Occasionally a reader or mom I know will say to me, “Your Happy Buddies are so lucky to have a mom like you!” or, “I’ll bet it’s just so fun living in your house!”
These kind of comments usually make me cringe because if y’all only KNEW! 🙂
There’s one other comment, though, that really gives me a twitch and that’s, “Do you do ALL of the ideas you post?”
Mommies, hear me out.
I’m just like you (with the exception of fairy wings and an absurd amount of glitter).
I am busy, overwhelmed most of the time, forgetful, easily given to impatience, I serve chicken nuggets for dinner more often than I care to admit, and my house is forever looking like something akin to what’s happening on the bottom of my oven.
I seriously finally broke down this week and cleaned our bathroom because it was becoming hazardous to our health.
When I do get a spare minute to craft, either the Happy Buddy is at preschool or he is deciding that he doesn’t want to do any of the crafts I suggest.
He’d rather just sit with a piece of paper, a glob of paint and a paintbrush.
So, with all that said, NOPE – I definitely do not do all of the ideas I post.
I like gathering a million different ideas and putting them all in one place with the hopes that as my buddies grow, I will have a constant source of inspiration whenever I may need it.
Also, Happy Home Fairy celebrates the fact that every family is DIFFERENT. Â What works for some, may not work for others.
And that is always changing as we start and end the various seasons of motherhood.
For example, I know for a fact that as much as I would have loved to dye the Happy Buddy’s cereal milk green for St. Patrick’s Day, he never in a million years would have eaten it. Â In fact, he probably would have looked at that bowl as if the world he knew had betrayed him.
But some of you dyed your Happy Buddy’s milk green AND maybe even streaked their hair green too.
And they LOVED it (and I am so happy that I helped you find a fun idea!)!
Maybe one day it will work for the Happy Buddy, but right now his little 3-year-old-heart needs stability with that daily bowl of cereal.
You have to know your kids and then you also have to know your limits, too.
I’m not going to break my back making a big fuss over something that the Happy Buddy will probably forget in a few seconds.
Case in point.
It’s the night before St. Patrick’s Day.
I realize that the Happy Buddy and I had talked a lot about making a leprechaun trap but it was now bedtime and we never actually got around to making one.
So I slap some green socks on the Happy Buddy and whisper that maybe a leprechaun will visit us anyway.
I wasn’t about to spend an hour using paint to draw tiny little leprechaun footprints all over the kitchen counters – although absolutely awesome (as seen HERE), but I dug through my bin of holiday fun and found a few things.
I hung a St. Patrick’s Day banner.
And I made a small rainbow of M&Ms on a shamrock napkin with a sprinkling of shamrock confetti all around.
DONE.
Something fun for the Happy Buddy to wake up to – something easy for mommy to put together at the last second because, to be honest – even with my blog to keep me accountable – I almost completely forgot!
As you can see, nothing fancy or spectacular goin’ on over here. 🙂
You know what else, though??  Even though I love holidays and all the ideas I share on this site, I have noticed that a lot of our happiest Happy Home memories are not the holiday crafts or holiday decorations, or grand holiday traditions, but they are found in the tiniest little things in between the holiday magic (which don’t require a website for help).
It’s when I snuggle my boys a little longer before bed, or read them an extra story, or take them on a long walk, or start a tickle fight, or randomly shout, “OH NO!” in the house and then when I have everyone’s nervous attention I say, “Mommy loves you!”
🙂
So, there you have it, friends!
Just keepin’ it real and keepin’ it simple.
– Julie xoxo
Nancy
March 17, 2013 at 8:58 pmI heart this post!
Susie Wilson
March 17, 2013 at 9:14 pmI love how totally transparent you are. It seems like so many moms are trying to prove themselves to be the “best” or most “pulled together.” I love all of the ideas that you gather together, and because of your blog I have found and used ideas for Teacher Appreciation week, Pastor’s Appreciation Month, holidays, and my daughters’ birthday parties. You are AMAZING whether you do any of the things you blog or not! As a working mom I have so much guilt for not being able to be as crafty or “fun” as I’d like to be. It means so much that you aren’t afraid to admit the same thing, even as a stay-at-home mom. You rock, Happy Home Fairy!
grammasheila
March 17, 2013 at 9:16 pmHappy Honey, it’s the THOUGHT that counts!!
Kim
March 17, 2013 at 9:55 pmWhat a great post! Thank you Julie! Very encouraging! And it made me giggle. :O)
Shara Zgabay
March 17, 2013 at 10:16 pmThank you for all the great ideas and for keeping it real!
venicelmaxwell
March 17, 2013 at 10:49 pmYou’re awesome! Even though I’m obviously not a mom (not even close) I love reading your blog because I feel like it’s so you and I think you’re amazing 🙂 thanks for what you do!
Janna
March 17, 2013 at 10:59 pmThank you for this post! I LOVE having all of the ideas that you share (and we definitely use a lot of them!), but I know that it is so important to not let all of the “good” things in life keep us from doing the “best” things (i.e. snuggling with our children and showing them how much we love them). Today I just let my kids have some rainbow treats, stuck a green smiley face sticker on them before we went to church, and they were happy as could be!!! 🙂
Jodi
March 17, 2013 at 11:02 pmI love love love your blog, and I love THIS post even more! Thank you for posting your honesty! P.S. I LOVE the m&m rainbow!
Jennifer
March 17, 2013 at 11:09 pmI love you!!!! U crack me up!!! Lol 🙂 xo
Megan
March 18, 2013 at 12:00 am{I just found your blog for the 1st time when I one of your St. Pat’s photos on pinterest. I was impressed by this page & your comments.} Very refereshing to see someone so honest (with herself & her readers) about what we can and & can’t do. Your family is lucky, not because you take the time to do the ‘extra’ crafty things for/with them BUT because you know when you shouldn’t so you can spend time with them. Very nice reminder to everyone that we can’t be ALL to EVERYONE – we leave NOTHING for OURSELVES.
Karina
March 18, 2013 at 5:39 amThis is my favorite post ever!
Linda Kinsman
March 18, 2013 at 7:49 amI am so thankful your post was the first I read this morning. I feel better knowing I am not the only one that let St. Patricks day go by without a ton of energy put into celebrating. Thanks for keeping it real!
lacyclan
March 18, 2013 at 8:18 amLove it. It is good to know that the Happy Home Fairy is a normal mommy. I agree that it is the in between holidays that can be fun times. Just having dinner together at our stage of family life is a reason to celebrate, (when we all can be here at the same time). Thanks for being real.
sylena
March 18, 2013 at 8:33 amGod Bless!!! Adore this post! xo
Sadia
March 25, 2013 at 12:01 pmI rarely comment on blog posts (the exception being recipes that I try), but I had to on this one – what a fantastic, real post. I’m a SAHM who’s constantly looking for crafts/activities, but realistically I always find that the days go by so fast that I rarely get any of them done! Your post made me feel so much better. Thank you for keeping it real, and for all your amazing posts!