Cleaning and the SAHM

I got up this morning to these messes:

*peanut butter, electric griddle, cordless phone, butter, unopened can of cream of chicken soup, paper towels and a dirty spoon on the island
*one sink full of dirty dishes (the dishwasher was used twice after 6pm)
*dirty pans on the stove
*Olivia's robe in the chair
*10 or so fruit snack wrappers on the desks
*3 blankets and 4 pillows in the living room floor
*mop bucket full of water with mop still in it on the counter
*various kitchen utensils and cookware from the cabinet plus one potato in the floor
*3 jackets and 10+ shoes in the den floor
*cereal on counters
*toys scattered from one end to the other
*game controllers on furniture and end tables
*random articles of clothes in the hall, on the couch, and in the living room floor
*hampers of clean clothes in den that need to be folded.
*numerous books scattered about

How this happened:
The kitchen was caught completely up at one point yesterday and we ate at 5:30 pm, so Olivia was in charge of loading the dishwasher after supper. She decided to do a crummy job and only filled it to half capacity at which point her father told her she'd have to wash the rest by hand. This was a crime in her opinion and after much crying, and fit-throwing she convinced us that she would reload them when they were through. Since we were caught up with bathing babies and various other tasks, we allowed her to have her way which we would regret later on because she threw another fit about doing the dishes the second time around. I could have easily done them and been over it in 20 minutes but the point was teaching her to finish a job completely. It wasn't even a terrible dish night. Like I said everything was caught up prior to dinner. Well, it was about 8:30 pm when she finished loading and her father was going to bed because he had to open the restaurant and I was parked on the couch giving Noah a bottle and catching up on internet stuff in between. She loaded the dishes alright but neglected the pans and other odds and ends. She got away with it too and it ticks me off. I just don't have the energy to fight after 8 pm.

As for the mop bucket, my husband got bathroom duty yesterday and did a great job of mopping it but apparently couldn't be bothered emptying the bucket. I discovered it in the bathroom at about 10pm and moved it out of reach of the kids. I couldn't empty it because the sink was full and I wasn't about to haul it back into the bathroom. Like I said, I am done for after 8.

The kids had pulled out the pots and pans and potato while I cooked dinner because they like to be at my feet and pretend they are helping. That's why we bought them a play kitchen for Christmas which is really just something they like to tear apart and then push the buttons.

The blankets in the living room come from everyone in my family preferring to sleep in the living room rather than their beds. This is a battle I have fought over and over and just can't win.

Clothes, books, shoes, jackets just fall where they land and stay there.

The hampers are out because I got way behind in the laundry when everyone was sick and haven't had a chance to fold it yet. I hate it but it takes me 2 hours every day just to catch up on the stuff that should have been done the night before!

How is this even fair and why does my family think it's ok to leave me a mess like this? I have a cold, am 28 weeks pregnant AND I having a serious foot issue right now. I am just amazed that they would leave me in this situation with two babies to care for all day. I should have been bossier yesterday, I should have done more to prevent this, I should have just done it all myself because from where I sit, it's gonna be a truly grueling day just to break even.

I wish I had a job! No boss would ever expect this much work out of me. I know that I haven't been pulling my weight as much as I should lately and my children and husband go to school and work and try hard to be helpful, so I really try not to be onto them constantly but if they would just complete the tasks they start even if it is only one thing, then it would be so much better for me. *sigh*

I am truly thankful for all that the Lord has given me and to have a home to clean but the practical side of me says: enough already! Time to make another chore list.