Think you’re the only person who ends up with most of your food on your shirt? Think again! During my 12 years in research and development for Clorox and past few years as resident laundry and stain expert “Dr. Laundry,” I’ve seen thousands of questions about treating mustard stains, removing gum from fabric, intentionally removing color from clothing and perhaps the most common – treating underarm yellowing! Not only have I learned how to treat these stains in my professional life, but I’ve had plenty of personal experience with them as a mother.

When I see those sweet movies of adorable kids in footie pajamas happily getting ready for bed and then nestled in their mom’s arms as they read a bedtime story together, I’m in awe.

And envious.

Because in my household, while we do have those wonderful moments of cuddling over a book, they are often preceded by a seemingly requisite struggle over teeth brushing, pajama wearing or a general need to convince Max that blowing bubbles or hiding my mail under the refrigerator does not qualify as appropriate pre-bedtime activity. You see, Max is a preschooler.

I used to think that our household couldn’t run without me.   It’s not ego.  OK, it’s ego.  And maybe some control issues.  But I mean who else knows best when it’s show and tell day, when it’s our turn to carpool to soccer or when it’s Crazy Hat day?

But I recently had some minor surgery, which left me stuck in bed for a couple weeks.  In this time when I was forced to let go of the housework, I had an ego-bruising, but happy epiphany: the Household can run without me.