Pressure of Perfection

I have read countless lifestyle blogs showcasing perfect outfits, room designs, organized spaces, flawless DIY projects. Guess what!? It's not that easy!!! I would like to give you a real life look behind the front door of my house because, let's face it, not everyone can afford an interior designer, their dream furniture collection, the entire Fall Fashion catwalk, or even if they can; who has the time to make it happen?!
Some of the ladies I have referred to as friends, although they might have NO clue who I am (isn't the world of blogging and Twitter amazing?!?) have talked about the pressure of maintaining the semblance of order in life, style, and design within their homes, family, and personal appearance as "lifestyle bloggers".
But wait....aren't I claiming to be an interior designer? At least to know what I'm talking about when it comes to organizing?! Sure, but how many people can relate to the "it's so much easier to do it in someone else's house?" philosophy?? **Hand Raised right here!** It's OK if you're too shy to raise yours, I'm not judging. Maybe it's also due to the fact that I have an 11 month old (TODAY! yikes!) daughter, I work from home, we have 3 dogs, four cats, and never ending hair, I don't have a nanny or daycare...Yes, my mom helps out a lot, but when she's around I'm trying to run errands, or get laundry done, or maybe even vacuum. So what about when Dablet naps? Remember that thing called work? I'm trying to get that done! I'm not sitting here inventing new excuses that have never come into play over the countless years of "homemaking", just pointing out that while they haven't changed we need to do something about changing how we manage them.

You've probably seen this floating around on Pinterest or Facebook recently, and I don't think I could find a single person who doesn't agree with this when it comes to their own home! We strap on our super powered cleaning belts when people are coming over and do the impossible. I always shake my head in disbelief at what I can accomplish for the people who say "Don't worry about it, we understand you have a lot going on", and I always end up saying, "I'm so sorry, our house is a disaster" secretly hoping I'll get the, "What are you talking about? It looks great!"

What person out there doesn't dream of having a perfectly organized home? Especially those of us with little "beings" running around on the floor. I recently posted this on Facebook, it's my latest and greatest idea to solve the hair problem in our house:

Yes....I have allowed Dablet to become a Baby Dry Swiffer, and guess what?! It WORKS!!!

I'm looking to take "baby steps" (as well as make some pretty drastic changes around here) to solve the cyclical nature of stuff...clean....stuff...clean.... Here are a few of my latest Pins for "quick fix ideas"

Where are the keys? Where did I put that Coupon that came in the mail? Did I send out that bill?!

Pinned Here

Because a calendar would be nice too!

Pinned Here

I'm currently working on something like this (not as big) for our mudroom, it is currently my favorite project!

Pinned Here

What are your biggest challenges? Do you have a top five trick list on how to manage your time? I think everyone can identify what doesn't work for them, but it's often hard to look at what is working when you feel like you're stuck in a cycle! I will, of course, post pictures of my own home before and after shots to show you that no matter how crazy your life is, you can make progress!

Happy Tuesday!