The Bare Minimum

Since the birth of Lily, we have been in a quest for finding the "bare minimum" necessary to keep things going around here. At first it was really minimal-- something to the tune of "keep everyone clothed, fed, and alive." There were days when even those did not get accomplished (clothed and fed... not the alive part, except for my poor houseplants, may they rest in peace). These days we've been able to up the ante just a little bit. I actually got complimented by Ben yesterday for keeping the house pretty clean the last few weeks (Really? Clearly he has not been closely examining the bathroom).

At this particular moment I feel pretty good about the state of the home when:

• I get myself and Zosia dressed before Lily wakes up
• I vacuum the living/dining room in the morning (so I don't feel guilty plopping Lily on our doghair covered floor)-- and this is a good one, because it forces me to pick up the masses of toys that have accumulated on the floor
  
• I unload/load and run the dishwasher in the morning
• I make our bed
• I make dinner before Ben gets home
• I clean up after dinner immediately after dinner/as I go
  

That's about it. While it may not seem like a lot, it sort of keeps the house running. Notice that many things, like laundry, cleaning the kids rooms, etc. are not on my list. This is not an oversight.

I have found that if I get the above things done, I'm generally done with home stuff when the kiddos go to bed and the house is in reasonable order. So on a day like yesterday, when I came back out into the living room after feeding Lily and putting her down, Ben had lit a few candles and it looked amazing. And I could just sit down and be present to him and feel decent about are humble abode. Ahh.

What are your bare minimums?