Other commercials depict the prim and proper soccer moms with hands on hips shaking their heads at the group of grass-stained kids or the dog tracking mud onto the stark, white carpet. Are they kidding? I would turn into crazy, scary mom with eyes bulging and hair askew. I would yell at the kids or kick at the dog to get him out the door. Then I would fall into a blubbering mess whispering, "Why doesn't anyone listen? Doesn't anyone care about me?"
I've decided to break down the stereo-type. We stay-at-home moms aren't perfect or even half that most of the time. We are normal people who get overwhelmed and who just want peace in our homes. I want to stop the mad dash to try to make my house look presentable when the doorbell rings. Who cares if the UPS guy sees the pile of laundry on my couch. Is he going to think I am a bad person because I still have my jammies on at noon? Maybe. But I think it's because we as women have perpetuated the mad cycle of comparisons. It's time we let our true living situations shine through. We need to give each other the grace to be messy in the midst of our child-rearing.
I will start. I am ripping off the band-aid. Here are pictures of my house. these have not been altered. There has been no pre-cleaning to make my mess more acceptable. I want you all to see the realness and beauty (hmmmm)of my life.
Ready... Please don't judge me... I really love a clean organized home... forget it... here it goes...
Not too bad, right? Just some homeschool stuff.
This is my desk. This is my junk.
This is the sunroom/mudroom. It is always like this. It is a catch-all.
The guest bathroom. It is ready for someone to be grossed out in. And yes, there are probably underwear in there somewhere.
This might be just a little shameful. Yep, it's a lot shameful. Not because it is there but because it has been there for a week.
Here is the livingroom. We do most of our living here. It's always a mess. If you came in for the close-up you would see lots of particles on the carpet. Who can vacuum with all of that laundry there?
Antique shelf with pretties and a bunch of Wii paraphernalia. Nice.
Oh the joy of a flat surface near the primary exit. Just dump your things here. They will stay there FOREVER!
But you know what? I will not look back when my babies are grown and say, "I just didn't spend enough time with them." No way. I sit on the floor with my baby and play all day! We all do. We go outside. We ride bikes. We cook. And sometimes, we clean. I do love those days when it all comes together and my house looks like a dream. But they are few and it's okay. I would much rather be caught up in this...
Just check out the fangs. I love it!
I hope you have been encouraged and I hope some of you can let go a little. I hope some of you are like me. But even if you are not I pray that you are encouraged in the areas that you struggle. If you are one of those who don't struggle, please come to my house. I have a few problems we can work on together!
