(Yes, we do allow some access to television these days.)
(Probably about one movie a month and some cartoons sprinkled in here and there.)
(Charlotte’s favorite two movies are “Tangled” and “How to Train Your Dragon.”)
(My husband and my father took Charlotte to her very first movie in a theater a few weeks ago even.)
(They saw “Monsters, Inc.”)
(And yes, my living room really does look a bit chaotic sometimes.)
(A lot of the time, actually.)
(Also, yes, my three-year-old frequently goes for several days without a comb ever touching her tangled locks.)
(I feel a bit self-conscious posting these pictures in a public forum where I can be ripped to shreds for turning my child’s brain into goo and living in squalor.)
(But Charlotte asked so sweetly if she could watch Tro Tro, and everybody deserves a special treat sometimes, right?)
(And, well, life just isn’t always tidy.)
(Except that one of my sisters is such a neat freak you would think she came out of the womb with a feather duster – and something tells me that when she has kids her house will always be tidy.)
(And also I have this friend with a preschooler and twin toddlers and every time I go to her house it’s immaculate.)
(So it’s really just my life that isn’t that tidy.)
(I’m okay with that.)
** Charlotte is three years and six months old. Evie is (almost) three months old.
(16) -
Haha! My house is never clean anymore. And like miss joules said, there’s definitely a difference between everyday clean and people coming over clean. So don’t feel bad. Just remember, when the house is a mess, it’s because you’ve been spending time with your kids, which is way more important (at least that’s what I tell myself so I don’t feel bad).
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I’m actually kind of relieved that she gets screen time and your house is a little messy, makes me feel like less of a slacker.
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I wish more people (sometimes, anyway!) would show their real lives like this. It makes the rest of us feel more normal….ha!
I have like 2 dozen boxes of Christmas stuff stacked in my BATHROOM of all places (they need to go up to the attic), along with a multitude of other random craziness…......with a baby boy due in less than 5 weeks.
ACK!
Luckily my other kids are teenagers and they just stare at the TV already. *grin*
Elizabeth
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HAHA, Elizabeth, we have a pile of dirty laundry on the bathroom floor. Not in the hamper in the bedroom where it belongs. There’s no good spot for the hamper in the bathroom, but invariably that seems to be where dirty clothes land and the hamper is, as a result, almost always empty.
It’s so pathetic.
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Mallory - So if your neighbors mention that there’s been this creepy desperate-looking unshowered mother peeking in your windows when you’re not around, you’ll know why…
KIDDING! I’m too tired to make the drive unless I get to see you and the kids =)
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My house is almost always a disaster! I wish it weren’t the case but it is. So there!
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Don’t feel bad, my Christmas tree is still up! And it’s a real one too! (I feel like conducting an experiment to see how long it will actually take the needles to fall off…)
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Dude, it’s reality. I certainly hope no one judges you for letting your child watch some television from time to time (saying this as the dulcet notes from Mickey Mouse clubhouse lilt up the stairs…). I’m not convinced television is all that bad here and there. ANd we have laundry and books and blocks and floam and the scattered remains of the “nature walk findings” all over my floor (read: 8 billion pine needles) and my three year old is walking around whispering “brainssss” pretending that she is a zombie. Because that’s what her five year old big brother does because his dad lets him play plants vs. zombies on his phone. Don’t judge me. And I didn’t wash the babies hands before I put him down for a nap. Whew. Time to go cut the brownies I made everyone for after lunch. At least they’re Paleo…
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Catherine - Um. We’re supposed to wash their hands before they nap? It’s a good day here if I coax hand-washing out of Charlotte before two meals, forget naps.
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You just made my day. I have 4 year old twin boys and a 13.5 month old boy. Every time I see the pictures you post, I think, I should really keep my house that tidy. But it’s impossible! Unless I don’t spend any time with my little ones. Now I know my house is normal.
Your home is perfect. It’s not even that messy. It’s lived in.
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Hahahahha - hand washing. That’s funny. (J/k?)
I used to pride myself in the amount of TV Jude watched. Very minimal. Then Liam came along… I think it revved up a bit when I went back to work part time in the evenings (husband balancing two bed times), and then grew a little from there. He still watches significantly less than most kids, and goes days without it, but def more than it once was… ::sigh::
... And I’m pretty sure we don’t even own a brush/comb in our house… So, no judging from this corner.
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It looks a lot like my house. There is nothing wrong with a bit of lived in “mess.“ You do live there and who wants to spend all day cleaning when they have two adorable girls to play with? I only have one and I still refuse to clean instead of play. I always say you can see how much fun we’ve been having by the amount of mess around the house.
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I live by the motto “a clean house is a sign of a wasted life.“ I have too much to do to worry about having an immaculate house. And when it comes down to either time with Annie or clean cabinets, Annie wins every time.
As for screen time, we suck. We were good in the summer because we had tons of activities and would play outside, go to the park, etc. But we’ve been leaning hard into the tube lately. It’s gotta stop.
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Such a relief to see that! Sometimes I wonder how people do it. or as we’re discovering putting on a front when company comes over. I would like to be able to pull that off!
There are a lot worse things in life to expose your child to than a few good movies. A wise friend told me, I only restrict tv so I can use it when I really need it. :) -
Isn’t chaos the natural order of things?
At least that is what my husband tells me ;)
Clothed (or not, really), fed, loved? Check!
I think you are doing great.
By missjoules on February 08, 2013
Everyone’s has a level of “Everyday tidy” that they can live with, and then a whole different level of “People are coming!“ tidy. I don’t think it’s fair to assume that everyone who has a neat house when you arrive expectedly will have the same level of neatness if you were to drop by unannounced.
Which is why people should call in advance, Father-In-Law.
Also I think Charlotte is old enough now that you are free from any obligation to feel even the slightest bit guilty about a few minutes of screen time here and there. I absolve you.