everything & the kitchen sink

A friend inspired this post.  The jewelry designer and full-time mom of a toddler and newborn recently posted a photo of her kitchen.  The caption read "this is as far from Pinterest as it gets." 

as (not) seen on Pinterest

The photo made me smile.  It also made me empathize.  I see photos of spotless, gorgeous and sometimes themed rooms, parties, crafts and food, and well, they make me feel like I'm doing something wrong.  My house - the one with errant Cheerios and dust bunnies, sticky messes on counter tops, various toys, clothing and papers scattered in every room, and 'artwork' in the form of crayon scribbles - is a far cry from what I see online, in magazines, and, let's face it, in the homes of some friends who don't have kids.  


My friend's honest reflection of her current status resonated with me.  Suddenly, the feeling of self-conscious imperfection that I feel when viewing Pinterest-worthy images faded.  A sense of relief washed over me.  "It's not just me," I thought.  "All moms struggle with this."


I'm a full-time public relations professional with clients, deadlines, expectations and many, many words to get just right.  I spend my work day second guessing my instincts, trying to be charming, and dreaming up ways to make others' dreams possible.  It's exhilarating, but exhausting, especially because it's sandwiched between my other 'job' - my life's purpose, actually - of being a wife and mother.  In the mornings, evenings and weekends, I run, nonstop, to meet the needs of two babies and a teenager.  I wipe, sweep, mop, dust and rinse constantly.  When I invite people over, I clean for hours just so I can say, "sorry the place is such a mess."


But enough of that.  This, my friends, is the real me (on a 'clean' day). 

The cluttered look is going to be the thing in 2013. I'm ahead of my time. 

Unidentifiable husband-like contraption in the background. 

L to R: emergency chocolate, bubbles, Pillsbury Doughboy, more emergency chocolate, vitamins.

Cat food on the counter because the baby, who won't eat his dinner,  likes it as a snack.

In response to this revelation, I asked other mom friends to take a photo of their kitchens - as is.  I present this photo collection to you with pride.  Being a mom is tough.  We're in survival mode.  And guess what?  Those little darlings who adore us?  They've never once noticed whether the house is clean.  

Now if only I could get to a place of 'ok' regarding the snot and yogurt stains on my clothing.  That's another battle for another day in the life of super mom.