Friday, March 2, 2012

Keeping It Real.

Most times, when I post a picture here or on facebook, before clicking the "post" button, I scrutinize the picture very carefully.

What's in the background?
Can you see the dingy part on our walls? 
Does it show how messy my house is?
Am I in the background, asleep, with my mouth open?

All these things are very possible to see in the pictures I post.

After taking this photo, I decided to post it here, even though it indeed shows just how we live. Not every day. But, often. Because I have 4 children. And, I'm not Martha Stewart.

1:  That is a french fry because I did not prepare a nutritious, home-cooked meal for my 5 yr. old. And, yes, he is holding it above his head because he is the "French Fry Liberty". Also, if you would note that he is wearing shorts (always) and his t-shirt is at least one size too small. Also usual for this child.

2:  That is a pile of laundry he is standing on. Clean laundry I will add. And, yes, it has spread to cover most of the couch as I had not folded it yet. Yet.  I did do it later. I swear.

3:  Those are our living room curtains. And, no matter how many times a day I fix them, they always end up cattywampus and sloppy looking. And, the curtain rod itself has been know to fall down because of the extra weight of a 50lb child hanging off of them. (Hint:  he is included in the picture)

4:  That is the broom that sat there for most of the day. At one point, I attempted to use it to sweep (well, duh!) up the endless supply of crumbs and whatnots that end up scattered here and there and everywhere. I set it there to go do some mindless chore that I can't even remember,(I'm going out on a limb and say I was taking clothes out of the dryer) and forgot about it. So, it sat there, unused, for a big portion of the day.

5:  This is what the picture doesn't show. The other stuff strung throughout the house. The toys, shoes and other odds and ends. Played with then dropped. Forgotten until dinner time, when cleaning up is the price you pay to be fed.
It also doesn't show the puzzle my 7 year old put together all by himself and left sitting on the floor because of how he likes to look at them. And, I promised  NOT to put it away because it is quite the accomplishment.
It doesn't show the feelings I get when I look at it all. I won't get all mushy and say something like "I love my family and all the things they do". Because that's not keeping it real. There are days, more often than not, that I get frustrated with the mess and chaos. But, honestly, I do, (cross my heart) sometimes think that someday, someday in the not so distant future, all these things will be gone. The toys, the piles of laundry, the muddy footprints. And, I think, while there will be days that I will enjoy the neatness and the solitude, I will also miss the time when "French Fry Liberty" was the highlight of my day.

6 comments:

  1. Awesome photo! You're a busy mom with four kids so you're house looks perfect!

    I remember as a kid we always forgot and left the downstairs bathroom door open when we were taking Christmas photos and video. So, yes, every photo shows our toilet paper. We still laugh about that.

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  2. As funny as this post started out, I wasn't expecting the tear jerker at the end. It's so true, we will miss these days but it doesn't mean it's easy! LOL. My house looks very similar except my laundry is piled in our hallway, clean waiting to be folded.

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  3. French Fry Liberty. Too cute!

    Our girls always wore their favorite clothes until they were much too small. One of Hopper's favorites was a size 4 red t-shirt with Snoopy dancing on the front of it. It was a large 4, and she was very small, so it fit her just right when we bought it when she was almost 7. I finally had to hide it when she was about 10, because she couldn't seem to get enough of it and would still try to put it on. Her arms would get stuck straight above her head it was so tight, but if she actually managed to get it over her head, it looked like a halter top.

    And your house looks like a house with life in it. Life gets messy. :)

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  4. I love this. The photo, the story behind it, the honesty.

    And I don't know if this will make you feel better or worse, but my kids are now 18 and 24 and the house is still a mess.

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  5. My house is a mess as well. It is because, um, we LIVE here. And honestly, I have three days off this week...

    it can wait. Right now, I just need a nap. :)

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  6. Hello! It's me again. (yes I finally did get some sleep) I searched and searched for the paint color in our sun room. I finally went to the hardware store and they said, "Um Juli, the color name is on the BOTTOM of the can."

    I'm telling ya, sometimes the blonde just leaches into my brain....

    Anyways.... the color is Benjamin Moore, Shaker Gray (#1594) It is a dark color, so you may want to go a shade lighter if you don't have a lot of natural light. (I have 6 windows in that room all with a southern exposure)

    Happy Painting!

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