I don’t know why but I felt compelled to write this blog post. As a mum, I do put a lot of pressure on myself to keep on top of everything. Some days I’m impressed by how much I actually accomplish – on these particular days me and the kids will have played lots, I’d have managed to make myself a hot drink (and drink it!) and the house will be gleaming (for about 5 minutes) and I’ll be feeling like a multitasking queen but there are also other days when the kids are screaming, the pots are piled high up in the sink and there’s washing to be done yet I just can’t seem to find a spare moment to get any of it done.
You see, this would have used to really annoy me, I used to hate the house being untidy but it just doesn’t bother me anymore. For me, I realised that there are more important things to do. Like spend time with family and do the things we actually enjoy doing. Now, I do like to organise and clean, I am naturally quite a tidy person and our house is by no means dirty but sometimes it is messy. Our house is by no means a palace. It isn’t big, it isn’t decorated in grey and white and kept immaculately clean at all times like these houses you see on social media but despite being small, it’s cosy. It isn’t decorated in grey and white but it is decorated to our taste, no matter how much cleaning and tidying I do, our house will never be immaculate but that doesn’t matter to me because our house is something much more important. It’s a home.
Growing up, I’ve always been homely. I love being at home. My home is my safe place, my sanctuary and it’s where I love to be, surrounded by the people that I love the most. I can appreciate that these insta worthy houses that you see are appealing to the eye but none of that material stuff is really of any importance to me. All I’ve ever wanted for myself and my family is somewhere to call home and we’re lucky to have found that in the house we live in. I hope one day when my children are older they will look back on our home with fond memories and I hope they always come to think of this place as home, their home.
So, if you ever find yourself giving yourself a hard time over the house work that you haven’t quite had chance to do, or that bit of wallpapering that you know needs doing, don’t look at the beautifully furnished houses online and compare your home to theirs or wonder how they seem to be able to keep on top of everything while you are surrounded by never ending chores. You aren’t failing. You’re probably putting yourself or your family first instead of washing the dishes. Not that anyone should have to live in a filthy house or that I’m judging anybody that does have a beautifully decorated, perfectly spotless house, if that’s what makes them happy in life that’s absolutely what they should have but if you’re happy and your kids are happy then honestly what does it matter that you might need to mop the floors. If you ever feel like things are starting to get on top of you, just chuck on your coat, go for a walk, clear your head and then come back home. The house work will still be there when you get back but you’ll feel more up to doing it. The way I see it is that painting that picture or baking that cake together is so much more important than putting that pile of washing away, the house work can wait. When your children grow up, they won’t remember how clean your house was but they will remember all the fun things that you did together and a parent who always spent time with them. Our homes probably won’t be featured on any Mrs Hinch fan pages any time soon but that’s perfectly fine by me because I love my home, even the doggy nose prints on the window and that’s all that matters.
So, if you ever come to our house please be prepared for toys all over the floor, pet hair and paw prints. We are no means dirty or cluttered but we do have things on display, pots in the sink sometimes and clothes that need to be put away. But to us, it’s home.
Life as The Lonsdales 