Tonight as I was walking across our balcony upstairs I noticed my blinds. Nothing irritates me more than blinds that are up like this AND especially
uneven. I felt myself starting to get irritated towards my kids who I have repeatedly told to leave the blinds alone. I then look around the room and notice all their toys and I feel myself getting even more frustrated. As I am about to call them and give them my usual "You have to clean up before you guys go to sleep" and the "How many times do I have to tell you to not touch the blinds speech!" I stopped myself in my tracks. I look down into our family room again with a second set of eyes. This time I see my beautiful cross wreath across the fireplace that was a gift from one of my friends. I see the magic of the twinkling lights on our tree laughing that this was the first year with the kids getting a real tree. Not even 2 weeks later it died so we had to go get another tree and re-decorate it. As cluttered as it looks, I see our Nativity scene under our tv that a dear friend gave us this year. 

I took this photo with zero thought I would ever post it. Like I mentioned up above, how could I?! My house was a mess!!! It had to be perfect for these kind of photos to post on my blog and instagram. I usually go and have my kids help clean up the mess they created and then I take the photo. As I keep looking down into the family room I see Lulu our 9 year old Pitbull that we had a bit of a scare a few months ago thinking she may have cancer, but she did not! I am reminded of how grateful we are she is healthy. Earlier that day we were putting these old school stick on stickers onto our windows and the kids were finding funny spots and giggling on where to put them and that is when it dawned on me that is why the blinds look the way they do. I see the Santa sticker on that window and I laugh. The trucks, coloring books, bins of legos, play sword, stuffed animal, the recliner of the couch that was never put down after watching Elf from having movie night....These things, as I look down on them actually put a smile on my face. For the first time I did not want it cleaned. 

It is Friday night, the first night of winter break and we had just got finished watching Elf kind of late and the kids were tired, so they went to sleep without cleaning. SO WHAT???!!! We had such a great night and I was about two minutes from making them come down and clean and being upset with them about the mess they left. Now I am smiling. They can clean tomorrow. I like the mess tonight. One day and it will be here sooner than later, I will look down in my family room and it may just be perfect, no kid messes, no Lulu, no tilted blinds. Who knows what I will be feeling then. I imagine it may be something a little closer to emptiness maybe remembering when the kids use to make giant messes and not clean up rather than frustration for not having a perfect house. Especially during Christmas time. 

After I take in the silent peaceful night just 6 days before Christmas is here and embrace their mess, I walk into my room and see my 8 year old son set up in my room like he's at camp. He has a huge smile on his face asking if he can sleep in our room. Now, clearly at this point he is not taking no for an answer seeing how he's moved everything in our room besides his "actual room" how could I say no. My room is a mess with all his stuff everywhere and I am not even sure how I am going to get into my own bed, but I wouldn't change that moment for the life of me. 

Perfect does not exist in my house. I do not like a dirty house. There is a difference between dirty and messy. A messy one is how they are making their memories, how they expand their imaginations and not by constantly sitting in front of their iPads or tv. I remember last New Years a good friend was over and he was talking about our family and he said "When you
come to the Redmond's you get the real deal! There may be stuff everywhere and Katie may be a bit quirky but you know you are going to feel comfortable and have a damn good time with real people!" That was one of the most round about compliments ever hahah. I am not going to lie and say it doesn't get to me. The messy house on a day to day bases. I have a clean house for MAYBE like 10 minutes a day...if that! But tonight before I went into rage mode haha I stopped myself and decided to embrace the mess and embrace their 8, 5 , 3, and doggy selves. I need to do this more often. I do not mean live like slobs hahaha I just mean embrace a moment and letting it ride out. The mess can be cleaned up tomorrow. Trust me it is not going anywhere hahah. BUT one day our kids will. People always tell me to enjoy it now because it goes by fast. I can honestly say I am enjoying the ride with my eyes wide open. Just sometimes I have to remember to not drift off into that mind set of thinking I have to have that perfect clean house and embrace what is for now. Three very active healthy children who have imaginations bigger than this universe and want to explore that. I do not want kids that sit in front of their iPads and tv all day.  Sure its clean, but its boring. And it is ok to take a night off from going to sleep with a perfectly clean house. 

So here I am in my bed, as I glance down and see my son's peaceful face, I smile with a full heart. This night was worth every mess I did not make them clean up. The joy of young children is in the air. (Until tomorrow when I am back raging hahahah J/K!)

 Always Thankful, Katie 

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"Start Children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it."-Provers 22:6

"Our house is lived in, It's not for show. If you don't like the mess, you know where to go"

"This house isn't messy, it's custom designed by children."