Come on in.

Note:  This post was originally written in January after my kids were sick.  I never posted it.  But as things have it, we are in the middle of a house rennovation project, and this post again feels very relevant.

Two years ago, I would have never done this.  I am about to welcome you into my home as it was last week.  You see, after two weeks of taking care of three children with the flu, my husband and I were tired.  We were tired of the endless piles of laundry to clean, fold and put away, the dirty dishes that seem to multiply on the counter, and the toys that scatter themselves all throughout the house after a hard day of play.  And so, for the week after the flu, we stopped.  At the end of each day we didn't wash laundry, do dishes, or pick up toys.  We, instead, spent time together.  We watched movies, we talked, we drank tea.  We stopped at the end of each day being parents (except when small children woke, which was frequent), and instead we were partners.  While this time was amazing for our relationship, it was not so great for our house.  One word we use to describe this state: Squalorville. 

Normally, this state is short lived and is never, I repeat NEVER, seen by anyone outside of my own home.  But this week was different.  It seemed like everyone chose this week to come over, to come in and see the spectacle of what happens when two parents take the week off.  In years past, I would have been horrified, I would have kept guests on the front porch making excuses why they couldn't come in. I would have run through the house and swept everything into closets.  Not this time; this time I ushered people in. Something has changed for me.  I am not concerned with pretenses, or looking like I have it all together.  I am more interested in being seen and accepted fully.  Some days you will come into my home and see that my new-found love of order and minimalism has taken over and there is space, and some days you will see that I have three really creative kiddos who like to dress up and imagine ALL over the house, and some days you will see that my husband and I have taken a break.

So today I welcome you in, I am inviting you into Squalorville to see what my home looks like when we've taken a break to remember our relationship is more than simply co-parenting, or when we are immersed in the care of a newborn, or when we stop busying ourselves with chores to be fully present with our children.  I am inviting you in to see that life with three small children is messy, sometimes delightfully so and sometimes frightfully so, but this is my life and I love every little pile of it.