Monday Must-Haves & A Reality Check

YES, life is crazy and NO, my house is not always perfect. Like almost never perfect. Except when I am photographing it for the blog or having company over. And even then it depends on the company whether or not I actually clean too much. Scruffy hospitality is my new favorite. You know the people in your life that you invite over when you kind of don’t even feel like being social or you kind of don’t even feel like brushing your hair? We call those friends “the people we do life with” around here and I throw on a baseball cap, make sure dirty clothes aren’t scattered about and do about a 20 minute “pick-up”.

I get asked a lot about “doing it all” or “how I keep my house so clean.” Well first off, I definitely don’t do it all and second, my house is definitely not always perfect. If I am being completely honest, I have to admit that I am just naturally a neat freak and I do tend to try and clean as I go. Which is SO much easier than doing it all at once. BUT “perfect” rarely happens around here. I think perfect is near impossible with kids. Although I absolutely do believe that once they are old enough, they can help as much as they can make a mess. Okay maybe messes happen a little more, but honestly now that my kiddos are older, having their help around the house has been life changing. So with that said, here are my ‘”tricks” for “getting it all done”…

1. Make Lists- Because marking things OFF the list are my favorite.

2. Bulk Tasks- Make lists all week long for everything from groceries to school project supplies to house projects and go shopping ONCE.

3. Get the Kids Involved!- Yes, my girls know how to pick up and they know how to clean. Obviously more Addison than Winter but they both help a TON around the house. They gather dirty clothes… Winter LOVES sorting colors, they unload the dishwasher together… AFTER I unload the knives, they clean their rooms AND their playroom, they clear the table after dinner and Addison actually puts up all of her clean laundry. My philosophy is that if they don’t learn it at home, they will have some very unhappy college roommates and husbands one day.

4. Make Rules- Okay here is my biggie and honestly my personal “trick” to having white furniture and a relatively clean home… I HAVE RULES. We take our shoes off at the door… We only eat in the kitchen and breakfast room… We CERTAINLY DO NOT eat or drink upstairs… We hang our book bags and coats in the mud room… And it’s crazy how in a very short time, it all just seems second nature and normal. Winter even now takes her socks off in the mud room and puts them in a hamper in the laundry room. My mind was blown.

5. Have a Place for Things- I learn new methods almost daily. Like where to put a new toy basket and where we need a hamper. As much as everyone helps around the house, they are still kids (and a man, hehe) so making cleaning a little easier is all the help in the world! I swear by baskets and hampers. We have a small toy basket in three rooms downstairs, three rooms upstairs (not counting the playroom) and one in the basement. Whenever they get full I just dump them in the playroom and the girls help me put them all back. MUCH easier than taking everything to the playroom every single time. And the same goes for dirty clothes. We have cute hampers like EVERYWHERE. Oh and shoe baskets! We have one inside every exterior door plus drawers for shoes in our mud room. But I promise our house doesn’t actually feel full of random baskets. Lol! I’ll post pictures soon!

Whew! So that was more than I planned to write but sometimes I like to take a break from the pretty and the “perfect” to share some real life. So here’s a peek at our house over the weekend that I snapped with my phone AND my fashion must-haves from last week!

Shop Our Home:

AND NOW MY MONDAY MUST-HAVES!

This is seriously the most comfortable “cheat top” at dressing up EVER. It is super feminine and also so soft, stretchy and comfortable. I purchased it to tuck into a skirt at a convention two weeks ago and loved it so much I wear it all the time now! And this is my favorite standard (regular waistband) jean brand. I can PROMISE you that you will be OBSESSED! They don’t grow five sizes when you wear them which I LOVE!

Top / Tank / Jeans / Boots / Bag

I love anything ruffled so of course this tee is a new fave and these new flats are the cutest EVERRRR! I also swear by these pants/leggings but I THINK they are almost sold out. I have two pairs and they are super fabulous.

Tee / Pants / Flats

You know I love cardigans and this one is EXTRA soft and coordinates with almost anything! It’s paired with the tee AND leggings I have been raving about on Facebook!

Cardigan / Tee / Leggings / Flats

This peacoat again because I LOVE IT! And it’s only $37 which is a STEAL!!!

Jacket / Pants / Flats

THE COZIEST JEAN BRAND EVER!! Seriously the pull-up waistband is AMAZING and you will want every color after you wear them once. They don’t have to be pulled up every five seconds too which I LOVE!