I got an email yesterday. It said something along the lines of “How do you do it all?”
O no.
That means I have failed.
Because in a close second behind showing off my adorable baby, my biggest desire on this blog is this: to never, ever, ever give the impression that I have my crap together. Because I don’t.
I don’t have it together to the extent that OBaby was squeezed into pajamas last night that are a size too small for him because I forgot to cycle the laundry again yesterday.
I don’t have it together to the extent that at 10:00pm two nights ago I sent DanO to the 24 hour pharmacy to pick-up my perscription refill that I needed to take that night.
I don’t have it together to the extent that DanO asked for me to clean our bedroom as my gift to him for Father’s Day. O yes, friends, it was that. bad.
I don’t have it together to the extent that I arrived 5 minutes late (and after several of the guests) to my own son’s birthday party.
I don’t have it together to the extent that this is my kitchen counter right now:
I don’t have it together to the extent that I own 8 reusable grocery bags because I keep forgetting to bring them with me to the store so I just buy a new one each time.
I don’t have it together to the extent that I had every intention of having a garage sale this summer, but the weekends are slowly ticking away and I am no closer to ready.
I don’t have it together to the extent that I just threw away 3 rotten cucumbers that I had forgotten in the back of the produce drawer.
I don’t have it together to the extent that even after I finally cleaned our bedroom, it still pretty much looks like this every night (or worse):
I don’t have it together to the extent that last month I posted about our lettuce garden this summer and put “to be continued…” at the end, yet haven’t even touched the next post in the series.
I don’t have it together to the extent that right now there is a pile of not ready-to-go cloth diapers just strewn about on OBaby’s changing table.
I don’t have it together to the extent that my dog was out of water for probably an entire day, and I didn’t even notice. My parents did when they came to town and they refilled her bowl.
I don’t have it together to the extent that a few weeks ago when our dog Pearl was with our in-laws, this was the standard state of my dining room floors:
I so badly wish you could just come ring my door bell and walk right in my house unexpected so that your perspective of our life would be realistic. It’s hard to keep it balanced on here because of course I want to post the pretty pictures of my family wading in a stream and not post the ones of the cheerios in every nook and cranny of my house… I mean, don’t we all? But the moment this blog shows only stream-wading pictures and no piles of unfolded laundry pictures, it becomes a lie, and I really don’t want that. I do not want to pretend to be the counter-top composting, organic bread from scratch making, pantry perfectly stocking, immaculate house keeping blogger lady who toots butterflies.
Because I don’t.
My toots can be rather stinky, in fact. As can my burps.
There. There is your dose of O My Reality for the week. You are so welcome.
(PS: I just washed the jeans I’m wearing and I totally have muffin top right now. Just keeping it real.)
~~~~~~
Now feels like a really funny time to tell you something:
O My Family is a finalist in the 2010 BlogLuxe Awards hosted by SocialLuxe!
The ironic part, though, is that we are in the “Organized Blog” category. I kid you not.
So maybe, despite the fact that I so do not have my crap together, maybe just maybe one or two of you have come away from this blog inspired to organize, which is awesome. I am honored and thrilled that friends and readers (who are friends I just haven’t met yet) took the time to vote for O My Family.
To thank you (and because apparently you think I’m organized? Your words, not mine…) I want to officially declare next week O My Organization week here on O My Family! I promise I will still post adorable pictures of my now-one-year-old OBaby, and I also promise to steer completely clear of butterfly tooting territory or pretending I have my crap together, but I thought it would be fun if we could do a little organization overhaul together! Heaven knows (and now you know, too) that I could use it.
Of course, if there’s an organization topic or project you feel inspired to tackle, O My Organization Week will include a link-up on Friday July 30th where we can share with each other. Maybe you can show me your kitchen counters and unfolded piles of laundry and then we can do something about it together! Sound like a plan?
(I know, I know. You’ve never been quite so excited to alphabetize that spice drawer, have you?)
I love organizing. But will also admit that the vacuum has been sitting out in the middle of the great room for 4 days.
Woot.
i love this post. :)
This post rocks. Love the realness of you, Allison.
As far as projects, mine is the papers. THE PAPERS! With three kids in school and alllll the *stuff* they bring home, bills, junk mail, coupons, drawings and other things that accumulate…I can’t get ahold of the papers…have a laundry basket full sitting upstairs by my bed…
Can’t wait for next week!
I have the same problem with my grocery bags. My mom tells me just to leave them in the car (because that’s what she does), but that would mean I’d have to remember to go back to the car.
Oh…and yesterday I swept 3 day old pasta that had been sitting under the kitchen table. I figured why hurry…it’s just going to get dirty again.
Just started following your blog, glad to see I am not alone in the kitchen department :)
Lol! I actually had my spice drawer alphabetized once. That was a long time ago. Two children ago, in fact. :)
if only you could see the splat mat under Eddie’s high chair. you’re not REALLY supposed to pick all that up after EACH meal are you? sigh…
I am glad I am not the only one who SO does not have her shit together.
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Thank. you. This is what I needed to hear. Sometimes reading blogs can make me envy someone else’s life… but it’s important to remember that blogs generally contain the happy, beautiful parts of life and not always the messy, ugly parts. You do a great job of showing us both…. inspiring your readers to be better, but also relating to us on a very real level. P.S. I love the pictures… they remind me of my own home! :) Dinner scraps from three days ago on the floor, cheerios everywhere, dishes piling up, laundry waiting to be done… sometimes those things are necessary in order to focus on what really matters.
I’ve been asked “How do you do it all?” more times than I can count, and I was a math nerd… I try to answer “I don’t” because that’s the honest-to-God truth, I just don’t do it all. I do some things on some days, and some other things on other days, but I pretty much never even come close to doing it all on any given day- there is too much to do, at least if you look at my lists. I should maybe start by making shorter lists, then I’d have a better chance of getting closer to doing it all, though I may only end up fooling myself…
I’ve even started a post entitled “How I Do It All” to explain this very phenomenon… I haven’t had the gumption to finish it, but you may have provided the nudge I needed to do just that. To finish it, not to do it all… ’cause we both know that isn’t going to happen any time soon, in fact, I rather doubt I will ever be able to “do it all”, but if I can do a little more than before, and if I can do what I do a little better each day, ok, some days, than I’m moving in the right direction, right?
Excuse me, I need to go make my bed now…
and sweep… again…
I’m excited for next week! I need to clean out & organize my spare bedroom. It’s a wreck!! So yay so excited! & don’t fret our house is never perfect for longer then a day and we don’t even have kids. It’s hard to keep absolutely everything picked up. Recently what I’ve been trying to focus on is just making sure the house stays presentable not perfect. I hate when guests come and I’m a sweaty mess by the time they come because I was cleaning and throwing stuff in closets lol.
This post made me laugh. I can totally relate to all of it. I have a hard time not making everything seem pretty and perfect…even though its not even close. I guess I don’t want to always seem like I’m complaining about something but there should be a happy medium. Great post and a reminder that everything is not as it seems!
You’re so raw, so real! I {big puffy heart} you! Thank you for your honesty (on several occasions).
My dear Allison,
You may not realize it, because I can totally see the same perfectionist in you that I have in me, but you really do a REALLY REALLY GOOD JOB!!!!!
I WISH my counters looked like yours. I don’t clean the kitchen. My husband takes that job. He’s not that detailed, and doesnt’ mind dirty counters. The only reason I do laundry is because Monday morning I realize I have nothing to wear to work (and then proceed to do the sniff test for something to wear). Our bed is never made. We figure no one goes in our room but us and the dog, right? Why bother? (Although I have to say- Mike works night shift. He sleeps while I work, I sleep while he works. The bed is rarely empty). And we’re not going to discuss the bathroom. It’s just gross.
I think you are rather hard on yourself sometimes, and I think it’s important that us “friends you haven’t met” remind you that you are VERY GOOD at what you do. You’re just not perfect, which can be EXTREMELY frustrating. I spent a good few months after marrying Mike blubbering “Are you really happy? I’m so horrible at this ‘wife’ thing!”. I honestly didn’t see it. How could he be happy with a wife who couldn’t keep the house spotless? Or remember the laundry? Or who impulse buys?
Of course, it is always nice to see someone isn’t perfect. We try our best to hide our flaws to avoid embarrassment. Sometimes it’s nice to see someone confident enough (does that conflict with what I just said above?) to post their flaws. Anyways, the point is I think you are really an awesome person and I hope you can see that as much as we can. ;)
Thank you so much for your honesty! I love to hear that everyone else is not as perfect as they sometimes seem! So I guess I’m not the only one who has dirty dishes and laundry laying around more often than they should be. :)
Thank you for being so honest. I feel much much better, and much more normal. :-)
that was great! you are so open and honest! i laughed when i read that about your toots because you don’t seem like the tooting type :)
congrats on being a finalist!! i hope you win!
i always come away form here inspired even if it’s just to try to keep my floors as clean as yours. now that i know yours aren’t always spotless, i may let it go for while! only kidding!! i can’t stand all the dog hair on mine!!
LOL :) I haven’t even read the post but skimmed it quickly and caught the part about the muffin top :) I needed that laugh…’cause even though I’m pregnant I still got muffin top :)
I ADORE that you are keepin’ in real. That’s the only way to be.
And congrats on your BlogLuxe nomination! So fun! :)
Let me just tell you, your countertops look a sight better than mine right now! Haha! There just really is no way to “do it all” and it’s great that you made it a point to talk about it!
This is one of my favorite posts of all time! I think it’s so hard to keep things perfectly “real” on blogs where you want to show all your favorites off. But sometimes, just letting people know that things aren’t always what they appear to be is all it takes.
Congrats on the Nom-ination! I am hoping your Organization week gets my butt motivated!
xoxo
Hahahaha!! I love the keeping it real, muffin top part. That made me laugh out loud. I love the fact that you post about the reality. Because if you were just perfect all the time? Well, it’s just not as interesting. And, I’d also probably get a little stabby. :-)
I love this post. Probably my favorite of all time on this blog. I wish more moms were keepin’ it real. What a weight off that would be!
Although, like others have said in comments today, if that’s your bad (counters and bedroom and such) then I am screwed. My bad is baaaaaad, unlike yours. LoL
I love you. My favourite part of your blog & twitter is how real you are, and how you help me feel like I don’t need to have my crap together all the time either. To the extent that, if I ever road trip down to your town (it’s only 8 hours) I totally want to look you up and drop in on you and your laundry, and maybe even help you fold it.
Thanks for the honesty. Yeah, i don’t think I would keep coming back if you were not this open and real. I want to know that there are other moms like me. Thanks again.
Your honesty is what inspires me to keep blogging, even when its not all rainbows and fairy dust. And congrats on being a finalist! :) That is awesome! Clearly, you are not a failure.
Haha. Great entry. I’m so totally in the same boat. I told my hubby that this weekend we are BOTH working together to clean the house because it’s bad! Last Thursday I had my wisdom teeth out and the hubby was sick with a stomach bug and then got staph infection in a cyst on his head (long story, but he’s good now)…so I definitely wasn’t cleaning, and he well…doesn’t clean much when he feels well, so you can just imagine what our house looks like. Oh, and we don’t have a dishwasher…finally last night the hubby walked in and said “What smells?” – Oh, that would be the dishes! So we did them together before we could sit down and think of something better to do…
Thanks for being honest and especially showing your kitchen counters! Good to know I am not alone!
1. I havent laughed that hard in a while.. about the muffin top.. TOTALLY feel you on that one!
2. I also am with you on the cloth diaper pile.. I mean isnt it just as efficient to use them up one by one from the pile until there gone instead of taking the time to put them together?
3. I am SO glad I am not the only one who has an un-godly amount of reusable grocery bags but NEVER remebers to bring them.. so. anoying.
ps. thanks for keeping it real
LOVE this post!!! If only you could see my house with a 3 year old, 2 year old, and a 4 month old. It is far from pretty most days!
Thanks for being so real to us Allison. I love this post! :)
I love your blogs because you are real, often times i read these blogs where the author only writes about the good stuff..no one talks about the tantrums there kids throw or the arguements they get into with the spouse lol. Know that you are not alone! the first time I had something to eat today was at 6:30pm (dinner) because i was busy taking care of a newborn and cleaning the house.
totally voted for you… good luck with the contest!
look forward to the organization series. maybe ill link up something about travel tips/organization!
It’s nice to be reassured that one does not have to be perfect. I can get consumed of self failure trying to keep things together, which only means for a day! I shake my head many times a day trying to figure out how to stay organized. In reality three kids home all day it just won’t happen! Thanks for your post with honesty and as a reminder.
I’ve had a miserable few days and truly appreciate this post. My laundry from last week is still sitting in the basket by the front door where I set it…. five days ago. Your kitchen looks immaculate compared to mine…. as well as the bedroom. My husband also asks me to clean as a “gift” but he is out of town for three weeks so… there is no gift giving going on around here! And as far as the muffin top is concerned… I’m just impressed you’re wearing pants with an actual waistline, cause it’s all sweats around here!! Keeping it real is quite refreshing. Thank you!
you know what’s funny- i suppose it was shortly after Fathers’ Day that i noticed you started leaving your bedroom door open when i come over! you have a pretty bedroom:) oh and by the by, my floors always sport cheerios in various states of decay! once i caught owen eating something he found in a crack in my wood floor. further investigation revealed a bug and a dust bunny clinging to a very old pasta spiral. in his mouth. ahhhhh! just thought i’d keep it real with ya:)
That was a great post. And soo true. I’m currently NOT cleaning right now (even though I should be because I’m having company over at 9am tomorrow for breakfast) and instead I’m surfing the ‘net posting on random strangers that I’ve never met’s blogs. (My husband thinks that’s weird. I disagree. I think lots of you would too.) Good thing it’s just my good mommy friends coming over. Never mind that I’ve never actually met one of them. I still consider her a “good mommy friend” and there’s absolutely no reason I should make my house sparkle for a good mommy friend. ’cause I’m keepin it real too!
This post really cracked me up – I admit every time I am unexpectedly invited into a some people’s houses I’m always amazed at how clean their houses are. Next time you’re outside pop your head in our house – maybe you’ll get lucky & there will be a sheet of paper on the floor noting “CAT PUKE UNDER HERE”.
can’t stop laughing from this post. your house looks just like mine!!! so glad we can all be real around here. my burps wreak, too. especially because i haven’t even gotten a chance to brush my teeth today. sick.
So maybe I’m not the only one who has crumbs sticking to the bottom of my feet every time I walk through the dining room!
thank you…
Hey, did I write this? ;) I am actually a really organized person but my house always looks like those pictures you posted. OK, it always looks worse. But I have three times as many kids. That’s my excuse. :) Seriously though, knowing how to stay organized is so different from having the time to do it and getting the other people in the house on board! I’m excited to see what you come up with for this week.
I think you just spoke for all mother’s around the world. To an outside it may look like we have it together but on the inside there is a never-ending ‘to-do’ list as well no less than 2 loads of laundry to be folded & put away if not still in the washer/drying (which reminds me to go switch my loads).
Underneath all of our clutter (not mess), you will find happy children & happy families.
I love this. People sometimes say that to me, too. It’s interesting how we project onto other moms our fanstasies that others are doing it better than we are.
And by the way, I do think you blog is very well organized. Perhaps someone (okay perhaps it was me) was confused by the category and nominated your blog because it is easy to navigate, with nice topic labels, menu bar, etc. But I will watch your organization week with interest. :)
Yay for honesty! I hoped you didn’t have it all together. Otherwise I would be compelled to believe that you aren’t real. :)
You inspired my post today… http://www.thislongroad.com/2010/07/inspired-by-others-before-me.html
I read your blog for the first time today and think you and I would be wonderful neighbors. We could walk into each other’s home without being concerned about the mess…I will certainly be reading you daily!!!
Can I just tell you how much I love you right now for your honesty! :)
It is so refreshing to hear HONESTY come from other moms! You are a great source for that! :-)
I think women in our generation tend to take more time being MOMS rather than HOMEmakers, which I agree is MUCH more important than washing every dish as it hits the counter or having immaculate, dust-free end tables. We are blessed to be home with our children while they are young, and that’s a very short amount of time so I’d much rather embrace them while I can. Kudos to you for “keepin’ it real”! :-)
I love this post. Thanks for keepin it real:) It’s hard to do in the blog world!