Reality vs. Expectation

I was thinking about something my friend, Carol, said last week.  She was talking about people on the internet that present themselves as perfect, happy smiling families all the time.  Their kids always get along.  Their house is always clean.  They always put a cute and clever snack in front of their kids when they get home from school.  They always pack a sweet, loving note with their lunches.

I realized that I might appear to be one of those people that look like they have their lives all together. I have been posting our happy smiling Disney pictures.  Our happy, smiling homecoming pictures.

Now, if you actually know me in real life, you know that my kids do, for the most part, get along really well with each other.  But, they do sometimes fight.  There are a few instigators in the bunch though that like to get people riled up just to see what they will do.   Grrrrr.....

If you know me in real life, or have every stopped by my house unannounced, you know that my house can be a mess.  A real mess.

Now that I am babysitting 3 days a week, my common areas are much better, because I have to keep the floor picked up and vacuumed for my little people I am in charge of.   The problem is since I am devoting my time to keeping other people's children safe, and keeping the rooms that they are in clean and free of choking hazards, the rest of the house has suffered.  Big time.

It is like my Not Just A Sunday Thing post this week....I cannot possibly do it all....keep it all beautiful and pristine.....and be a nice, loving mom and babysitter.

My sister, Kandi, sent me this, after reading my post on Sunday.





Are you laughing as hard as I did when I read it.  That, my friends, is real life stuff!

So is this...

Seriously.....this was clean.....completely clean.....Monday.  For real.  I took these pictures Tuesday night.  (As my friend, Kristy likes to say...."Le-Sigh".)

Honestly, the school mess on the dining table doesn't really bother me.  That means we are learning and doing the stuff we are supposed to.

The kitchen.  Ugg....I don't know.  It is just the domino effect in action.  One person cooks and leaves the pots...so the next person does the same.  Somebody decides to bake (yay!)...but then leaves everything to soak.  One person puts their cup/dishes on the counter, so the next 5 or 6  people do the same, and voila!  This.

I love, love, love the island that my friend, Mark, helped me create.  I have had plans to paint it since he finished....and have just never gotten around to it.  It is a thing of beauty when it is cleaned off and usable.  Not so much in its current state though.

We ran the dishwasher overnight.  I got up this morning, unloaded it....loaded it and started it 5 minutes later.  Seriously.  The island is almost cleared off now.....so progress is being made....for now.  Then, there is this......

Yup....my bedroom.  The catch all place for everyone's stuff that they don't know what to do with!   the pile under the windows just keeps getting bigger and bigger.  I haven't touched this room since we moved in.  I haven't liked the curtain toppers or the wall color for 2 years, but I just never seem to have any oomph left when it comes to tackling my room.

Anyway, that was my good deed for the day.....making you all feel better about yourselves.   Ha!  You're welcome.  Of course, I will keep you posted if I make any real progress....and I will keep posting pictures of my smiling kids....especially if I look good in a picture!  Fair warning.  If I look good, I am posting the picture...I don't care what anybody else looks like.