Why I cannot keep a clean house

On what seemed like the first nice Saturday since the car was invented, my guys broke in their new soccer (for the rest of the world football) gear. One guy is proudly sporting bright turquoise and grey cleats, orange and black shin guards and yellow and grey-black goalie gloves. I hope he ends up on a team that wears red jerseys, just to complete the color scheme.

The grass in our yard is still soggy so after an hour of playing with both soccer and rugby balls they came in pretty muddy. They offered to take showers to wash off the mud. I thought it was a great idea.

Meanwhile little Miss I'm-almost-three-years-old was running around the house in a pink leotard a family friend had just given her. She was "cooking" in the kitchen. As I ran upstairs to start the shower I asked her not to use real water.

So where is my husband on this beautiful Saturday afternoon? Playing rugby. The first sign of spring is also the beginning of many, many weekends in which I become a single parent. As if being alone with the kids nearly every night isn't enough.

My husband is also a neat freak. He's had to lower his standards, or nearly abandon them, during his years of marriage with me. I would rather be with the kids than clean the toilet. If the clothes are washed do they really need to be put away?

Needless to say he comes home late at night or after the matches/drink-ups to find dishes in the sink, clothes on the floor and general mayhem. However, everyone is asleep in their beds, properly fed and happy from a full day of motherly love and joy (or something close to that).

So I run upstairs to help the boys start their shower and stay up there for about 10 minutes. When I come down, my daughter is kneeling on a stool in just her underwear. Her soaking wet leotard is on the breakfast bar with fresh ink stains on it. There is a large plastic bowl full of water, vegetable oil and pink yogurt. Aside from the water she had to actively seek out the other ingredients. Remnants of her cooking can be found everywhere.

Of course I cleaned it up. But will I get credit from Mr. Neat Freak? No, because I'm still ignoring the laundry.