In My House

In my house, there is always dirt on the floor even though I sweep it every. single. day....sometimes twice. There are cobwebs in the corners, streaks on the windows and mirrors, and dust all over areas that aren't in plain view...and on some that are. There is a lawn that is only mowed because we have a gardener that is included in our rent. There is a filthy dining room rug and a floor with crusted food that seems to be there permanently.

In my house, there is always clean laundry, but it is usually still in the laundry basket and never makes it into drawers. For that matter, there are always at minimum 4 loads of laundry waiting to be done. The bedsheets and towels get changed, but the dirty ones quickly forgotten until it comes time to change them again, and there are no clean ones.

In my house, there are toys EVERYWHERE in EVERY ROOM and in EVERY CORNER. We don't even try to contain them or put them away. It's a fruitless effort. We find cars in the couch cushions, along with Cheerios that haven't been in the house for months. We find bath squirtees in the kitchen drawers and books in the fridge. There are stuffed animals in my work bag and under the beds.

In my house, there is a bottle of tequila and margarita mix in the fridge next to the milk and juice. There are fresh fruits and veggies bought in the vain attempt to make healthy balanced meals next to the take out containers and hidden stash of holiday candy. There are leftovers, leftovers, leftovers next to snack packs and an expired container of sour cream that I see everytime I open the fridge and keep meaning to throw out.

In my house, there are grass stained shorts and dirty knees. There are shirts that still smell like baby spit up even though he stopped nursing 6 months ago. There are jeans with rips and faded shirts hanging next to sparkly tops and luxurious fabrics that haven't been worn in over 2 years. There are sneakers and flip flops in a pile on the floor for quick access and heels and boots collecting dust in the shoe rack.

In my house, there is a DVR filled with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, Word World, and Special Agent Oso. On that same DVR are episodes of TVs from May, and movies that will most likely never get watched and will be deleted to make room for aforementioned shows.

In my house, there are screaming fits and temper tantrums. There are pouty faces. There are moments that involved a locked bathroom door and sobbing for 10 minutes before collecting yourself and falling back into the mayhem. There are fights and bad words. There are slamming doors and red faces. There are unexpected bills and debt that lingers on that causes tension and frustration. Oh, there is frustration.

In my house, there is laughter. There are squeals of delight and the biggest smiles you can imagine. There are loving words and jokes. There are stories and babbling conversations. There are moments of blissful silence encased in gleeful yells. There are millions of "I love you's" and kisses and hugs. There are stolen cuddles and snuggles.

In my house, there is enormous love. There is a family full of love for each other. There is a family who embraces that they will never be perfect and the everyday struggle to stay sane. There is a family who knows that for every bad thing, there are 20 good things. There is a little boy with parents who worship him and never imagined loving someone so much. There are parents who met 12 years ago, and still are just as infatuated.

In my house there is a home. And there is nowhere I would rather be.