The Real ChezDDD

Well, it’s the start of a new week over here and a big one! Today, my oldest is starting kindergarten. Oh my goodness that is absolutely crazy. It’s been a really stressful and busy few weeks around here as we squeeze in the last few summer trips, late nights outside, getting ready for kindergarten, the start of activities and a ring in the busiest time of year for the blog! Whew, I love fall but this one is going to be a crazy one.

All this to say, I have been running around like a crazy person and my house is nothing of what it looks like on the blog these days. I think sometimes people forget bloggers are normal people, with normal little kids and normal crazy lives. I often get asked, “how do you do it all?”. Newsflash, I don’t. At all. There are times when I have a really messy house. But that means I also have a ‘lived in’ house and I’m Ok with that. It means the kids have been having fun, we are busy living life and making memories.

So to keep things real around here, I teamed up with a few other bloggers who have little kids to bring you the ‘Keeping it Real’ blog home tour. Yup. You get to see what my house looks like on an average day. On Instagram I use the hashtag #Chezddd to capture all the photos I post of our home, but today you are getting a different, behind the scenes look of it.

Welcome to our ‘lived in’ family room. We have a no-toy policy in our family room (can you tell?). We actually try super hard to keep our downstairs picked up and toy free. The kids have the entire upstairs to claim, so we like to have some space that is clutter free. However, it was recently my son’s third birthday so his new toys are were put together down here and stayed here.

Annnnnd this time mom has been making the messes because I’m getting ready for fall home tours so all my fall pumpkins and decor are out and being rearranged and played with. It’s been a huge fall explosion. I’m happy to say that since I took these pictures, I’ve made a lot of progress with my fall decor. It’s just about done!

Every other Tuesday is the very special day of the week where our house cleaners come over and do the dirty work. See, I shared another secret with you. I have help! They just do the bathrooms and floors and cabinets, but that helps me out A TON. It’s worth every penny. That also means, every other Tuesday is family pick up day. The entire house needs to be picked up. And honestly, sometimes it takes up the entire morning.  So I took my pictures for the tour right before we did a major pick up of the house. When it’s at it’s absolutely worst.

And naturally as I’m taking these pictures, my son decides to bring in a sleeping bag from the garage into the kitchen just for fun.

These. These are all.over.the.house. Ahhhhhhh!!!!! Ok so I think Shopkins are super cute, but they get everywhere and my daughter is obsessed with them. I find these things on my table, in my windowsills, in my bed, under the car, in the car. EVERYWHERE. Can anyone else relate?

And given the nature of blogging and doing product reviews with the combination of being obsessed with Amazon Prime, our front entryway is constantly filled with boxes. This was a light day. 

Welcome to the playroom. It’s the free-for-all room. The room I tell the kids they can do what they want and make any messes they want because it’s their room! I’m surprised the cushions weren’t off because normally they are building forts. It’s also my laundry room, so all the clean clothes get dumped here and I try to chip away at it while the kids play.

See there you have it. My very honest and keeping it real home tour. If you want to see my house perfectly clean, come over every other Tuesday night, it’s spotless….. for about 2 hours :)

Now hop on over to these popular blogs as they share their normal lives!

Chelsea from Two Twenty One

Jenna from Rain on a Tin Roof

Chelsea from Making Home Base

Taryn from Design, Dining, & Diapers

Charlotte from Ciburbanity

Katie from Bower Power

About Taryn Whiteaker

Taryn Whiteaker is the voice of style behind TarynWhiteaker.com (formerly Design, Dining and Diapers) ! Taryn is a previous PR/Marketing professional who got back to her creative roots after becoming a mom and now shares her passion for home decor and design for the world to see. Taryn lives in the greater Seattle area with her husband and three kids and loves coffee, the outdoors, and exploring with her family.