embrace the chaos

So, you know how there’s all those moms on the internet talking about how they only “live in the now” and how their houses are messy because they’re “making memories” and blah, blah, blah? I read these posts and I’m constantly like, “YAASS that’s me, too! Preach it, sista! Keep making those memories!”… but I’ve slowly started noticing that it’s a farce. Maybe not so much for them, but for myself. I’ve slowly started noticing that I’m telling my kiddos to “hold on one minute while I finish the dishes” or to “help me clean up these toys before we XYZ”. Rather than just living in the moment and getting down on the floor, I am plagued with the need to CLEAN the floor.

It’s not that I’m some sort of clean freak (seriously, come over, you’ll see). It’s more that as my kids get older, I feel like my house is being taken over by STUFF. Toys, art supplies, shoes, laundry… it’s everywhere. Stuff. Is. Everywhere. And I want so badly to be one of those moms who can just embrace the chaos and roll with it. But… I’m not sure I am. 

When I started thinking about this idea, my initial thoughts were all about how I’m going to just go with the flow and live in the toy pandemonium that is my house. Embrace the chaos. I’m just going to get over it, because in all reality, we won’t have all these toys forever and before I know it, my kids will all be grown, right? I’ve since realized, however, that there’s a fine line for some of us between embracing the chaos and the need for order. While I don’t feel like my house needs to be staged-as-a-museum-clean, I DO value clean counter tops and swept floors. I DO feel more relaxed when there aren’t 5 million toys for me hopscotch around as I move through the living room. 

Out with the old plan. NEW PLAN: purge all the weird half-broken, rarely-used, sometimes multiples toys and embrace toy chaos with less. I’m not minimalism, because I’m a shopaholic and my kids are needy, but reasonable-ism (is that a thing?). Having a reasonable amount of toys. A reasonable cleaning schedule. A reasonable sense to embrace the chaos. Is that too much to ask? I’m thinking it’s doable.

Anyone else with me? Let’s embrace reasonable-ism.   

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