I loved reading all of your comments on last Monday’s post where I asked you to tell me what imperfections you’re learning to embrace. I was surprised—and reassured—by how different the responses were. From cracked baseboards to baby weight to dirty kitchens to new wrinkles, we’ve apparently all got our issues. And, as one reader commented, it’s so nice when we can all be “real” with each other.
I chose these three comments to receive a copy of the Nester’s new book:
(Winners have been emailed.)
Since we’re on the subject of embracing imperfections, I thought it only fair to share a few things I’m working on myself. Here you go:
That there will never be a day (at least not in the near future) that I can’t gather up a small breakfast buffet just from food I find on my kitchen floor.
But, we have plenty to eat.
That the trade off for having two minutes by myself is to walk back into a room that looks like it was hit by a small—but strong—tornado.
But, they have a grand time being each other’s playmate.
That my five-year-old is perfectly happy to wear this outfit every single day to every place she goes, despite my pleading to put on something else.
But, she does have an incredibly creative mind (with the clothes to match).
That I started removing wallpaper in the girl’s bathroom in January and now, school is almost out and I still have only one (small) wall done.
But, we have more fun things to do, and the kids sure don’t care if they bathe in a room with flowers on the walls.
That my baby belly is never going completely away, and I may wear a swimsuit with a skirt or a funny gathered front for the rest of my life.
But, I have five precious people to show for it.
That I have less and less control of how my kids’ rooms are “decorated”—dolphin posters and dressed-up deer head included.
But, they’ll hopefully remember how much they loved growing up in this house.
That there will constantly be a pile of little shoes in front of—instead of inside of—the cubbies I bought for shoe storage.
But, I’m so thankful for ten perfect feet that can run, jump, play soccer and dance like ballerinas.
I’m not totally there yet, but I’m working on it :) How about you?
Love this!!! So true and so sweet.
As hard as it is to think like that….it really is all that matters…family…love and life! The only people who care what your house looks like is bloggers:) We all have a wonky perception of this “home perfection” thing!
Of all the blogs out there, I love yours the best because you are so authentic. Thanks for promoting gratitude for the good things we all have in our lives and acceptance that there are always things to work on…just maybe not right now.
You are truly blessed Emily :) It can be a struggle to find contentment in the things that we feel aren’t perfect or lack beauty. But the reality is those ARE the beautiful moments in life and the ones that we will cherish long after that must-have trend or the perfectly organized house. xo K
You said it perfectly! Thanks for the post and the reminder that all the “irritations” are actually blessings in disguise :) Love your blog!
Thanks for sharing this! We just bought our first home and I have been agonizing over all the furniture buying, decorating, organizing, etc. and how it will stack up against the blogs. In reality, I should be thankful my husband and I have a home that will be filled with memories- and messes- in our future.
A beautiful post. Emily continue being you, a loving mother and a super cool home decorator.
This was the first post that came up in my feed today, and it was the perfect start to a crazy Monday morning. I’m trying to be grateful for the life I have. After all, it is a pretty sweet one.
Beautiful Emily!!! One of the many reasons I adore you so much!!
What a great reminder today to embrace what we have and to see the little things that make us smile and feel completely blessed! We must have been thinking alike this weekend because my post today is also about seeing life through a different lens! xoxo
LOVE this post :). It might be my favorite post of yours ever! I have had to remind myself daily to just let some of the small things go and know that my imperfect daily life is a perfect family life for me with the little ones who live there too! I wonder if in 18 years when my children have left the house if I will miss the crumbs and legos and fake food on the floor…I’d bet I probably will.
This is absolutely wonderful and brought me to tears! Thank you for the reminder to step back and truly appreciate all that we have to be incredibly grateful for.
Thank you Emily, for reminding us on a Monday morning, when so many people are busy rushing to start the week, what really matters in life.
Such a sweet post, Emily. I often wonder, as a mother of just one (soon to be two!), how you do it and I love little posts like these that keep it real and in perspective.
YES!!! Your message is SO true!!! Such a great read on a Monday morning when I’m surrounded by discarded drawings, toys and mountains of laundry and 2 tiny smiling faces hahaha.
Emily — I just want to give you and those five darling kids of yours a big {{{{{{hug}}}}}}!
Loved every bit of this post! Your children are just so adorable. :)
Well said Emily!!
Love this post… so, so true! Always be happy and cherish the sweet simple things in life because one day you will look back and realized that they were the most precious things that ever cross your path.
I thought the crumbs under the table would go away when our five were grown. Then I found out that two adults do plenty of crumbs all by themselves.
I have to think like you have in this post all the time. Or else I miss my precious present moments with my babies!
Love this! Love that you’re able to see the positive in what you may sometimes think of as total chaos. I need to remember this!
Perfection!
Girl, every twin mama is entitled to owning a swim suit with a skirt!
Such a lovely post. A reminder that it’s so important to remember the things that matter and not become too entirely wrapped up with the things we think of as imperfect. Thank you for sharing. :)
I love how your thoughts led my heart to be grateful for what’s behind those ‘imperfections’! Beautifully expressed!
I love this post! Well said!
Thanks for such an inspiring post–I love how your formatted the “learning to accept portion.” Sometimes, letting go of the small stuff is the easiest way to make room for the big stuff.
This is beautiful! And as a mommy of three I completely understand too. I’m not totally there yet either, but accepting some things each and everyday! =))
Such a great post, E!!! xoxoxo
I couldn’t agree more! It is SO hard though to keep the right attitude and stay focused on what is truly important.
I wrote a post recently on keeping the right perspective dealing with life challenges, here if you wanted to have a look http://milasmilieu.com/2014/04/17/adjusting-the-focus-living-in-the-moment/
Thanks so much for the reminder, Emily!
I just love this post! Sometimes it is so easy to see negatives and brush over the positives! I truly appreciate how genuine your blog is! I needed to read this today :-)
I L-O-V-E the photo of the partially removed bathroom wallpaper. I removed “most” of the wallpaper in our downstairs bath but couldn’t get to the part behind the toilet. We’re planning to put up bead board someday so I just painted the walls the color I’d picked out and painted all around the toilet to get it done. Of course, when we finally DO put up bead board, it won’t matter but for now…do not crane your neck around and look behind the toilet tank. LOL! ;)
I won’t look behind your toilet if you don’t look behind mine in our powder room. Deal? :)
I’m always a reader of your blog, but rarely comment. I couldn’t resist on this one. Those 5 little ones could not be any more precious. I so vividly remember a friend of mine telling me that if she could change one thing about her children’s childhood, she would not be so obsessed about a clean house and let her children enjoy playing…I thought of that often…couldn’t have loved this post more…
Love, love, love this!! So well said and so true. How happy we would be if we could always look at the other side of the coin of our perceived imperfections.