Behind the scenes – Don’t let comparison steal your joy.
Recently I saw some blog posts from some absolutely gorgeous bloggers (not naming names) showing off parts of their houses that I would never dream of showing you in full of my house. There were kitchens, laundry’s, the insides of their FRIDGES FFS!! They were so embarrassed to show them, as in “please forgive my beautiful mess” but guess what??
They were perfect. No mess in sight. Well, nothing that I would call mess. You could hear me fake gagging as I read the posts, rolling my eyes and thinking
Bitch, Puh-LEASE!!
Now I could feel bad and beat myself up that my house doesn’t look like theirs. I could feel guilty that I am not the perfect housewife and feel ashamed that I really don’t enjoy doing housework.
But I wont.
I am OK with how I am.
I am OK with our dishevelled, yet homey home.
I KNOW I suck at being a housewife but I am a brilliant Mum (most of the time when I am not losing my shizz) and a pretty good wife (could put out more on the home front I believe Mr Point Five would say for a promotion to awesome wife status)
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Here are some photos of my house – how I would (and have) present them to you on the blog for a post and how it really is.
On the left is our bathroom – there are toothpaste flecks ALL over the mirror and stuck to the sink.
On the right is a carefully positioned photo I put on the blog a few months back about the toothbrush holder Mr Point Five made for the boys. Bit different huh??
I could have posted this picture of the beautiful flowers in my house at the moment ….yadda yadda puke puke.
But THIS is where they really are at home – on the chaos which is our Kitchen bench at the moment.
Lets play spot the flowers shall we???
On the left is a lovely picture my girlfriend gave me when we left our last town and some lavender that Master J gave me from his daycare garden. 1,2,3 awwwww.
Reality is on the right – a sink full of yesterdays dishes waiting for me to do whilst I write this…..
I think I posted this picture on my blog one day to show you my new school board with on trend hooks and family photo….. Arent I awesome?? And effortlessly tidy and chic??
Now if we pan to the right you will see what it REALLY looks like – my massive clean washing pile and not a hint of chic in sight 🙂 So sad.
Above is the toy room a few days after we moved into this house – I posted this almost Pintrest worthy picture and got so many nice comments from you all about the containers and painting that I did on them (IKEA btw). You prolly all thought I was Martha Stewart or something. Were you comparing your own toyroom and coming up short? Feeling bad? Ashamed???
This is actually how my toyroom looks most days. The boys DO tidy it before they go to bed but it has never, I repeat NEVER been as pristine as the photo above.
So please don’t feel bad if what you see on other blogs and pages isn’t like what you have at your home.
Chances are its not like that at their house either.
And if it is, good for them. It doesn’t diminish YOU at all.
Don’t waste time on jealousy or envy. There is no such thing as “better than”, just different.
Be proud of what you DO have 🙂
What matters is the warmth, the love and the joy that we have under our roofs.
I have that in abundance, and I am proud of that.
PS – I was going to put photos of our bedroom in there but for the LIFE of me, I couldn’t find a stylised angle anywhere!!!
xxx
LOVE LOVE LOVE! This is why we are friends xx
Looks exactly like my house 🙂 🙂
i also suck at being a housewife/mum/worker, i am never organised but chase my own tail trying to get myself organised! i will never live in a show home and i am ok with that 🙂
Loved this post Lisa! Love that quote about not comparing to someone’s highlight reel – so easy to forget in this Pintrest perfect world. I saw all those fridge photos pop up too – full to the brim with organic vegies no less. Gagging took place here too. I’m beyond proud that you can see at least half of my kitchen table at the moment. Still the other half to go and deal with – some things have been there so long that ‘one the kitchen table’ is now their home…
Thank you for sharing, and bringing a smile of recognition (of my own piles) to my face.
I knew I liked your blog for a reason, my house looks like yours most days. I’m a pretty crappy housewife and detest cleaning. I’d much rather be making a mess than cleaning it up. Sadly no one else in the house really cleans lol
Bless you Lisa – I thought I was the only person who blogged pictures with shopping bags full of rubbish. Great post – off to share it!
Love this post. Very funny.
(Abundance is the word you’re after….. sorry! )
Thank you thank you thank you!! You have no idea how long I racked my brains for, KNOWING there was the perfect word but couldnt put my finger on it! Gah!!! Have changed it now 🙂 xxxxx
Nope – I have no shame 🙂
No – its sad when the cleaning buck stops with you and you really cant be arsed. Sigh.
Thanks for commenting. x
No wuckings. xxx Thanks for reading.
Its a great quote hey – I have loved it for ages. And I too have resigned myself to eating at the perpetual half a dining room table too.
Me too – acceptance is bliss isnt it??
Mwah!! xxx
I want to come to your house, I’d feel just at home! Love it!
Love this!
i do think there are those people who have tidy and wonderful homes all the time – i am just not one of them (too much else to do that is more interesting lol). I was staying at my friend’s place in sydney recently and sitting on her couch reading when she walked in and said “oh let me just tidy up this mess – the kids were in here earlier” i looked around confused as nothing was laying out. she walked over and straightened up the bloody throw that was draped on the sofa (and partly underneath me) – oh the mess LOL
Loved this. My house is a constant shit fight but my kids are happy, healthy smart little cookies. I know what is more important in my life!!
Boatman bought me a basket to hang in the cupboard to put the dish washing liquid. He was thinking I would be happier if the kitchen was tidier (true), but I just thought, ‘do we have to hide the fact we use dish washing liquid? Is that supposed to be a secret thing?’
Just be real people. That’s all.
I would feel very at home in your house. Xx
EssentiallyJess recently posted…Superficial Blessedness and Other Things
How did I miss that toothbrush holder? Totally making one of those this weekend…. 🙂
YAY – I’m NORMAL 😀 PS – I love that “In this house….” quote – please tell where you got it from as in the stickers/wallpaper?????
Ebay baby 🙂