Monday, December 10, 2012

not a museum



I read something on twitter many moons ago that has stuck with me. (I don't know why I have a twitter account. Don't bother following me.) 

A mom of little kidlets was complaining (the twitter people do that sometimes) about how her house was never clean (not for lack of trying, of course). Another mom replied to her and said something like my house isn't a museum. it's a workshop. I get it. As a mom of little kids that enjoy playing and actually living in a house, I get it. We're building things here, people. Futures! Lives! Productive members of society! Mess makers! You get the idea.

My house isn't a place where lovely, matchy, themed items of home decor are on display. It isn't a place where the couch cushions are placed neatly in the corners with that karate chop down the middle. It isn't even a place where you can eat at the kitchen table (because it's pretty much always covered with paper, markers, crayons, scissors, stickers and glue sticks).

I like the workshop idea but as a former faculty meeting goer, I like to think of my house as a classroom. Sure, we're making stuff over here but we're also learning stuff. I'm a teacher and these little kidlets of mine are the only students in my class.

For only the cost of a can of spray paint (because I already had all the other paint colors) I made this wall in my kitchen. I don't really care if it's stylish to have bulletin boards of sight words on your kitchen wall. I like it. Danny likes it. When he comes to the fridge to get a snack I have him look up there and read three blue words to me. Or four red ones. Or two orange. Quick and easy.

The old blue window holds his reading chart, his ABC chart and usually the chore charts. They were being updated when I took this picture. The frame by the phone is just for me to write things I need to remember. And that chalkboard is my favorite thing up there. That was in the back garage. You can see the before picture in this post of before pictures that I wrote over two years ago. It took me two years to get around to spiffing it up and taking an after picture. Two years! That's a little depressing but I'll try to just be happy it's finally done and move on.

If Dan would let me I'd turn one of my completely empty dining room walls into a giant whiteboard. I think that would be incredible. Can you even imagine what genius children I'd have if I could have a giant whiteboard in our dining room? I'm talking floor to ceiling. A girl can dream.

My house might not be big and fancy but I don't care. It used to be a museum. Never messy. Dishes washed every day. Beds made. No sticky floors. Heck, the windows even used to be clean. But it was a house without kids.

I'm doing my best to accept the messes because we've got learnin' to do. Plus, I wouldn't trade my kids for karate chopped couch cushions and clean windows are highly overrated.

4 comments:

Marisa said...

You are such a teacher. Look at that calendar! Straight lines, perfect numbers, perfectly spaced and sized letters. I love it!

I want sight words on my wall. I've been thinking about getting some of those magnetic words (do they still call it magnetic poetry?) for my fridge for the kids to play with, but then we'd lose valuable art display space.

My house looks somewhat visually clean for 5 minutes before guests arrive and 5 minutes after they arrive. The rest of the time there are works-in-progress on the tables, desks, floor, shelves, kitchen counter. . . you get the picture. I dream of a minimalist, museum-like home, but I don't think it will ever happen. It probably shouldn't. Mess is proof of life.

colds1 said...

For $25 I can get you a 6x4 white board ... might not be floor to ceiling, but it is pretty darn cool (if I do say so myself!). And I LOVE what you've done with that little wall space - practical and totally cute!

Hunnygrams said...

Ah Marissa, you have given me a great thought. There's a lot of life in my home, I guess.
Cathy -- Your kids are very blessed to have you and Dan as parents. And my grandsons get to share a little bit of that as your nephews.
Love the space.

Von said...

you already know how much I needed to read this. i would love some chore charts, but I'll be honest my kids probably would never look at them.