The one thing I’ll never compromise on is… having chaos in my house.
Growing up, I lived a pretty quiet life. It was just me, my family and my books. That didn’t really change until I had my son. As any new parent knows, babies can be, how shall we say? Disruptive. My house was an explosion of plastic crap, baby bottles, and two people too tired to clean anything up.
Adding to our general disarray, we had three fur-shedding tornadoes; two cats and a dog. There wasn’t a day that went by when tumbleweeds of hair and dust didn’t roll past my feet.
I tried to keep up, but I couldn’t. The house was mostly clean, but I still had toys, books, and crafts everywhere. I had to choose; picking up board books or playing with my son. Don’t get me wrong, I would try to toss a few things into a basket as we played, but it was never enough.
My kids are awesome house designers.
Soon, we moved, adding to and losing some from our brood. My daughter was born, one cat and a dog died, and we adopted three energetic pups.
In our house, it’s loud. A sample of our symphony…
“Mom! She’s using my Netflix!”
“Well, he’s not eating breakfast!”
“That’s mine! Don’t watch ponies!”
*Sobbing* “Mommy! He hit me!”
“She started it!”
“Aaarrroooo! Bark! Bark!”
“Where is your father? I am trying to make sandwiches. Have you finished breakfast?”
“Yeess…”
“Brushed your teeth?”
“Ummmm….”
“Stop fighting, brush your teeth, and for the love of God, daughter of mine, brush your hair; you look like you’ve been fighting with a raccoon.”
“Grrrr…. Grrr…”
“Where’s Tiny? And, what’s in your backpack, baby girl?”
“Do not put Tiny in your backpack.”
“Meow, meow, meow…”
“Someone let the cat into the basement, and get your shoes on!”
It’s not all bad, there’s also this…
“Daddy, throw me on the bed!”
“Now me!”
“And mommy!”
“No. Not mommy.”
“Squeal… squee!”
“Again! Again!”
“Woooooof!”
“I don’t think Sparkles likes the excitement.”
Or…
“I got the blankets to make a tent! Let’s watch a movie and make cookies.”
“I want the dough!”
“I want the bowl!”
Notice all the exclamation points? Yeah, we’re a boisterous bunch. Boisterous, messy and ridiculously happy. So, come on over. You may have to dust some cat hair off the couch, but you’ll have a good time. I promise.
This post was part of the Finish the Sentence Friday bloghop. There are always fun topics, and I don’t participate enough.
Ponies and Martinis 
Way to embrace your chaos! As a mother of two young girls, we too are a chaos-filled household. I struggle with it sometimes, but I think it’s better if you just breathe it in and go with the flow! 🙂
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Thanks! It’s a challenge, especially going with the flow, but I love it.
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My three year old granddaughter stayed with us this week…our house was like yours..I’ve grown accustomed to the quiet..it’s been fun..but I’m not gonna lie…looking forward to the quiet again
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Silence can be beautiful thing. I know I appreciate it when the kids are asleep!
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Yep, I sometimes stack those books and put away those toys but what’s the point! Chaos reigns, and also tumbleweeds of cat hair. I’m right with you.
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I think I could make a second cat from the hair I find. Not that I need a second cat in my home.
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I’m trying to embrace the chaos as well! I’m reminding myself that a messy house filled with noise is a sign that we are living, connecting, and loving. In other words, doing all the things I want to do with my life!
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Exactly! Sometimes when the house is at its loudest and messiest, I have to remind myself a lot.
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Chaos can be good! It’s clear that the Boy and the Girl are learning what it means to be loved and cherished, and that is what is important!
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Thank you for saying that. I certainly hope they know how much I love them 🙂
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Haha, this is so hilarious! I like the chaos that my toddler has brought in my life too 🙂
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Toddlers are adorably tiny tornadoes 🙂
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You reassure me no end. I lose as much hair as our golden retriever, and the children leave stuff everywhere. Their friends are always trooping in and out – I’m sometimes tempted to check behind the doors in case we’ve missed any before I lock up at night. Bigfoot’s girlfriend has finally got used to the noise and movement in our place – I think that she was terrified the first time she came here for dinner.
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Your home sounds perfect!
I can see how the noise would be overwhelming; I’m pretty sure my mom is glad she can only hear out of one ear when she visits.
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I loved your take and honestly this chaos is what will make us smile when our kids leave our homes for higher studies 🙂
xoxo
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Thanks! And I am so glad I have a *few* years until that happens.
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Sounds to me like a wonderful home you’ve created!
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What’s not to love? – a home filled with happy, energetic people. Ok – maybe the adults need some R&R, but the little ones and furry ones keep everything moving 🙂
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I have four and holy god–I was an only child, so the thing I don’t get is the fighting. Why is fighting fun? I think my children only have two volumes: screaming, and asleep.
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When I get exasperated by the mess and the chaos, I remind myself of how quiet the house will be eventually, and that helps me embrace the Now. Your post was a great reminder of that!
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My poor husband can’t handle noise. Me, I’m a middle school teacher, so I have loads of experience with focusing amidst chaos. I LOVE the banner on the top of your blog!
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As a middle school teacher, you are a saint. You have to deal with drama and hormones! High five.
And thank you! It was a picture I took even before the blog was an idea in my head; it all just worked out very well.
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