Friday, April 13, 2012

Today, In My Home







"I love your blog so much.  It really encourages me and makes me excited to be a mother."

My sister, Esther, is leaning on the counter top while I unload the dishwasher.

"...but then I come over here and it's really overwhelming and not always so pretty and I can see how hard it is."


Anyone who blogs will tell you that there are things left unmentioned.  I started this blog trying to see the good and filter all of life through a lens of grace.  That means that I look beyond the things that are hard.  Some of the daily struggles I choose not to dwell on in this space.


Anyone who takes photographs will tell you some things are cropped.  Or that you clear a small space to take a nice picture, even while a mountain of laundry sits just out of frame.  All those photos on pinterest? Real, but fake.  All a matter of perspective.

Writing is an art form.  There is no right or wrong way to do it, to express a thought or feeling.  Some bloggers prefer the brutally honest, tell-it-like-it-is format.  Others ignore real life completely.  I like a balance of both.  I hope that I can write hopeful, happy posts without giving out the assumption that all is perfect.  Occasionally I feel the need to let everyone who reads this know that things around here are a big mess.

So, how's about a sneak peek into my home today?

Today, in my home, my kids are eating tortilla chips for breakfast.  It's after 10 am and I'm sipping cold coffee in a pair of my husband's pajama pants.  My oldest is still asleep, my baby down for the first nap of the day in my messy bedroom.  I really need to clean the bathrooms today.  My daughter stepped on a rusty nail last night in the garden and is laid up on the couch, watching Thumbelina.  My toddler is refusing to wear pants today and I'm refusing to argue.

Today I have a knitting custom to finish, just an inch or so left, but it's sitting under a stack of paperwork I need to get to and (most likely) won't.  I have made plans to run away to a friend's house this afternoon, preferring talking the afternoon away to facing reality today.

There are dishes in the sink from last night's dinner and the floors are a mess of crumbs.  I have a new book on my kindle and would like nothing better than to curl up with it and ignore everything else.  I have 2 writing deadlines staring me down.

Fiona is bouncing on the trampoline in the living room.  Jonah just smeared his filthy fingers down the dining room window.  These pajama pants are really just too comfortable for me to care.  Just 5 more minutes before I get moving, please?

Some days, you just have to tell it and live it like it is.  Imperfect, messy and possibly even cringe-worthy.  Ah, life.  It's beautiful, no?


10 comments:

  1. I often get comments from friends about my blog and how my life is so perfect. I think you have just given me a great idea to post my real life as well. Isn't the mess of life just one we all know too well? I like to document the good and think upon those things - I see enough real life in my everyday!! lol! Thank you for your well written words...

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  2. Thanks Lydia. It is deeply comforting to see how much your house looks like.... mine. And I have one child, not four. Yikes. I love your blog too- and especially this post! p.s. I am always amused to see the difference between pictures I take with my home in the background, and pictures my husband takes. Guess which ones are WAAAAAY more flattering?

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  3. Thank you for writing this. It sounds like life in my house as well (5 kids under 7 here!) I love that you write your blog to help yourself see the grace in your life - I've noticed that writing tends to help me see God's hand in our home as think through events and write about them as well.

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  4. That was great. Thanks for sharing. I'm pregnant with #4 and behind in everything so it was fun having that sneak peak at your house :)

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  5. It is so nice seeing that I am not the only one! :) This was fun seeing a peek into your morning! Some days, I sit in my comfy, big, pj pants and lounge with the kids all day! It feel so good!! :)

    Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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  6. So true!! I pray your day was blessed!

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  7. This one made me smile and breath a little smile (of relief). Good reminder that we're not alone in our mess. Thanks for a shot of real in the blog world...(with pictures even! lol)

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  8. Thanks ladies! I just want everyone to know that, although I love beautiful photos and focusing on the big picture, there's lots of mess and mayhem here, too. God bless!

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  9. I really love this. I try to so hard to focus on the positive and highlight the good things, but sometimes it's such a release to just embrace the chaos and let it be. I do love the pic of Jay washing the dishes.

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