unpublished

Last Saturday all three of my home and garden magazines came in the mail. It was quite a nice afternoon coffee break: perusing through paint colors and wall papers, checking out potted plants full of salad greens, and eyeing up interesting antiques.

Looking around my house, it was hard to not chuckle at the disparity between what I saw around me and what was published on the pages.

The magazines displayed no playrooms as visually stimulating as mine.





No step-by-step instructions on how to make a "crystal" and tissue paper centerpiece.




No kitty-enhanced houseplants.




And not one magazine had any fingerprint-and-dust window coverings.





I have been making attempts to be a better housekeeper lately. There is obviously still room for improvement. Much improvement.

It is my struggle in the never-ending battle between housekeeping and homemaking.

And then you throw homeschooling in the mix...



The difficulty is in finding the balance between having an organized home and making a place for a creativity-filled, relaxed atmosphere, but at the same time not making excuses for my laziness or poor planning.



I can try to make a fresh start and find my style.




But ultimately, this is where life happens.
It will never be perfectly clean, but I want everyone to love living here.


So how about you? Are you clean?
Are you cleaner than me? :)

Do you face the struggle between housekeeping and homemaking, or is it no big deal for you?

I would love to hear your thoughts!