sink, I sat and snuggled him while Cam and I watched Doctor Who.  Gone are the days when we’d have nightly LOST or Battlestar Galactica marathons.  Gone are the days when we had no one to worry about but ourselves.  And soon, the days of having a tiny snuggly baby in an adorable sleeper will be gone too.  And I want to enjoy them.  I cursed the dishes in the sink this morning, but I know that I’ll do them tonight.  In the grand scheme of things, it won’t matter that those dishes sat in the sink for 24 hours.  What matters is that I spent quality time with Cameron and Bo last night. (And treated myself to an early night in bed!)

There’s a balance here somewhere.  I’m still figuring that out, but for now – I’ll err on the side of spending time with my family, thank you very much.  You can excuse the mess, or you can excuse yourself.