Is A Clean House Overrated?

I really hate to clean.  I can think of about a thousand other things I would like to do.  Like pulling out my eyelashes one by one.

Ok, maybe cleaning isn’t that bad.  Besides, my husband, Doug, is a clean freak.  He tends to keep our house in order.

Last week, I was talking to my Artist Sister, and I could tell she was really stressed out.  She has this showing coming up at the university where she works.   She said to me, “I really need to get painting.  I’m just not going to be able to clean the house this week!”

My response?  “Don’t worry about cleaning the house.  Have your husband do it.”

She started laughing over the phone.

Most guys don’t like to clean.  But not Doug.

As I was talking to her on the phone, I started coughing from the fumes.  Doug was cleaning the kitchen again.  He is obsessed with this all-purpose kitchen cleaner, and I keep saying to him, “Your going to kill us with all these chemicals!”  I even went out and bought the echo-friendly kitchen cleaner (the kind that's not supposed to kill you) but it still makes my nose burn.

I know.  I know.  I shouldn’t complain.  I should be thankful that he has such high standards.

You’re never going to convince me that “cleanliness is next to godliness” but I’m the first to admit it’s pretty nice to live in a clean house. 

What do you think, is a clean house overrated? 

Maybe the key is to have someone else do the cleaning.  Have a good weekend!

Stay-At-Home Dads And Summer Bird Watching

What do stay-at-home dads and mourning doves have in common?

Lots.

First, let me set the stage.  My husband, Doug, had the responsibility burden privilege of staying home with our 3 kids this summer.  Let’s just say that they drove him a little bit crazy, and unlike me he was more than happy to see them back to school this week.

Needless to say, some days he felt like he was chasing his tail around – between swimming, play dates, and carpool – and at the end of the day he would ask himself what he had really accomplished.  It’s easy for any stay-at-home parent to think, Why am I at home with these kids all day when I could be out there doing something more productive?

Of course, I always tell Doug that I appreciate his sacrifice, but sometimes he doesn’t seem to hear me.  This is where the mourning doves come in.

This summer, a mother dove built a nest above our patio.  Given that our semi-urban yard is the size of our garage, we’re not talking about a large space to begin with.  But doves don’t care about size.  She found a perfect spot for nesting her eggs.

We all stood by and watched.

It seemed as if this mother never left the nest.  Morning, noon, and night she could be seen sitting on her eggs.  Then, one day, I discovered her secret.

I was sitting on the patio when another mourning dove flew in and landed next to the nest.  Neither dove moved for 5 minutes.  Then, I watched the amazing “switch.”  As one dove flew from the nest, the other simultaneously replaced her.  Did she have a clone?  A twin?  A sister?

Not exactly.  It was Daddy Dove. 

After doing some trusty online research, I learned that the father dove and mother dove take turns incubating the eggs.  In fact, it’s not unusual for the father to guard the nest during the day so the mother can go out and get food.  (And, yes, when she gets home at night she takes over full responsibility for the nest!)

This sounded quite familiar.  So I said to Doug, “See, honey, we’re in touch with nature.” 

I love it when God provides unexpected lessons from nature.  I think He decided to send us the mourning doves to show us we really can’t put our lives in a box.  To our surprise, Daddy Dove was handling daytime duty just fine!

Did you learn any unexpected lessons from nature this summer?