Nobody Cares That Your House Is Messy - Host the Get Together!

This may be one of the most vulnerable things I have ever written about, but as a busy Millennial mom who - like most - enjoys aesthetically pleasing things, it is a conversation we need to have.

My home is never clean.

Is it sanitized? Yes.

Is it super cluttered? Also yes.

You see, I homeschool my boys, ages 11, 8, and 3, which means I am NEVER alone, and my kids are ALWAYS around.

Boys are also stereotypically messy, and mine, unfortunately, are the rule and not the exception.

That said, if you come to my home, don't look at the floorboards - they are not clean.

If you come to my home, I swear up and down that it is Nutella smeared on the powder room hand towels and not something else.

If you come to my home, there will be toys on the floor, half-full (or half-empty, depending on the day) cups on the table, and papers strewn all around.

If you come to my home, you will be greeted with a hug, a drink, and a comfortable place to sit and visit.

If you come to my home, you will have a listening ear and, I hope, a place to open up and relax.

A few weeks ago, I talked to a very dear friend about how hard it is to get past the mindset that everything needs to be perfect before you can have friends over - especially if that is how you were raised.

We must get over ourselves: No one cares if your home isn't immaculate.

Moms crave community and having someone to talk to, but we can easily ignore this desire because we are embarrassed about how our home looks (or doesn't look).

STOP IT. NOW.

A few weeks ago, I invited several homeschool friends for mom's night. Here is how my home looked while they were here:

This is relatively clean for our living room, so I chalked it up as a win!

We had a big water leak, so our homeschool and playroom (located right next to the kitchen) are both a messy construction zone… Do I want people to see what looks like an episode of “Hoarders” in real life? Of course not! But seeing my friends and having the pleasure of hosting them was more important than this mess.

Pro tip: Leave the lights in the kitchen off and light candles - it creates a more relaxing ambiance AND masks the clutter in the background once the sun goes down.

As you can see, my house, the clutter, and the drywall can all use work, but do you know what?

None of my guests said anything about it.

I don’t know if they noticed (and if they did, they didn’t seem upset).

We sat around for 4 1/2 hours and laughed, cried, ate, drank, and shared about everything.

It was a much-needed night - and one that none of us would have had if I waited until my house was clean.

Is it humbling to open up your not-very-neat and tidy home? Very much so.

But what our homes lack in cleanliness and perfection, they make up for with warmth, love, and perfect company.

That, my friends, is what matters.