Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Warning: My Home is not Perfect

We live in a 31 foot, 20 year old Class A motor home, with NO slide. We don't have friends over much. For obvious reasons. When we do, we typically invite one or two people at a time. Today we were planning to have 3 families over...at the same time! What was I thinking?

Believe it or not, I did not freak out. I am beginning to realize that my home is not going to look perfect when I invite people over. We do have a bit of clutter...a.k.a. necessities...that we just can't find a good hiding place for.

Oh, sure we could store them in the storage units under the camper, but it really is a pain to head outside, unlock the storage unit, dig through the boxes, just to retrieve the math book. No, my children have been known to beg off school work at less.

So, I've resigned myself to the fact that to live practically, there are going to be a few...um...dozen books here and there. And a few extra blankets, after all, it is January and it does get a bit nippy at night. Oh, and there are a few pairs of shoes loitering near the front door because...well...I just haven't figured out what to do with those yet.

And then there's...OK...I'll stop. You get the picture. Our house isn't perfect. But you know what? When we had a stick house or in our case, brick and mortar house, I still found excuses not to have people over. It wasn't tidy enough, the bathroom wasn't finished, my couch wasn't new, I was planning to repaint, you name it, I thought of it and as a result when we found out we'd be moving there were many people that I had always planned to welcome into my home that I just never invited because things weren't perfect enough. And I missed out. So, I've learned.

My home may not be ideal, it may not be perfect, but this is my life. Do my friends really care? Are they coming over to sit on my couch because it's new? Are they coming over to gaze at my freshly painted walls? No. My friends are coming to visit with me. And if they are upset that things are a bit cluttered, I guess they'll just have to invite me to their clutter-free home next time. But somehow I don't think they mind. And the kids? They want to live here!

How about you, do you enjoy entertaining friends in your home? If not, what's holding you back?

7 comments:

  1. LOL! wow, it was like hearing myself say all of this! i have always freaked a little at the thought of people coming over and the house not being "perfect", but I finally learned that Id rather have them over and enjoy their company than worry that my wood floors arent shining (besides, i can throw extra things in a room and shut the door right?) lol

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  2. I could list several reasons why I don't invite people over to our home, but I won't. The main reason is because our bathroom or kitchen or laundry space ia a total disater! With 4 children in our 1200 sq ft house, it can get Very messy Very quickly! But we have had people just drop in unannounced often this past year, and I have to admit I am embarrassed at times. Yet, my husband just tells them, "Sorry about the mess, but we live here."

    I need to work on having a similar mindset. :)

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  3. Kristina, For the longest time if we were having company, I'd shove everything into the closet by the front door and HOPE that the door would close. Imagine my embarrassment when one of the kids opened the door just as guests were arriving!:)

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  4. Jen, I learned from my aunt to relax and just say, 'You know what, my house is a bit messy right now, but I'm sure it will be better next time around.' It really helped me to stop by her home once that was always immaculate and see it actually was untidy once in awhile. You know, if you're gonna actually live in your home, it's going to look lived in.:)

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  5. There were ten of us in a 22' trailer for a couple of years and five of those were adults, so I totally understand. The sooner a person gets past the paranoia, the easier life is, anyway.

    ~ Yaya
    Yaya's Changing World

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  6. I hear ya sista. :) Personally, my house is far from perfect so I don't dare pass judgment on someone else's home. :) Further, I completely understand about trying to find places to stow things in the RV. My husband and I inherited a 1982 class A and there is limited space to store things. :) Praying you and your family are well. Best wishes.

    Kindest regards,
    Brook

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  7. That was actually one of my New Year's Resolutions. I want to invite a family over at least once a month for dinner and games for fellowship. So far I have failed, mostly due to weather. Every time we plan something ice moves in. lol
    Blessings
    diane

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