“I wish my bathroom looked liked yours” a friend said as she sat back down on my couch. I gave her a weird look. She continued “you have bath toys and a stool for Harper to wash her hands. I cannot wait for the day when we have our bathroom looking like that.” When I see our bathroom, I see bath toys that needs to be put up in the bucket and a stool that I trip over when I’m giving the girls a bath. Why would anyone want our bathroom? and then it clicked. My friend and her husband have been trying for a few months to get pregnant and little things, like bath toys, mean babies in the house.

I look around our house and see one big advertisement for toys r us. We have toys, baby bouncers, small rocking chairs, a small trampoline, just stuff everywhere that belong to our kids. I often wish our living room was spotless and looked like something from a magazine. Now, what if my house was spotless? What if my house DID look like something from a magazine? Would I be happy? Would I be so glad there are no finger prints on the mirrors? Would I love that there is nothing to trip over or step on? Would I enjoy the quiet and finally have time to read the book that’s been on my nightstand for a few weeks?

No, I wouldn’t.

The mess means kids. The mess means children playing. The mess means a toddler decided to put their sippy cup on the entertainment center because that’s where she could reach. The loud TV means a kid is watching Mickey Mouse and singing a long. A mess means my 3 year old ate half of bag of gold fish but put it down on the couch so she could push her sister on the little play car. Oh and the laughs. If it was quiet, there would be no giggles or laughs from daddy tickling them or their daddy giving them a piggy back ride around the house. There would be no dance parties in the middle of the living room to the song from trolls. There would be no life. No joy.

We often think the grass is greener. I know there will be a day when our house will be spotless and quiet, but now, I will soak up all the craziness there is. There was a day when I couldn’t wait to have kids and dreamed of what our house would be. I sometimes forget how happy and blessed I am when I cry over spilled milk (literally).

A great quote to remember:

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for”