Not your Normal Blogger's House Tour: Real Life Version

I often get asked to share pictures of my house. More and more people ask me to post on the blog a house tour. I've put it off for quite a while. Not because I don't want to share, but because the logistics of it are much more complicated than the average person thinks. Before a blogged, I was just as naive. I thought that these amazing posts came together effortless and without much thought like a person who just writes in their journal or when Donald Trump tweets. Quick and easy peasy! I mean, sure, someone will just take a few Iphone snaps of their house and slap them right up. Right?! WRONG. Wrong, friends. 

First of all, you have to clean your house. Like ALL OF IT AT ONCE. Who does that? You know cleaning every inch of your house when you have kids inside of it is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreos or shoveling snow in a snow storm. Doesn't make sense. They destroy what you just cleaned faster than you can say, "#MOMLIFE" to said kids' father. Or kid's** father if you've got a gaggle of kids and a back pocket full of baby daddies (NO JUDGEMENT). So basically the only possible way you can do a "home tour" for the inter webs to enjoy is to tie up your children (which I would never do DCF. Never.) So that's the first problem. 

Secondly, you have to take out things that make it look like actual humans live there. Do you use a dish towel, chuck that. Nobody wants to see that disgust or your dish drying mat next to your sink either. Do your kids have toys or toothbrushes? Well get those ordinary things out of there. They don't look good in photos. Remove any dog beds, toasters, desk top paper holders, shampoo bottles, or laundry baskets. We don't want to see how you live. We want to see pretty model home decor.

Now, my friends will say, "shut it Candy (or Candace. Depending on how long they've known me)! You're one of them! When we come over there isn't even any sign of children living there downstairs!" And to that I say, okay... you're right. My house may never be actually clean but you can bet your butt it's tidy if we have visitors. And I have styled my house where we can hide a lot of the ugly everyday stuff But still, LET ME LIVE PEOPLE. 

So now you must have your house spotless, your stuff you actually use tossed out, and then you must wait for the perfect lighting! Edits on the computer can only do so well amateurs. You need "sunset light" pouring into your windows. Not directly, causing harsh rays. Just softly allowing ultimate glow. You know when that light happens? The witching hour. Basically, the hour when all of your children physically morph into gargoyles that fight like their in the hunger games in order to be the last one standing by dinner time. Seems totally doable right? 

Don't even get me started on the process of uploading, cropping, editing, and then inserting them into a blog post. That's just stuff that only rocket scientists are qualified to handle. Trust. Nonetheless, I want to provide you a house tour. I love sharing. You love lurking. Really, it's meant to be. 

Let me set the tone for this house tour though. It's not going to look like the others. I'm actually close to vomiting with nerves and embarrassment about sharing this. Here's the kicker. I'M GOING TO SHARE MY NORMAL HOUSE. Like... the kids played all day and I got behind on laundry and dishes and I didn't make our bed. I walked around our house in normal lighting and I snapped pictures. WALLAH! 

I was seriously tempted to even clean up my messy so y'all didn't think it looked too messy. Kinda like cute messy, but not like, "dang call hoarders and fumigate the place messy." But let me tell you about a real unfolding moment I had. What kind of "me too" do I offer if I share you only the best version of me? My home? My life? My family? My parenting? Why do we feel the need to "clean up" our real authentic selves to be presentable? I've been called to share "normal". 

I've been hearing a lot of talks on podcasts and reading some books that mention vulnerability lately. It's hit home with me since one of my core beliefs and reasons for starting "Making Me Too" was to gift others my vulnerability. What I always hope, is that by sharing my real, raw, and honest truth in life and feelings, that even just one of you will feel not alone in yours. Pretty deep for some pictures of my house Huh? I just can't help it y'all. My soul is deeper than an endless bowl of pasta. So what the heck I've stalled long enough, here we go! 




Well there ya have it, folks. My messy, normal, everyday house that is filled with love and laughter, three kiddos, and three german shepherds on the daily. I'll share a cleaned up and pretty version of it sometime soon but until then, just enjoy the fact that whenever you feel like you're behind on cleaning... just think back to these pictures. I'm going to keep telling my husband it's not "clean" but sub-par because I really need to be relatable for you guys here on the blog. ;)