i want you to know...

that i don't have it all together.
or get it all done.

i keep getting comments or emails asking "how do you do it all?"  
"how can you handle everything?"
you say you feel exhausted.
and overwhelmed.

ME TOO.

i got another one of those emails yesterday.
i looked up from my computer and shook my head.
i picked up my camera and made sure i showed you the reality of my home.

i did not touch one thing in these rooms.
this is exactly what they looked like at 10 AM yesterday.














i am not proud of this.
but this is reality.
we do clean it up....but it never stays clean.

my kids have lots of chores but yet it always is a big ol' mess in here!

i get really discouraged when i clean it up or we all clean up and by bedtime..... 
it looks just as dirty as before.
ugh.
it is a vicious cycle.

so now you know....i do not have it all together.

i'm sure you knew this was real life but i think in blogland we often forget.
we see the pretty all the time and think "why can't i be that way?"

"how can SHE get all of that done?"

"what is wrong with ME?!"

nothing.

the pretty-pretty is not real life.

laundry
over flowing toilets
kids throwing up all night
disgruntled teenagers
finger prints
piles of shoes
sticky floors
smelly dogs
hurt feelings
full schedules
bad grades
good grades
talking back
spilled milk
running late
 

that is real....but not fun to look at.

cut yourself some slack today.
i am trying my best to be a great mom and i bet you are too. 
that is all we can do!

now i have to hang christmas decorations.

AND obviously....CLEAN SOMETHING. 

Comments

[michelle]

love this!
you're even more awesome after seeing this! :)

[Cat]

LOVE this post...and thank you for sharing. I have four kids. I find that the house can't stay cleaned for more than a couple hours tops! It can drive me insane at times, but I'm really trying to let it roll. Life....it's messy.

[Dana@Bungalow'56]

I think the one room that drives me the most insane is "my" little girl's room. They have drawers in their beds and they are always open and overflowing. We can barely keep them shut. I saw your girls room with the overflowing drawers and just sat here and smiled. We never do see anyone else's mess... in blogland or in real life. We think we are the only ones.
Thank you.
I can go to sleep tonight knowing Megan has a messy house too. And for some strange reason, that makes me happy.
: )
Dana

[karen]

Thanks. I just left a party at a perfect house with labels on everything and all the Christmas decorations up.....came home to dirty dishes on the stove and in the sink. My little dachshund got lost yesterday in my 13yo daughter's closet. I could not find her for 30 minutes...too many clothes on the floor :)
thanks for the reality check but I still think you are awesome

[Trish]

Aww how sweet of you to show your house to all of us! You are such a sweetie and I just adore your take on life and how you write about it!

[Amnah]

So I'm not the only one that ALWAYS has a pile of clothes stacked on my daughters' dresser. My goodness they have a never ending pile of clothes that need to be washed/folded/put away.

Glad to know you're just as normal as the rest of us.

[beth eacott]

Oh wow, that is awesome! I have been following your blog for months, and love, love, love it! The color, creativity, warmth, care, and down-to-earthness (is that even a word? - somehow don't think so) of it continue to inspire and delight me! It's my favorite way to start the day, a good cup of coffee and some whatever (while refereeing my 2 kids grade one and two while they take way........too long to finish their breakfasts, we're going to miss the bus again!.....blah, blah, blah) Have never posted a comment on a blog before, not once, not ever, but I just HAD to applaud your home, BLESS THIS MESS!!! From Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, warmest wishes, beth

[mel]

Great post! Your home is still beautiful even if it is a a little messy...you have 5 kids, cut yourself some slack :) Can't wait to see your Christmas decorations!

[Christina]

I feel like writing posts like this...just to show what's real. :) I don't have the following you do, and no one thinks I have it all together! haha Your transparency is great. And I feel your laundry pain. I might have to show my husband this post! teehee
I actually just wrote about something similar...the chaos that is life, that roars so loud that anything beautiful gets lost. But, then God brings beauty to light.
Love your blog. :)

[Niki]

Meg you crack me up.
I am on a full on Spring Cleaning mission after our house looked similar to yours ALL winter here in Oz.
Truly. ALL Winter. Can you imagine.
I have 4 boys, 2 dogs, 1 cat & chickens & life is full, messy, fun & straight out hard work.
But I love it & try so very hard to manage it all successfully.
Mess can wait, loving on the love of my life 4 year old can NOT.
He needs a big cuddle NOW. Because before I know it, he will be like my nearly 15 year old & cringe when I cuddle him. Sigh.

[Ingrid]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for posting this! it is nice to know i'm not the only mum that isn't on top of the cleaning every minute of the day!

[Christy C]

Great post!! This looks alot like my house...I thought I was the only one. Thank goodness I am not!! But when you look beyond the mess you see something beautiful...a house that looks lived in and loved in and that's all that matters!!

[Staisha]

Thanks you for being so honest.

[Lacey]

you are such an amazing woman, almost everytime i am having a bad day, your blog posts seem to be just for me! i love it. you are truely a very lovely person! I hope to read your blog for years! thanks for being an inspiration to me, and letting all of us know that it is ok to be real!

[Kirsten J]

Godluvya for being real - my house looks much the same :)

[amanda]

My favorite post I've read in a long time! Especially this time of year when you see so much pretty and perfect decorating around blog land. This is reality - and a good one! :)

[Meredith]

Snap. Just like my house! Thanks for this Meg...I was starting to think it was just me. I'll consider this post an early Christmas present from Blogland:) Meredy xo

[Peggyrice@gmail.com]

I may love you even more now.

[se7en]

I am speaking from vast tombs of personal experience here: If I were you I would head straight out the door and get some fresh air!!! There is nothing else more important to be done!!!

[Sophie]

This looks a lot like my house on a day to day basis!
Though we don't have little kids in our house anymore so we don't have toys lying around. (:

[lena]

AMEN!
i know this season will soon pass and i will one day long for it to return. i pray to find the JOY in it all.
pax Christi - lena

[Chantel]

Thank you!! I'm a SAHM, my husband works from home, my daughter is homeschooled, my son is in public school, we run a home-based animal rescue and it seems like I can never keep up! Dishes and laundry multiply like Tribbles, Legos and dolls and crayons and paper are everywhere and I've finally decided that clutter is just part of our lives. My home is a happy one and that's all that matters to me.

I love your home and your style and your family and how absolutely real you are. You're so normal and approachable and I think that's why we all love you so much. You're all of us!

[Angel/TaDa!Creations]

Thanks for showing me that we are not so different. It's easy to think that everyone else is doing life perfectly and I am the only one that can't seem to get it together.

Oh how I wish I had space for a "family closet" right in or next to the laundry room. Then there would be no more hauling clothes to every end of the house only for it all to end up right back there. It's the never ending battle that is so difficult to get a hold of. Most every day we are rifling through the clean-clothes-that-just-need-to-be-folded-and-put-away-piles anyway. Off to find my husband a clean towel before he gets out of the shower...I know there's one somewhere.

[jennifer wood]

Thank you Meg, love you:)

[visart-dali.com]

Oh wow, so this is how it looks like in a real life! I love it, it is so relaxing and comforting to see that I am not the only one...
Thank you for that!

[Ann R.]

Meg - we still love you, that is why we love you - you are REAL! Have been following you over a year and have sent comments and emails, have sent vitamins, did the operation christmas child and thank you SO MUCH for all of it! Again, my girlfriends and I are also REAL, no fake here, all reality. We are all meeting for breakfast this morning and we will discuss the things we all have in common - messy homes, blessed families, overwhelmingness of the holiday and the peacefulness of the holiday, sickness and health. This is all part of life, and if we all find a balance with it, we are all good, and I think that is how we stay grounded is thru each other. So thank you Meg - I love the REALNESS *is that even a word?* Your beautiful blog, your colorful home, crafty Thursdays, messy rooms and all most importantly your HEART! So glad you posted that cause last night I totally cleaned my kitchen and felt great about it, till the hubby came home and we made a huge mess getting out all the Christmas stuff - oh well, tis the season. Hey - saw a craft you might want to do - the GRATEFUL frame/poster - it is totally up your alley! You would love it - let me know if your interested! Happy Friday!

[Julie]

Thanks for keeping it real, Meg. I must say, tho, I now have kitchen sink envy ~ here's mine ~ http://wristonsingermany.blogspot.com/2010/06/things-i-wont-miss.html ~ and I won't miss it one bit when we move! Oh, and mine would look like yours if it could hold that much! We're a family of seven too. ;-)

[Lori]

Hahahahaha! GREAT post and so true! Whew! I feel so much better now.

[Ann R.]

I just left a comment, but was laughing when I scrolled back to the pics (think I am going to share with hubby). I think sometimes HE thinks I am the only one...they don't really know...but I had to laugh at the craft room - looks like mine with the target bags for christmas gifts right?

[Natalie]

so encouraging!

[BULLYMAMA3]

Thank you so much for your honesty...we all need more of that!! We live in a world (or at least a country) where everything is supposed to be perfect or it isn't worth anything. I don't know how you do it but you always seem to post things that really strike a chord with me at just the right time (maybe that is part of your purpose w/God??) In a way you really do have it all together because you are giving your kids a wonderfully fufilling life by doing all the great things you do with them and you are an inspiration to many women that really need it (among a lot of other things!) but those are the things that should be in the "having it all together list" not an immaculate house that doesn't let anyone have an ounce of creativity. Thanks again for making my day (AGAIN!)

[donna]

even your messes look happy!!!

[Jen@thecottagenest]

I love that you did this. It's good for us to tell each other that it's okay to not be perfect. Thanks for this today and during this season when I put so much pressure on myself!

[jenny]

you have no idea how much i needed this today. :0)

[Samantha Lee]

You are as refreshing as ever . . . even with the mess! Thank you for honesty.

[sara @ it's good to be queen]

thank. you. this is so good. that is my house right now. we are moving tomorrow actually so it is even worse. we came home from thanksgiving and i didn't feel the need to unpack since we were moving in a week. so we have laundry spilling out of suitcases all over the house. isn't laundry such a stinkin' pain?!

thanks so much...i needed this today. :)

[Penny]

I love your foyer! That built in bench (I think) is beautiful! Toys just add to the beauty. My two oldest are out of the house. Just a 16 year old here now. Her room looks much like Lauren's room. And just the other day I was looking for my glue gun in the craft room. Never found it and was pretty disgusted with myself for the mess in there! Thanks for making me see it isn't just me!

[Micah]

LOL that is MY craft room except you'd need to add dirty laundry, a sewing machine, serger, bits of fabric and thread pieces everywhere, a pile of fabric, pet food, kitty litter, construction dirt from my husband's workboots, sawdust from the garage, a goodwill giveaway bag, everyone's icky play shoes. It looks SO nice when I clean it up... but it never stays clean for long!
Thanks for sharing your real life pics.

[christy]

I could just give you a big hug right now! It is so refreshing to see messes in blogland! I'm so tired of picture perfect, because my house is not!! I have to boys 5 & 6 and they are MESSY!

[Kimberlee J.]

Right on...keep it real.
I love that about you.
Clean today because tomorrow there will be none of that!

[Kerri]

This is my house, too!!! THANK YOU!!! I feel like such a loser sometimes...

[Ali]

Hey, who's been taking photos at my house?!!

[megan]

Megan-
Love the reality check! i agree...reality sucks so sometimes it is nice to escape it...even if it is only momentary.
glad you keep it all in perspective.
still wishing you were my neighbor though...i would have some great laughs with you.

megan (in maine)

[Tara]

you are refreshing.
thanks for showing us real life at your house....

[Kasey]

It's good to see what 'real life' is like, especially when most of us bloggers share the same thing. -I clean my house top to bottom... I spend the entire weekend [I work full time] cleaning and than by Monday night it is all a mess again. I totally understand what it's like but ive gotten to the point where I will get to it when I can get to it. -I'm not going to make it a point to have my house super spotless just so I can show it off on my 'Blog'. That's not what life [and my blog] is about.

Thanks for 'keeping it real'! :)

[Lisa]

LOVE this post - and your home is such a sign of a house filled with family and life being well lived!

[KTG]

Thank you for this. My least favorite thing to do is putting away laundry for 4 people it's never ending.

[nicki]

I have 5 kids too (similar age spread) and I live this post almost daily. Thank you for sharing the REAL of life with us.

[stacie]

Thank you. I have five kids also and there is no way a house can stay put together all the time. I don't have a craft room and I craft so you know what my dinning room looks like and I homeschool to boot. I'm showing my husband these pics when he gets home. Just so he knows its not just us. Thank you agian :) stacie from rockentot

[Vicki]

Megan, thank you!! :)

[jenn]

Love it! But I must insist that you refrain from posting any further pictures of MY kitchen without my express wrtten permission! ;)

[Roberta]

I appreciate you posting this! I only have 3 kids but my house is pretty much a carobon copy of yours. Everything is clean underneath but, oh the clutter. Noone knows how to put anything away but me and I can't keep up with 5 peoples messes. I love your honesty. That is why I've stopped reading so many blogs. They seemed too fake. I like reading something I can relate to.

[Roberta]

Opps, don't know what a carobon copy is. Meant to type carbon ;)

[Jessica]

Thank you for your honesty!
Maybe we mom bloggers should make the 3rd of every month blog post all about how our houses REALLY look like--take pictures of dirty/messy rooms or the laundry pile or dirty dishes.
That will be a great reminder to ourselves and others that no one is perfect!

[Mary]

Thank you for this!! Often when I see things in blogland I think "gahh! My house will never be that cute/perfect/awesome!" You are right, I WILL cut myself some slack today.

Oh, and I personally think you are doing a fantastic job!!! :)

[Kacey]

Ah, Meg...you're the coolest! Thanks for sharing the messy stuff. It makes me feel better.

[Annie]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. As a young married sans children, I read a lot of blogging moms (like yourself) who have such pretty homes, great kids, time to craft and cook like Martha, and I look around my little apartment and think: NO. WAY. I am struggling with just one other person to take care of! What a relief to know it's a struggle even for those with years of experience. Your blog is always such a fun, honest place to visit, and today was no exception. Thank you for letting us know that while life is beautiful, the little messes do exist, and that's okay.

[Stephanie]

I needed this. today. My heart has been heavy with guilt over a house I can never make look like the magazines or blogs I browse. thank you. For letting me see your reality so that I can learn to let that guilt go and know that we are all just doing our best.

[Vanessa]

Love it! I'm not the only one!!! Thanks for sharing your "imperfect" life with us :)

[Katie]

I was just looking around my house yesterday and thought to myself...we need to have people over to get this place cleaned up...company is the best medicine. Seriously though we have a 6 year old , 4yo, 2yo and 5 month old baby and my husband works in the transportation industry which means he is "bringing christmas to america" and very busy right now. I have to come to terms with the mess and find joy in Jesus...

[Christie]

Thank you for this! I found you not that long ago and am hooked. You feel like a long lost friend in the way you are in your life and I love that. I'm a full time working mom of 2 little girls and all day I read about these so called "perfect, have it all together" moms who blog, do so many things I want to do with my girls, decorate their house, thrift shop, cook and bake, and most of all craft. So thank you for showing us that you don't have it all together and you do what you can do to what you love and sometimes the house looks like a tornado. So what, right? That's what I try to do with my family each night and weekend, put aside the crazy mess and do what we love. So thank you for this honest post.

[Jennifer Andersen]

Thank you. I needed this. Makes me feel better.

[Jessica]

Inspired by you, I posted pictures of MY messy house on my blog! www.pinkpeanutbutter.typepad.com

[Staci]

This is why I love you!!! We all just need to live life...dirty, ugly, pretty, doesn't matter...LIVE AND LOVE OUR LIVES!!!! Thanks Megan!!!

[Mindi Slone]

Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.

You just validated my home's existence today. I might have to share this with my hubby!

[Jaime @ Queen of the Creek]

1) Totally understand about the Littlest Pet Shop thing! lol
2) Love the red filing cabinet drawers in the boys room.
3) With the size of your family and ALL THAT YOU DO, I think you'd be weird if your house was super de-duper clean all the time. You LIVE in your house.

I agree with Katie - I enjoying playing hostess every once in a while - it's when my house is the cleanest. And we just moved from a 3 bedroom apartment to a 5 bedroom, 3800sq house. I have a WHOLE lot more cleaning then I ever had. And seriously… what would the kids and I ever talk about if I am not constantly reminding (nagging) them to clean up after themselves! :P

Big hugs! =)

[Janelle]

I'm reading your blog instead of cleaning up my house. I have my Daisy troop here this afternoon and I am supposed to clean up the house for them! Its like inviting a heard of elephants into your living room! Thanks for keeping it real!

[Hugsandunicorns.blogspot.com]

Ha! I love this! Thank you for sharing. We have been trying to clean so we can put up the Christmas tree. Think it will happen?

[Julie M]

I can soo relate!

[Marcia]

It is all about balance, I guess ... and your post today certainly puts it into perspective for me. I took a "personal day" from work and dreamed of sewing, decorating, reading, relaxing - even napping. But the floors need to be mopped, the laundry done, the dead mums yanked, the list goes on. Catching up with your blog feeds one need for me: to sit down with a cup of coffee and refocus on getting the balance. Thank you so much and God bless you today.

[Nicole]

Thank you so much for this! I have 5 kids myself and with activities and just everyday "things" I can't seem to get it all done! I know, I should stay off of the computer! haha! I needed this today as I look at the breakfast dishes on the table, trash ready to go out and a downstairs bathroom that seriously needs a good scrubbing with 4 boys in the house! Thanks for a great blog! You rock!
Nicole

[Carla]

Thank you for being real.

[Flower Patch Farmgirl]

You rule the school.

[kristy]

God bless you for this. I feel like I clean all day and it still looks TRASHED at the end of the day. I'm all for being real with people.... but its still a hard thing to do myself.

[Jen]

Thank you! I do not feel alone.

[Niki]

I just love you, Meg! You bring a smile to all of our faces and remind us to strive for the best and accept that we're never going to be perfect! That's why we have our Father! Thanks, Sister!

[Toni :O)]

Whoa....I love the honesty but I think I'm a neat freak in my own house and I've created two more after seeing your photos...sigh...my kids never have clothes on their floor...laying other places instead I guess. What I'm not good at is trying to keep everything clean, I've given up trying to dust, vacuum and mop as often...working 45-50 hours a week outside the home just doesn't give me the time to keep up on it all. I'm glad to see we're all in this mess called life together! Keep being real, keep smiling and keep those colors coming, cause it's a breath of fresh air to see your posts every.single.time! Especially cute Waffle...love your dog almost as much as my own!

[Susan]

As a mom of 6 kids under the age of 8 who can't seem to keep anything cleaned in her house, you don't know how much I needed to read this today. Thanks so much for showing your readers that you are just as "normal" as the rest of us! Thanks again, Susan

[julie]

Thank you for posting these. As a home school mom to 4 girlies I have recently started to feel like an absolute housekeeping failure. Even thought about writing a blog post about it today but hopped on over here instead. So glad I did. I am not alone:) BTW...L.O.V.E. your blog, your photos, your craft Thursdays, your decorating style......this just might be my favorite blog!

[Melissa]

Thanks for sharing! I would go insane but I would imagine you just have to learn to deal with it. Makes me feel better about not always having everything perfectly picked up at home.

[Karen H.]

I didn't think it was possible to love you any more than I already did - and then you posted these pictures!!! Some days I think "What is WRONG with US???" because our house can't stay clean!!! And I love the Littlest Pet Shop town in your foyer... I have the same thing!!!

[Dori]

Thanks! You're awesome!

[Maria]

Thank you!!!!! I'm a mom of three who works one full time job and MULTIPLE part time jobs and I can NOT keep up with the house. Your pictures made me feel normal again! My house may not be clean, but my life is pretty darn good, otherwise!!! So no complaints from me!!

[elizabeth of course]

Hahaha! I love you! I love that you're a real person. And I don't care if you house is a mess, you're hair is always great! hahaha!

[Amy]

Thanks Meg. That's why I love you. You are so humble and can tell the truth even when it's not pretty. And my house looks at least that bad or worse most days. I have 3 under 5 and it is tornado city. I get discouraged and feel like a gross pig. But then I put up the Christmas tree instead of clean. So I know a lot of it is just my personality. I would rather have fun than clean. Anyway, thanks for being honest. Love ya Meg!

[rosie at 3 rosebuds]

What I love about your blog is that you "get" it-the kids are only little once. They only want to hang out with you for so long and then they have their own lives, they get jobs, they go away to school and there will still be laundry and dusting to do but there won't be those little ones to hug and squeeze and drop everything to spend time with. Here's to real life!!

[Shana]

If it helps...I have a friend who's house is spotless - however...her kids can't sit on the furniture, walk through with food, eat certain things (like food), or have shoes on inside.
I think you are living LIFE - which means too busy to worry about the trivial stuff - laundry, dishes, etc. Play, have fun, and enjoy!
Love you

[Tracie]

I sometimes feel buried under junk too, but I let go of some of my type A clean-freak tendencies when I had my kids. We try to straighten up the house before bed, but I only make them straighten their rooms when I have to vacuum. Hey, look at it this way, someday they'll be gone and the mess won't be so bad and you'll miss it!

[Michelle Whitlow]

thank you for sharing!!! Boy, you're brave!! I never try to be perfect on my blog but man my house looks like a tornado most days!! My husband comes home from work and gives me 'that look'. Ugh...

[Ali]

Thank you Meg!

[Routhie]

Thank you. It's easy to forget what is important, esp when the house is a mess and you're overwhelmed. I feel like I am drowning in laundry, clutter, and to-do lists, but so is everyone else. Now, I am going to ignore my housework, shower, and help make Christmas cards at my daughter's school, which I know has made this week pretty awesome for her and her class. Thanks again for keepin' it real. :) <3

[Kimberly]

You're so full of "amazingness," Meg. These are the reasons why I love reading your blog every day: you try to make a more meaningful life for you as a woman, a Christian, a wife, a mom, a friend, and everything else to everyone else. You fail sometimes, but you are so full of win most of the time. As much as I like how you're talented, fun, caring, and crafty, I also like that you're cranky, moody, and messy.

I stop reading blogs that only show happy-happy-pefect all the time. It's so exhausting and not inspirational at all.

You, you invigorate me. As a former bread winner and now a stay-at-home mom, I always feel less lost after reading your blog. I encourage you to continue to be real and to live in the moment and to continue to hope the way that you do.

P.S.--I loath doing laundry, too!

[bobbie]

The pictures of your kids clothes on top of the dresser instead of in it and all over the floor is my life. It drives me crazy but I just shut the door and walk away.

Someone once told me there will be a time in my life to have a clean houst (when the kids are all gone) but this just isn't my time and I need to learn to enjoy it.

Thanks for sharing!

[alamama]

thanks! i am so glad you put the real photos out there too. sometimes i get the keeping up with the bloggers (jones) feeling.

[Brianna]

thank you for this. I don't feel so alone anymore!

[kristin]

You are so awesome... inspiring and keeping it real, all at the same time.

[Debbie Smallie]

Just what I needed this morning. Thanks for keeping it real!

[jennifer]

This post right here is exactly why I keep reading your blog. You keep it real in the middle of all the pretty. Thanks for you honesty. It's my favorite thing about you. Oh, and the mutual love for polka dots too! :)

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1498998191]

Pokadots still make your house look cheerful! Maybe I don't need to clean just throw in more polka dots!

[Cathi]

Thank you for this post! Have you heard the quote , "a clean house is a sign of a misspent life"? I think of that often when I get overwhelmed by all I feel needs to be done in my house. The fact that your house is "lived in" shows your priorities are where they should be- on the people in your family and living life. When your kids are all grown up and on their own you can have a house that will stay clean for more than a few minutes. Thank you for showing your home and your life on this blog!