The Table

I like neatness.  I like things to be simple and clean.  I like a dining room table that's always ready for family dining without having to be cleared off first.  But this is what I have:

And you know what?  I'm OK with it.  When my table looks like this (which is most of the time), it means that the kids are doing creative, useful things and that they want to do those things near me while I'm in the kitchen or my office off the kitchen.  They don't want to be downstairs where there's a nice table set up for just these sorts of projects.  They want to be by me so they can show me things and ask me things.  And it's precious to be needed and to be part of their little world - even if it means a few extra minutes to clear off the table before dinner.

For a really great post about clean homes, check out this post from a blog listed on the Power of Moms "Best of the Blogs."