What I See Washing Up

Leila is hosting a Kitchen Sink Party. She writes:

Well, I'll tell you. Over the years I've noticed that many women do get the idea that they would like to stay home and take care of their family. They feel torn away when they leave home, as if a part of them gets left behind -- and that feeling is far stronger for them than the feeling they have when they leave the outside world and feel a little torn about that. I think most people understand that you can't have everything, and they make a choice.

But many of these same women do go just a teensy bit insane (and I say this because I was sort of this way myself, although I had no outside life I cared anything about at all) when they stay home.

And part of that insanity is that it is truly difficult to live somewhere that's probably far from anyone you know or are related to, have no friends who are willing to do what you are doing, and spend all your time with small children when you don't feel very well to start with. I understand all that, believe me!

Part of it, though, has to do with not understanding or not being willing to commit yourself to the little tasks that make up this life.

I think she's spot-on. Mothering at home, making a home is all about commiting to the little things. When I say "I love my kitchen," I mean I love all the things my kitchen means for me and for my family. I love the time we spend there cooking together. I love the quiet moments in the early morning when it is all mine and I bring it to life for the day. I love the sense of satisfaction I get when everything is buttoned up at night and I put it to sleep. It is physically in the center of my house (something I really don't love), but it's also the emotional center of our home. During the day, the kitchen is the hub.

My kitchen sink overlooks the sunroom where we do most of our "schooling." Beyond the sunroom is a big backyard.  I use the ledge above the sink to store art supplies--crayons, paints, pencils. It is an ever-chaning landscape because those jars are constantly in motion. Someone is using something every waking hour. There are four tiny bud vases. From April until November, Karoline keeps them filled with roses from our garden. Now, we've filled them with holly and evergreen. 

I notice how badly we need to re-caulk...hmmm...

One more shot:

And now, I'm off to wake my kitchen.

Happy Saturday! Visit Leila for a Kitchen Sink Party.