A Question (and others like it) I Get Asked A Lot

Two questions that I get asked a lot from people is #1. How do I keep my house clean with 3 kids (2 who love to run around and one who will be doing so in the near future) AND #2. How do I have time to decorate? (this one makes me laugh a little). 

It seems that every time we have people over, whether through play dates, Bible study, or late afternoon dinners, someone always makes a comment along the lines of "How can you get all 'this' done with 3 young kids?" I know that the people asking that question mean well and are not judging me...or at least I think that's the case! Anyways, I wanted to address that question and others similar to it here.

#1. I'm not always working on projects around the house.
I still laugh at the fact that just because my blog is mostly about house decor, some people think that all I do is just sit at home and decorate. I don't have time for that nor do I want to have time to do just that! If an idea strikes and it's something I want to do on my own, I just do it. Usually that happens either once a week or a few times a week. Most of us have a hobby of some sort that we do a couple times a week. Decorating just happens to be one of mine. :)


#2. I actually do love to clean...OK, maybe LOVE is a bit of a strong word, but I do like it to an extent! I really like to vacuum (laugh all you want) and I don't mind picking up toys (although my girls are old enough they actually do help out in this area). But hear me out, I'm not vacuuming every day and I don't clean my house as often as I should (I will shamefully admit that). I do have a set limit as to how messy our house gets and am not one to leave things piled up for days because it actually bothers me. A little OCD I guess, but I really don't like clutter.

#3. I don't keep a set schedule.
Whenever the mood strikes or I have an idea I want to try, if I can't make time for it during the day, I jot it down in a notebook and save it for later. The same goes with my blogging. I'm never like, "Tuesdays and Fridays are my days to blog" for example. If there is time to sit down during the week (usually a weeknight) to blog, then I do. I just write about whatever comes to mind. The next day, I just hit a button that says "Publish" and my blog post is up- that's the easy part.

#4. I try to keep it simple.
There are some very talented bloggers out there who can blog just about anything and they are very good at it. From cooking, cleaning, decorating, painting, etc. they seem to do it all. I don't really fit into that category, so I just stick to mainly talking about projects/decorating. It's really a great way for me to use my creativity and try new things so I keep it simple by just blogging about that.

#5. My house isn't as clean as you think. ;)
So this one has been talked about before and I have heard so many bloggers talk about this same thing too- our homes aren't as clean as you think. Just because I take a picture of, say my family room, and you don't see any toys in that picture, doesn't mean the toys aren't there or nearby. Take this picture for example:

What you don't see are my two daughters playing down by the couch with a BUNCH of toys that they brought down from the playroom and my son's bouncy seat next to the coffee table. However, because of the angle that I took this picture, all of that was hidden. But it was all there, I promise. ;) And I'm sure every blogger with kids would tell you the same thing- you can play a lot of camera tricks, if you will, to hide things like toys and sometimes children. ;) 


#6. I do play with my kids.
I actually do love playing with my kids. Whether that is pretend play indoors or being outside, I want to participate. Just recently, we had several snow days, so we didn't get to go out too much. We had to get creative, so one of the things I suggested to my older girls is that we build a big tent in our room. They loved the idea and so we just went for it and used lots of blankets and pillows to make one! Sure the room was messy for a while, but that was only temporary and we had fun!!

 And don't mind the fact that my girls have bathing suits on when I just said it was snowing outside!! I can't seem to keep them out of those things no matter what the weather is like outside. At least it was warm indoors, right?!

Again, if someone wants to write about decorating don't assume that is all that they care to do nor assume that means their house is perfect. Just because you read a blog about decorating or DIY projects, doesn't mean the person behind the blog doesn't enjoy doing other things. For example, I enjoy going out to parks and running errands (this is true) with my kids, but I just don't always blog about it. I'm in no ways perfect, believe me, but I am thankful I can rely on a Creator who is!