I have to thank those readers that commented on the past few posts. I really do feel loved! Thank you Fern, Elliot, Jodie, and Christy! And a very special shout out goes to Michelle! I am so happy for you!!!!!!! (Don't know what I am talking about, read the comments for the previous post!!) I feel the love. Really I do.
So for the challenge:
Read Jodie's original challenge here. Then you can visit her post here.
My answer to her challenge:
Dirty dishes on the sink and counter. (there is a pot on the stove too, but you can't see that in the photo.) Why is there such a mess in my kitchen so early in the day? Well...
This is why. This is the dishwasher. Full to the gills with clean dishes. I just have to motivate myself to actually unload that dishwasher. I remember the days before we had the dishwasher. I know that I must have said "I hate all these dishes in the sink. If we had a dishwasher, that would never happen." Yep. I eat my words.
Madeline, not yet dressed (it was like 12pm) and sitting on her pile-o-books. Yep. She pulls most of her books off of the shelves and instead of cleaning them up 30 times a day, on the floor they stay. I think those books have been on the floor for at least three weeks. We just step around them to get her in her bed.
How I spend 90% of my day. I like to sit with my feet up and have Madeline bring me toys or books. That way I never have to get up. What you can't see is the glass of Chardonnay in my left hand and the bon bons resting on my post baby belly. Oh, and those dishes putting themselves away. (Think Sleeping Beauty!)
Madeline's bed head. Normally when people talk about bed head it is b/c they wake up with crazy hair and then they do something about it. I have to admit that I rarely do anything about her hair. So really this should just be called Madeline's everyday wild and crazy hair.
The dining room table. You can see my camera bag (camcorder not SLR), sewing kit, trash, craft projects in progress, hole punches, internetless laptop, target bag and books for the classes I am teaching this semester. Plus at least 10 more pounds of junk. And you can still see some of the table cloth. It looks pretty clean really.
Olive, laying on my clean clothes. She couldn't have chosen a spot on my white clothes. No, she is directly on top of my navy tee. She sure knows how to pick 'em.
Just some of the books that I had in my possession from the Saint Louis County Library. They were only a few days overdue and I returned them yesterday. Not so bad really.I think overall this is a pretty accurate portrayal of my life right now. A year ago would have been a totally different story. With a 3 month old I was operating on empty. But even 15 months later, unlike Jodie, I am not brave enough to display my post baby belly. But I think the point of this is to show that life is perfect with all its imperfections. I know that as a stay at home mom I feel like I should be super mom. The house should be immaculate and dinner on the table every night at 5:30p.
Reality is that some days I am just too overwhelmed to do anything but the most basic functions. (You know, feeding, clothing, making sure we don't stink or eat cat food.) I know that life for me is fairly simple. I have only Madeline to contend with. I read about Jodie with her three under three and Fern with her four high energy kiddos and I wonder how they do it.
Reality is that some days I am just too overwhelmed to do anything but the most basic functions. (You know, feeding, clothing, making sure we don't stink or eat cat food.) I know that life for me is fairly simple. I have only Madeline to contend with. I read about Jodie with her three under three and Fern with her four high energy kiddos and I wonder how they do it.
Sorry this post has gotten so long. I promise more tomorrow or Thursday... and they will be shorter!
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6 comments:
LOVE LOVE LOVE the photo of you on the couch! Can I come over and lay down too? I need a good hour of that! Thanks for taking the challenge... it's not fun but it can be so freeing! We should all air our dirty laundry more often!
Yeah for you taking the challenge. Its nice to know that I am not alone with my endless amount of dishes in the sink or Kenley's wild crazy hair staying like that most of the time!! Thanks for sharing.
Yay! You really stepped up to the plate. You showed your dirty dishes! But don't worry, my house looks worse than yours. I love the couch photo too & the digital camera books picture. That cracked me up. I'm working on my pics. today. sigh. I guess I'll do this.
As you know, your grandma is a neat freak... no, make that NEAT FREAK. She never entered my home without a sweeping glance that took in the toys, piles of laundry, stacks of dishes, mountains of mail and other reading materials and I could SEE it in her eyes... I was a bad mother. Then one day, she called & asked what I was doing. I told her I was putting puzzles together with the kids. She said "You know, whenever I call you, you're doing something with your kids. You're house is a mess, but your kids are happy. It's good you spend so much time with them."
I nearly fainted.
But to all you moms out there with your cluttered houses let me say this: Your children will not remember or appreciate that the house was clean. They'll remember and appreciate the time you spend with them. Thanks for taking the challenge, getting real, and sharing it with the world. Embrace the freedom!
It was hard to post, but fun to let it all hang out. I have read your blog from time to time. I am adding you to my Blogs I read list.
My house often looks like that and I don't have kids... what does that say about me? ;) I blame it on the puppy... :)
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