When you have a new baby, cleaning the house is a logistical question—can I do this with one hand? Can I do this with her in a carrier? Will she stay happy in her swing for 10 minutes? But when you have a toddler, it’s a race.

As I’m washing dishes, my 15-month-old shakes her sippy cup of water splashing it all over. I clean it up with a paper towel.

I attempt to wash dishes, but she starts to climb into the dishwasher, reaching for the silverware. There are knives in there.

I get her down, and she grabs a paper towel. It’s interesting enough to keep her in one spot and it doesn’t look like it will hurt her, so, I’m letting that be. I finish putting away the dishes, but she’s now shredded the paper towel all over the floor.

Hmmm, was that progress?

I clean up the paper towel, while she unloads all of the toys from the storage bin. I realize, the question is—am I cleaning faster than she’s making a new mess?

Then, while I (try to) wash bottles, she races toward the staircase to climb it. I catch her as she’s about four stairs up.

Back upstairs, as I’m about to clean the counters, she makes a hungry sound. I give her some peas and carrots in an orange plastic bowl. I already stuck her high chair in the closet, so I put her bowl on the floor. I clean the counters, look up, and of course the peas and carrots are all over the floor.

I’ve been cleaning all morning, am I making progress?

Then, our dog, Bigfoot, enters the room. He eats the peas and carrots. Good dog!!

I grab a baby carrier, put the mess-maker in there and quickly vacuum and mop about ¼ of the floor. Ha! I’m declaring it clean. Yay.

The moral? Clean fast. Have a dog that eats veggies. Pray he doesn’t get sick from them. Ugh.. or just give up on cleaning for a few years.

If you enjoyed this article and want to see more from Mama Lovejoy, you can automatically receive articles in your Facebook newsfeed by “liking” the Mama Lovejoy Facebook page.