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.