A couple of weeks ago, I thought my little ones were playing quietly in their room until my youngest came downstairs with black marks all over her face, hands and feet. Her little hands left black smudges all over the wall as she made her way down the stairs towards me. I immediately knew that she had gotten into my make up bag, and it looked like she was covered in most of an eyeliner pencil. The eyeliner all over her turned out to be the least of my worries…
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Nothing is Sacred
I went up to my room to put the makeup away and clean her up, only to walk into what felt like a scene from a horror movie. There was black eyeliner EVERYWHERE. (I know it’s not the same as blood, but I was still horrified) I also quickly discovered that it was not just any eyeliner, but liquid, waterproof eyeliner. If you are not familiar with liquid waterproof eyeliner, it dries very quickly and is incredibly difficult to get off. My two daughters had taken eyeliner and written all over my bed frame, on my rug, my sheets, my white quilt, and my full length mirror.
(Why yes, that is eyeliner on my brand new rug)
(and on the quilt that I love. No it didn’t come out. Considering this one.)
(and on my new mirror)
(Do you see the precision? Impressive, right?)
I can’t say that I handled it well. Who knew that one could cry for so long over black eyeliner? After an hour of scrubbing (and only half done) and a fruitless trip to the dry cleaners with my quilt, I felt a little therapy was in order.
(my coping mechanisms: coffee, chocolate, and new art supplies)
There are a lot of TV shows, magazines, books, and Instagram profiles out there that make decorating a beautiful home look like a breeze. It’s just a matter of selecting the right accessories and colors, the perfect rugs and curtains, the best paint colors and voila, a beautiful room. I know that statement is over simplifying, and that decorators and designers work very hard to create beautiful spaces. But the finished product that we see looks so effortless. That’s the point, right?
It Takes Work
I’m putting a lot of effort into making my home beautiful. I love it and I have a ton of fun doing it, but it’s work too. It’s time and energy and money. And sometimes my best efforts feel fruitless. Wasted. At the very least, an uphill battle. Especially on days when my little kids decide to be little kids. Which is most days. Decorators give us really cute suggestions for decorating with kids in the house, and I’ve tried a lot of them. But it’s just not my decorating reality.
One of the purposes of this blog is to share how I am decorating my home with small children and a small budget. To prove (mostly to myself) that it can be done, that it’s possible to have the home I want on the budget I have with the little ones in tow. I try to take beautiful photos of my hard work to share with you, even though there is probably a mess on the other side of the room.
It’s Not Always Pretty
Today’s post isn’t about pretty pictures. It’s about the reality of living with little ones. Because I want you to know that if it feels like decorating and organizing your home is an uphill battle right now, it is for me too. My cute baskets are all empty and the toys are all over the house. The coloring pages and crayons are on the floor. The playdoh is in the carpet, and the memory game with half it’s pieces missing are spread across the counter. Usually, the kids mess is limited to their own things, but that’s not always the case.
When Decorating is an Uphill Battle
Why am I sharing this with you? Because I want you to know that decorating is hard with little ones. That if you are struggling to even keep your house remotely clean, let alone decorate it, I get it. If you are frustrated because there are toys everywhere and no HGTV crew to build you shelving or paint your kitchen cabinets, I get it. If the idea of having a beautiful home for your family gets you excited until you look around at the chaos and feel overwhelmed, I get it. If you have ever read a blog post that left you wondering how on earth those moms who blog about their home manage to get it all done, I get it. You are not alone in your frustration, and you are not alone in having messy, crazy kids. I know that I have felt all of those things, and even if only one person out there has ever felt that way too, well, give me your phone number and we can be friends.
But I’m going to keep decorating. I’m going to clean up the eyeliner, I’m going to pick up the toys, I’m going to vacuum for the first time in a little too long and start again. Because making a beautiful home brings me joy. It brings my husband and kids joy. It fosters my creativity, and excites me. And even if decorating isn’t your thing, there is bound to be something in your life that you love that your children mess up or get into. I’m just here to say that real life with little ones doesn’t look like the magazine. But beauty is still worth pursuing, even when it’s not perfect.
I could tell you that in the end, it’s all worth it. But I think that you’ve probably heard that before. I could tell you that they are only young once, that the time flies, and that you will miss these days. I know I’ve heard all of those things, and I know that someday I will know for myself how true they are. But what I really want to tell you is that I know that it’s hard. I know that it’s frustrating to give and give of yourself, to start over every single day, and to have nothing be sacred. I know that part right now. So hang in there with me friend. Keep going. Because whatever it is that you are trying to create is worth it. Especially when you feel that it isn’t.
