"Perfect House" Reality

     To follow-up on my blog post from yesterday about the two questions that have been frequently asked of me since we moved into our new home, we're going to move onto the second question.

1. Is it really possible to raise children in a home with your decorating style?

2. How do you manage to keep it so nice and organized?

     I want to clarify that our home is not a museum, nor is it the subject matter of an interior decorating magazine; it is simply a house where we reside with our 3 young children. Our home is never in perfect pristine condition. Ever!...BUT we live here which, from a mom's stand point, means we play here, we paint here, we get boo-boos here, we spill here, we chase the dog here, we laugh here, we cry here, we make mistakes here, we learn here, and we grow here. The pictures I have already posted, like the one above, and the pictures that have yet to come are quick snapshots of our life. Of course they're edited. What you don't see in that moment is the amount of crap I had to move out of the way in order to capture that perfect shot, like the one below. Shh...don't reveal my secrets!

     For those that know me, I am a very neat and organized person. My husband would probably beg to differ as we have completely different organizational styles but either way, I try my best to instill these same qualities in our children but the reality is, there's always a mess, somewhere, just waiting to be discovered...by me. Everyone else in this family seems to be oblivious to messes. There is almost always a window displaying finger smudges, a sink containing dried up clumps of toothpaste, a laundry basket filled with dirty laundry and another one with clean laundry just waiting to be put away. It's a vicious cycle, trying to keep a house clean with young children under toe. No sooner have I scrubbed something clean than it's in need of yet another scrub...

     To remain somewhat in control of the never-ending housework and ever-growing piles of laundry, I have created a set cleaning schedule for myself that at least helps the household run a bit smoother throughout the week. Having more storage space helps tremendously as well, everything having a place, but we also do a huge de-clutter, as a family, in the spring and again in the fall, prior to the holidays, to prevent unnecessary accumulation and to make room for...that's right...more clutter.

     Someday, however, much sooner than I like, the kids will all be grown, the smudges gone, the toothpaste contained, and the piles of laundry will be more like hills than mountains. So as frustrating and overwhelming as a messy house can sometimes be, I try to remember that this is the reality and "chaotic beauty" to raising a family. The house may not always appear perfect to an outsider, but it's always perfect to me ❤