Is everyone's house cleaner than mine??

When I first found out that I was pregnant, I immediately started researching and reading about every topic I could think of when it came to being pregnant, being a mother, and raising a happy, healthy child.  Which of course led to more and more baby/mama content on my social media feeds.  The first thing that I noticed was that everyone had a spotless mansion, or they had perfectly tailored storage ares or nurseries, and cue my first intrusive thoughts! 

“How do these families keep their homes so organized and clean? How do they never have piles of laundry on their couch, what if I don’t have matching nursery rugs and wall paper colour, what if I don’t fold all of their clothes into perfect little triangles that fit into those super cute honeycomb clothing organizers, what if I don’t own all neutral earth tone clothing for my child, etc, etc, etc.” I feared that I would be letting my child down, ensuring a path to failure and misesry.

The truth is, sometimes our houses are messy. Sometimes they're dirty, but we try really hard to keep them just kinda dusty at best. Sometimes we leave dishes in the sink, and laundry on the bed while you sleep, and the bathroom always needs a wipe. I have LITERALLY never folded a piece of my daughters laundry. It is chucked into a drawer until the next time she poops on it, hung up, or I'm pulling sleepers right out of the laundry basket because I couldn't be bothered too put it away.

As far as the aesthetic piece, if you can’t afford to live this lifestyle (or just don't want to because it's not for you), your child will still grow up, your child will still be healthy and happy, and SO WILL YOU! If you can afford this lifestyle, and it’s something you want, get it girl! Slay, you aesthetic Queen of the gram! Then write a blog about it, because it is just not a skill that I have. My home is lived in, functional, and clean(ish) most of the time. There are definitely more cheerios on the floor than previously, but that's what happens when your child discovers throwing and feeding the dog.

But social media has done a horrible job at making people feel that they are unaccomplished, or not doing a good job at being a parent if they don’t have the matching decor set, or re-painted their nursery and purchased brand new furniture to match the “theme”. 

We were fortunate enough that many people who had children before us were done with a lot of items, such as clothing, furniture, bedding, toys, bottles, and more, so they were able to donate a lot of those items to us, or I purchased second hand items because lets face it, babies and their “things” are expensive! I have always been a thrifter, and love the hunt of going to a second hand store to see some amazing pieces that people have moved on from. 

*Please note, in NO WAY am I saying that if you only bought new items for your children that I think it’s wrong, or making some comment about recycling, or any other judgmental thought that popped into your head while you were reading this, BUT we need to normalize the fact that most people cannot afford to do this for their child, and they will also grow up to be amazing humans.  AGAIN, THIS IS MEANT TO BE A SPACE OF NO JUDGEMENT!!

This is a space to just be.

Until next time,

Not The Gram-Mom (winky face)