2 weeks Ago By Andrea Borsvold
People often ask me how I accomplish so much with three young kids. I often reply “coffee and Jesus.” But in all reality, I’m often teetering on that balance beam between motherhood and life.
The truth is, if I really want to get something done, I have to sacrifice something else to do it. So while I may be getting my spring cleaning done because I set out to do it and I’m no quitter, my family may be eating more quick freezer meals than usual. It’s a delicate balancing act, but eventually something’s got to give.
ADVERTISEMENT If it’s something like housework, I’m learning to try get the kids involved when possible. Yes, they’re young, but Ivar has really taken to being my little helper (most days), Freya wants to be just like mom, and Torsten simply likes the one-on-one time whenever he can get it. Or we turn it into a game of sorts, whether we’re wading through the forest (of cobwebs in the corners) or a race to see who can pick up more toys before the clean-up song finishes.
With kids, you have to make it fun, or they’ll dread it for the rest of their lives. Naptime (or for my older two, quiet time) is a good time for me to get hyper-focused on a task at hand sans kids. If I can time it just right (and it doesn’t always happen this way), my youngest will nap for an hour or two midday and the big kids will stow away in their room for maybe 30 minutes, and I can sneak into my office and finish a project — or sort through the pile of too-small kids clothes and decide what to keep and what to donate.
Naptime is sacred, and I know those days are numbered, as my youngest turns 3 next month. It doesn’t help that I’m a very strong-willed individual (aka stubborn) and am willing to sometimes sacrifice the sanity in my household for a few checks off my to-do list from time to time, but sometimes mama’s got to do what mama’s got to do. My house is not perfect, but I do have a high standard of living.
Yes, my dishes and laundry are never-ending, just like everyone else, but we keep the toys at bay with nightly pick up sessions and the dishwasher is regularly emptied so that at a moment’s notice, we can have the place picked up and presentable for guests. Part of that is having a regular cleaning routine (which to be honest, I’m still working out the kids in mine) that keeps you accountable so that no one portion of the house gets forgotten and gets out of hand. Another part is living a minimalist lifestyle and constantly paring down the stuff you have to clean and care for.
But both aspects have helped me keep house with three kids under seven. Since moving house, I’ve noticed how having more space means having more to clean, and I can only do so much, so I’m grateful the kids are growing to the point where they can help. All in all, I don’t want my kids to remember mom as “always stressed out and cleaning,” when I could be playing and making memories.
But in the same breath, I refuse to let the house go to shambles. So I’ll continue to teeter on that balance beam and take it one day at a time, considering all the many factors and just see what I can get done. These are my monkeys and this is my circus.
I wouldn’t trade them for anything. Andrea Borsvold is a busy homesteading mama of three who loves God, coffee, sewing and the beauty of nature living in northwestern Minnesota..
