REAL Life

This morning I read an article about what a real house looks like when the kids are home all day. It started off that we all have that one friend that says their house is a mess when it's not. Their house is perfect. It's clean, the dishes are done, their is NOT laundry everywhere (it's probably folded and put in drawers.....insanity I tell you), dinner is cooking, breakfast is cleaned up by lunch time, their dog doesn't shed or make a mess, you know......perfect.

Well, that friend is NOT me. I am messy, my kids are messy and my husband is messy. We have tried and tried AND TRIED the organized got it together, and have clean house, and clean children routine, but that's just not us. We call ourselves the Crazy Criswell's for goodness sake.

Any way back to the article (I have tried to locate it and can't.) The next thing they did was list all the things that happen in REAL life when the kids are home and making a huge mess. I am taking it one step further. I took pictures....gasp.....pictures of some of the mess that is happening right now in my house.

 Yep this is real, those stains on the carpet that I have scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed some more are NOT coming out. That laundry basket has been in the living room for 3 days....The play mat in the back is COVERED in kinetic sand. This is my life.

This is my dining room/school room, there is stuff every where!!! And guess what? I am having a birthday dinner at this very table in 3 days...when will I clean you ask?....probably about 20 minutes before people arrive.

My kitchen, the 5 year old is playing in the water and "washing" the dishes. Everything from breakfast is still out because we woke up, ate breakfast and got started on school.....I will clean this up before dinner....right before dinner.

We as moms constantly compare ourselves to others. We are always wondering if what we are doing is enough. We are thinking that if we could just get organized life would be easier. If we were better at decorating then our family would be happier, the kids wouldn't fight and they would be well behaved. None of that is true. I have had friends tell me that their house is too clean, that they spend too much time worrying about the appearance and they miss out on the fun. And guess what? Their kids still misbehave and argue.

Want to know something else? If someone is your friend, they will come sit in your mess with you, they won't care if you haven't vacuumed that day, they won't care if dishes are in the sink. They won't care if your kids shoes aren't put in the shoe cabinet that you purchased to help 'organize' the shoes. Do you know what they will care about? That you opened your home to them, mess and all and invited them into your crazy life.