Family reunion, cleaning and inverse proportions
March 31, 2010
My family is fairly small as far as families go, and it seems that we are getting more and more spread out as time goes on. So it was with great happiness that I heard that my cousins from California would be coming…
My family is fairly small as far as families go, and it seems that we are getting more and more spread out as time goes on. So it was with great happiness that I heard that my cousins from California would be coming to north-eastern United States, and that they wanted to just ‘pop across’ the border to see the Canadian contingent for Easter weekend.
Well, I said of course, come on up! I am so happy that I’ll get to see them after two years, the last time I was in California. With 8-year-old twins in tow, it’s going to be a full house for this little family reunion.
Here are three of my cousins from California taken on a visit about two years ago, with my parents. I laugh every time I see this picture...look at my dad's hand and his expression! All in good fun.
The back porch has been swept, the cozy blankets put out, and my mom treated me to the most beautiful, full hydrangea in purples, periwinkle blues and acid green. The porch is just waiting for a good chat over “hot tea” about how life has been treating us in the past few years. But what about the Easter baskets, and where do I get Canadian flags for the kids, and what about the front urns?!
While stressing that I can’t possibly get everything done, I know that it’s all self-imposed. It’s ALL okay, I’m telling myself. Take a deep breath!
Family is just that: family. We have to put into perspective that family is allowed to see the dust and the unfinished bath (if you didn’t quite get it done). In fact, your friends can see that too.
My wise and lovely friend Suzanne once said to me that the neatness of your kitchen is inversely proportional to how much you love your family.
Let’s all take Suzanne’s advice to heart and relax this weekend and enjoy our family and friends and all of the messy memories that will be made.
PS – I would love to hear what you are doing this weekend in the hills, and how you handle houseguests! I’ll be blogging to let you know how it goes over here.
Before the kids came along, I LOVED entertaining. I was happy to have a full house, packed with food and friends. Now that we have kids, the entertaining has come to a screeching halt and I realize it’s because I simply can’t get the house as clean and complete as it was pre-kids. It’s so daunting to imagine family or friends catching a glimpse of the finger prints on the windows, or the dust tumbleweed rolling across the living room floor, or the kiddie toothpaste blobs that show up all over the bathroom. Why do we put such pressure on ourselves to be perfect? The people who really matter aren’t keeping score.
RW on March 31, 2010 at 11:47 am |
I found that pre-kid, I put way too much pressure on myself for the house to be perfect when guests came over. Motherhood has really mellowed me out in that regard. Now I focus more on having good food and good fun in a comfortable environment. I want people to put their feet up on the coffee table, or grab some cushions and sprawl out on the floor. Easy breezy is my motto nowadays.
T.Yan on March 31, 2010 at 1:11 pm |