I thought I'd share with you my 'reality'. So often in Bloglandia we sugarcoat, crop and edit until our worlds are lovely, picture perfect illusions. You get glimpses into my home, when it's clean, organized and unfettered by my children's rampage. The truth is that my house rarely exists in perfect harmony and most often it is a chaotic mish mash of Disney Princess toys, tents and Matchbox cars. With the occasional leaky sippy cup or barking dog dressed up as Tinkerbell. So, for all of you who love before and afters, here is one of my Red Room. Strategically hidden behind the large leather couch are all of the toys... isn't it serene and tidy? Note the very intentional photography so that none of the toys behind the couch are visible.
After the hurricane of my 1 1/2 and 3 1/2 year old hit. This is the way it looks most of the day.
Now you know why I take pictures when it's neat. Because it rarely is!
So, here is my reality. :) Bright chaos, in shades of pink and princess plastic. In all honesty, I do love this room. It is bright, full of sunshine and it takes only five minutes to throw all the toys over the couch to 'clean it up'. You can get a peek of my PC in the hutch in the corner. the sun is shining and the snow is melting. What could be better?
xoxo~
Abbie
After the hurricane of my 1 1/2 and 3 1/2 year old hit. This is the way it looks most of the day. 
Now you know why I take pictures when it's neat. Because it rarely is!
42 comments:
I love the dog on the couch, too cute! Nice to know my house is not the only one with toys all over on most days!
Lovely house and more so because it is lively and not embalmed in a cold perfect tidiness. May your kids play all the day.
That is a beautiful room with our without the "lived in" look. Love that wood floor....
The more real, the more lovely.
NICE looking room! I love red (see my "REDnesday" posts), and mentioned your post today in mine!
Don't worry about the mess - we've all been there (and worse, I know)- it comes with the territory!
Your kids will never remember the exactly shade of brown of the sofa, or the name of that beautiful red but they will sure treasure all the hours they spent there...Homes are meant to be enjoyed and you guys are doing just that! :)
It's a very pretty room! How funny ! I think we all have our living rooms like this with kids! I took a picture of my living room a couple days ago and put it on my blog too but I didn't take the before picture!Lol!It's a very happy place you have. Thanks for sharing.
tracy
You are brilliant to create a play corner behind the sofa. What a perfect way to allow the children to play in the bosom of the family and still keep it contained. What a wonderful room, Abbie!
LoL I love it Abbie! This is the best times of your life girl-enjoy it! Who cares about the toys and you are so right it doesn't take long to pick up anyway. I wish I could go back to those days with my kids! Although I have my granddaughter now, it is not the same as having all three of my kids all at once
(& their friends included) playing. Those were the good ole days!
Fun post-have a wonderful day~Smiles~Tam!
Hey that's nothing, you should see my teenager's bedroom, scary.
I love your built in cabinet and shelves.Nice music too.
Have a great day,
Tracy M.
Beautiful room. LOL..Got to love the mess, one day you will wish you could see all that mess, just one more time. Time flies by so fast.
Lovely, lovely room...both the before and the after. I commend you for being willing to share it. I truly enjoy seeing a little "reality" once in a while.
Love the before & after : )
How nice it is to occasionally see 'real life' pics! My house has days when it looks like a tornado hit, and I don't even have small children!!
Have a great day!
Debi
Your "behind the couch" looks just like mine! It really is the perfect hiding place for pink plastic and tulle and magic wands! And for me, it gives one space Zeep can't get into.
It's called 'family living,' my Dear. And it's perfect, either way.
But sure, I agree.... Neat rocks!
Plus, you make it so easy to neat-it-up, with the behind the couch play area. Super!
Aunt Amelia
Hi Abbie, I'm Beth. Thank you for showing us the authentic Abbie. That's what I want to see in blogland. I'm new to this, and although the sharing is pretty, colorful, tidy, and all that, I miss the real side of people.
Maybe this isn't the place to be real, what do YOU think. I like what you say in your profile.
Beth
I keep my grandkids most days and we have toys for them to play with when they're here, so I certainly can relate! I, too, stash the mess behind a couch. We had to move the big toy box upstairs to make room for the Christmas tree this past December and I conveniently left it up there :-) They love to play upstairs anyway. So it's all good.
Love the behind-the-sofa play area!
Isn't it great what a good sofa can hide?
Oh, Abbie! Your house looks like so much fun! Rest assured, my little spot in the world doesn't look any better. Possibly worse! But we have fun, and that's the most important part!
Much love,
amanda:)
HI Abbie, lol, looks like our living room every day!!!!! So you are not alone out there with the messes....I also do enjoy when it's a little cleaned up, as you know it doesn't last long....smiles, Anke ;)
LOVE IT! My kids are the exact same ages as yours (born 12/05 & 1/08), and I rarely show their toys strewn about my house because it drives me nuts having so much mess all the time! I really only feel inspired to snap photos when the tidyness resumes... but you've inspired me. I just might do a similar post on my blog soon. :) We Mamas like knowing we aren't alone, don't we?
Hello:))
How sad would be our homes witout these sweet signs of activity of our children:)))
I like your photos very much:)))
Have a nice weekend!
A lot of hugs from Warsaw -
Alicja
I love love love your blog! You're very creative. I like your song selections as well. I actually performed a solo dance to one of Danny Elfman's songs.
Now that my kids are all grown up (18 and 13,) I do miss the shades of pink and princess plastic, and even those dinosaurs that got under my feet and caused me to fall more than once. Enjoy it! Love the two photos of a "well lived" room.
A house becomes a home when you can write I Love You in the dust!
I luv a gal who is true to her heart and true to others.....still your home is too beautiful even in the chaotic mess, thanks for sharing in a little of your reality!
Hugs Annabelle
What a wonderful room - toys and all.
I love that room both ways! But thanks for being real Abbie. I can tell you from experience that reality is a bit moer boring when the kids move out and the house is always tidy...well ok, not "always" but more often:>)
Your blog is lovely. I just found it from your Vintage link. I have two small children, so we had a fort in the middle of my living room today. I'm glad I'm not the only one whose house isn't perfect. But you're right, it is fun to sugar coat it once in a while. It relaxes the minds eye. :-)
Oh my gosh, I love it, ah the memories!!! But all those precious toys...end up stored, because "the kids" still want them. And wouldn't you know it, my son actually has some collectibles, he's 31 now, so any space you thought you would have, "later"? Ha! Enjoy the ride!
Lived in is better then looked in, Abbie! It's a place of comfort and warmth! :0)
I love it!!! My house looks even worse right now... we have the same little plastic farm and I'm not even sure where most of the animals are! Two toyboxes have been tipped out and it's a nightmare. Bless you for posting!
Me xxx
That's about how my family room looks right now...except no snow outside the windows, thank goodness!!
~ Sarah
[smiling]
Love the before and after...who would have guessed what lurks behind the strategically placed couch!
Tis a lovely room - tidy or untidy! I have 3 blanket boxes/ trunks in my living room - used for chucking toys into but even then, my living room often feels more like a playroom than anything else.
Lorna
A house should be lived in -- although I like neat and tidy, the ability to live in your house is the most important thing!
What a cute post. Your mess is still much cleaner then mine. Sometimes I don't know why I bother to pick up because it all just gets messy again. I decided that on the weekends, I'm not going to bother with everyone home trashing. I pick up on Monday - lol.
LoVe it, and thank you for your honesty, makes me really like you! What a beautiful home...Hugs
Lovely,lovely room!! Clean or the lived in version!!!
Your photo essay made me laugh hard, your comments even harder. Gosh, it was a good two laughs, thank you! As a mother of four, I know what you are talking about. I always dreamed of the "creative chaos" children tend to leave in movies, always great looking, never real life messy. :-(
Oh, I just love this idea! So true, I often move things out of the way for the "prettier" picture, yet the messy pictures are actually so much more telling and interesting!
May I use this idea for my blog, DagmarBleasdale.com?
I just found your blog and absolutely love it.
Best,
Dagmar
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