It’s no secret that last winter was weird. In central Ohio, February had quite a few mid-to-high 60-degree days, and so far, March has had some really cold days. I’m talking like…low teens. My poor daffodils bloomed in February and are lookin’ a little droopy with the colder weather.
But have no fear, spring is here!
With spring comes the urge to purge and make the house warmer and more inviting. It also brings along a “new” sense of motivation. I’ve been trying to work my way through the Declutter 365 Challenge, but it’s been a slow process. The gist is that you take 15 minutes a day and declutter a small area in your home. Seems simple, right? Life happens, though (or at least, that’s the excuse I’m using for myself as I have an abundance of stuff piling up that needs to go to a donation place or somewhere else that’s not my garage), and I’ve found myself in a loop full of excuses.
Also with spring, most people start really transforming their homes with decorations. Luckily for me, there are few decoration-worthy holidays in the spring, Easter being the only one I can really think of off the bat. Normally I wouldn’t give much thought into decorating for Easter, but I have a toddler now. The innate desire to decorate and make things memorable and cute for her – like my parents did for me and my sister – is very high. How do you even decorate for Easter? Do you just put stuffed bunnies and ceramic eggs all over your house and hope the cats don’t knock stuff over or use them as batting toys?
Honestly, I’m not sure what I have in terms of decorations for Easter. I’m lucky that my Christmas decorations are mostly down (there may or may not be outdoor decorations still in one of our trees outside). I think I have some ceramic rabbits in my basement. I’ll have to check. Is it even worth getting out of storage at this point in late March, or do I just say “screw it” and try again for next holiday? Not gonna lie, I’m really leaning toward the latter.
The idea of decorating my house sounds amazing in theory. Making it look pretty for every season or holiday. In practice, it’s really really difficult. A lot of times, I’ll get my small box of decorations out from our basement storage, lug it upstairs, and then lose motivation. That box then lives in our dinette/formal dining room until a week before that holiday, and then I tell myself there’s no point in putting it up just to take it back down. It’s a vicious cycle, and one I hope to eventually break.
Show of hands: who was raised in a household where you had a stay-at-home parent?
My mom was and still is an amazing homemaker. I grew up in a house that was almost always decorated for the season and holidays. Mom even passed along some of her décor to me and my sister as we moved out to start our home lives independently, and each year we typically get at least something to decorate for most holidays. I have a good bit of Fall, Thanksgiving, and Christmas hand towels.
Honestly though, homemaking intimidates the crap out of me. Mom has always made it look easy. Her house is always immaculate (don’t let her tell you otherwise) regardless of what is going on. She watches our kiddo at least 2 days a week. Anyone who has kids or is around them regularly knows what they’re capable of, so that’s even more impressive. Also, with easy access to the internet and TikTok, it’s easy for other homemakers to show off the fruits of their labor, so to speak.
I think that’s why I wanted to start this blog. The internet and social media have a way of altering your perception of reality and unintentionally making you feel a little inferior if your house is not spotless, thematically decorated all the time, or even if the colors of the rooms aren’t fully cohesive. Ours aren’t. I want this to be a safe space, not only for me, but for anyone reading this. I’m a full-time working mom who is usually always at least 3 loads behind on laundry with an unpacked tote of holiday and seasonal decorations on her rarely-used kitchen table. I also have a sourdough starter that I’m trying to keep alive and a freezer full of dino chicken nuggets (let’s be real, they’re the best) and Red Baron frozen pizza.
Thanks for coming along on this journey with me. I’m so glad you’re here.
“The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.”
– Henry van Dyke
The Mediocre Homemaker 