I’m not sure why, but keeping a clean house has been a slight obsession of mine for a while. Maybe it’s because, as a homeschooling family and being here during the day, I notice the clutter more. Or, it could be my slightly OCD tendencies kicking in.

I found myself in a perpetual state of picking up, wiping down, sweeping, etc. It even began affecting how I conducted school time. Instead of savoring the moments of watching the girls learn, adding more “fun” things to the curriculum (like board games, art projects and such), I noticed my urge to become impatient when I thought we weren’t getting through things in a timely manner. Finally it dawned on me  – doesn’t that defeat the purpose of why we chose to homeschool in the first place?

I thought back to my childhood. Do I remember the state of our house back then? I’m sure it was neat, but it’s not something that stands out in my memory. I do remember trees I climbed, the Barbies I played with, and the adventures I embarked on with my cousins. I want my kids to have that, too.

Today we did a sand art project in connection with our study of India. As we were finishing up our work, my eight-year-old exclaimed “Mommy – we got sand all over the floor!” I replied “Oh, that’s okay, that’s what brooms are for.” The remarkable thing was that I meant it.

As I walked around the kitchen shuffling through bits of sand my broom missed, I just closed my eyes and pretended for a moment I was at the beach.