Why is it that only one thing can be clean at a time - the house, the kids, or myself - I can’t ever seem to have it all…
But you know what I’ve realized? THAT’S OK!
I know I’m supposed to be a professional on here - a business woman, a business owner promoting my design business, an entrepreneurial mom of two who is supposed to appear to have it all together - to be marketing a design service that seemingly says “you can have it all, too, with the help of Stark Interiors”. Well, that’s the curse of social media today, isn’t it? Beautifully curated photos of our homes, our kids, ourselves. And I’m guilty - if you scroll my feeds, you will probably see just that. You only see what I select to post, and naturally, I only select the perfectly edited photos in hopes of appearing to the world to “have it all”. A beautifully designed home, clean and happy children, and two parents that always have it together, all while owning and operating thriving businesses…
I don’t know about you, but this sounds exhausting and impossible to me. And is so far from the truth! We are all human, right? In the moments that I catch myself scrolling social media and comparing myself - my life, my designs, my business, my children, my appearance - to other posters, I find a way to remind myself that we are all human and no one is perfect all the time. If you can catch yourself, and shift your frame of mind, I promise it will feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders and save you a ton of stress. In short, embrace the chaos, YOUR chaos.
Do you want a perfectly designed home, but have little ones running through it like tornadoes that make this dream impossible right now? Yea, me too. But you know what? Having those little ones was also your dream. And guess what? You made that happen! One day those little ones will be grown and you will have your perfectly designed home that stays exactly as you styled it day in and day out, and you will never again have to run around the house throwing toys back in their baskets before company arrives 😭 even if that day seems so far off right now. So I’ll say it again, EMBRACE YOUR CHAOS. Because in hindsight, you will miss this!
Some days I wake up a little early and get myself ready for the day while enjoying a hot cup of coffee before the girls get up, allowing me to get them up and ready for school on my terms, in a calm and collected manner with their outfits already picked out and breakfast waiting for them on the table. We get to school without any fights or tears, and I am able to come home to an already clean house because I took the time to pick up after the tornadoes the night before, and jump right into work without any disruptions for a perfectly smooth day for everyone. I have plenty of time to get my work done for the day AND plan and make dinner before going to pick up the girls so that dinner is on the table when we all get home…
Other days I’m startled awake by tiny hands tapping my back or “mommyyyyy” being screamed from a crib, throw on the closest set of clothes I stumble on, manage to get the girls downstairs and wrangle them to get dressed while I hurriedly pour a cold cup of coffee and grab breakfast bars for us all to eat in the car on the way to school. When I get home, I spend the next hour or so running around and cleaning the house before I can finally sit down and dive into work. I scramble to find a groove from the rushed morning, meaning I typically work as long as possible before having to go get the girls, also meaning I haven’t even thought about dinner yet. I can chance the girls being able to entertain themselves for a bit while I cook once we get home (HA) or I can order takeout quick before I leave, neither of which is the better option for various reasons…
But tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow we can start over. There will always be good days and bad days. You decide what is worth your time, energy, and stress. Maybe a perfectly designed home isn’t worth your time and energy right now. One day it will be, if that’s what you want, but right now, EMBRACE YOUR CHAOS.
Some days I think, how can I design homes for clients when I can’t even keep my own straight? But maybe that’s why I do what I do. If you can’t do, teach, right?! One day I will have my home all put together with everything in its place, with one cohesive design plan throughout. But for now, I’ll take what I can get, room by room, moment by moment, I will embrace my chaos, and I will share it with you. Of course I will still post the perfectly curated design photos of the spaces in my home that are beautiful, of my client's projects (because they are ALL beautiful 😊), and of my family, but I promise to also post the truth, the less glamorous mess, the chaos. Because we all need reminding that no one is perfect, not even me 😉.
XOXO
Cali
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