Keepin' It Real

A blog I follow did a post yesterday about the feeling of inadequacy that seems to go along with motherhood sometimes. You look around and see all these other moms strolling their clean, dolled up babies in the most beautiful stroller imaginable. They somehow have their hair done, teeth brushed, house clean, and no bags under their eyes. And then it hits you that somehow?... you must be doing something wrong. Because your house is a wreck, you forgot to shower yesterday, and you can't remember the last time you got more than 3 hours of sleep. All those moms are lucky. Their babies are sleeping through the night. Their toddlers are angels. Their cars are immaculate. Their husband is home by 5pm every evening, so they get a nice break while hubby does the bath routine. They have plenty of extra time to get things done during the day.

Or do they? Are they being totally truthful? Or are they just putting on an act? Are they secretly exhausted? Maybe in order to save themselves from another onslaught of unsolicited advice, they just lie. I'd never even considered that option!
Of course, I don't think ALL moms who "have it together" are lying. Of course not. But the reality is that no one is perfect. And to play the comparison game and putting on an act to make yourself feel better is just a waste of time and energy.

My friend Jess went the extra step and showed us what real motherhood looks like. How a mom of 4 kids (2 being babies) actually lives.

And then I thought how fun it would be if there was some huge mommy-blog movement. Kind of like a party. Where all the moms peeled back the curtains and were honest as to how they really lived. What part of life they tend to struggle with. Because really? Nobody has it all together. It's not humanly possible. Somewhere, something is having to be compromised. Whether it's toys all over the living room or contemplating being a SAHM vs a Working Mom vs a Work from Home Mom. Whether it's a rough patch in a marriage or worrying about your kid not talking/crawling/walking/eating with a spoon/getting teeth/being shy/not sleeping/etc... there's always going to be something that keeps you from feeling like you "have it all together". And I think we just have to choose what's worth focusing on and what we're willing to let slide. And those choices are different for everyone. For me, it's choosing to run instead of vaccuum every day. Or working on "pretend play" and speech with Noah instead of blogging again.

And to tag along with Brittany and Jessica, here's what my house looked like yesterday.
I should probably note that it's not always this bad. But for the sake of "keeping it real"...

Every day, without fail, Noah throws all of the cushions on the floor.
Here he is, lounging around, completely oblivious to the chaos.

Random toys are strewn throughout the house. At the end of the day, I try to tidy up and at least create some room to walk. But to be honest, it doesn't always happen. Sometimes all I want to do shut my bedroom door, climb in bed, and pretend it's not there.

We've been purging some, trying to redo our office/guest room.
Here's our trash/donation pile, complete with a couple of dirty (fyi, not stinky) diapers.

I'm embarrassed to say that our Christmas garland is still up.
The tripod has yet to find a permanent home.
Whoops... there's another diaper. Hey, it was raining.
I hate sloshing through mud to go to the dumpster outside.

Hence, why the recycling is still by the door...



Remember the spot where our pretty Christmas tree was?
Yeah. Well now it's being occupied by a tent.

I think you've seen enough.
However, if I were going to play the "my house is perfect!" game?
I'd probably take a picture in this room. Because as of yesterday, it was the only one worth showing.

But don't worry. By 10 o'clock last night, cushions were back on the couch, diapers were thrown away, (most toys) put in bins, and items were donated this morning. However, the tent and garland still remain.




(no original source found)

And this concludes our tour of Casa de Kemper... keepin' it real style.