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When Damian and I first bought our home together, we had lots of grand plans for it. We wanted to renovate it from top to bottom; adding our own touches here and there. We managed to do a few bits and pieces but mostly the boring things like new electrics and the such.
I have mentioned before that we had planned (and still do plan) to extend across the side of the house to create a large kitchen-diner and to free up our current dining room as another sitting room or a play room for the children. It would provide us with a lot more space and the chance to use the rooms in a much better way. One of the other big dreams we have is for our bathroom.
We did toy with the idea of getting our bathroom sorted just before Mr D arrived, but we didn’t and it was probably the right thing that we didn’t manage to squeeze it in. Our bathroom is a generous size but it is quite dated; the sink unit is old and takes up more space than it needs to, and the shower unit is looking a little tired too. I think when I was pregnant with D I’d have been eyeing up a mobility bath – given how compromised my movements felt as I got bigger and heavier.!
We often spend time leafing through the various inserts with the newspapers that show designer homes complete with designer bathrooms and longingly look ahead to the time when our own bathroom might resemble them.
The reality, however, is that with three young children the bathroom doesn’t resemble those Pinterest perfect ideals, but more of a laundry dumping ground/swimming pool/general mess. I seem to be endlessly wiping down the sink and rinsing out the bath! I went upstairs this evening as Damian was bathing the children and there are pools of water on the floor, random toys and the such in the shower unit, on the tiles and in the bath. There are damp towels strewn across the floor and garish potty’s stacked in the corner next to the overflowing nappy bucket (which hasn’t yet been washed as, unsurprisingly, my washing pile is also not Pinterest perfect either).
I mean compare the stock picture with my bathroom picture below – the stock picture has a teddy bear in, indicating that there are children in the home. Where are the plastic bath toys? How is it so spotlessly clean and bright?
I look at the bubble baths lined up and the books patiently waiting to be read and give a wry smile – a quiet relaxing bath is rarely achieved these days, no matter how much I might want it!
I follow a number of people on Instagram and it never ceases to amaze me how people have young children yet clean and tidy homes? I dream of a crisp white bathroom suite like those shown on this website here yet the reality is somewhat messier!
Now that Mr D is big enough to jump in and out of the bath himself the puddles on the floor seem to multiply – and when Mr H gets in the bath, well, he kicks and kicks and kicks leading to yet even more water all over the floor – much to his older siblings’ delight.
I flick through my Pinterest boards with all that inspiration, wondering when my own reality might match it. I guess that, for the time being, I will have to make do with the piles of clothes and puddles of water and delight in the fun that a simple bath brings to my three little people.
Candace says
Sometimes its good to image what might be behind the camera! It’s not always what we imagine
Scott Taylor says
My bathroom was nothing special back before I sold my house. Had to be repainted and retiled to make it look more presentable to potential buyers. The original tiles were not perfect and remained up 7 years after we moved in. The seals around the bath had eroded away from the wall and the shower curtain kept falling down lol. You could say my bathroom wasn’t Pinterest-friendly either.
Julie Porter says
Dare I say that those Pinterest perfect baths pictured where people have children have been professionally cleaned and styled prior to the photos? I remember the way my bathroom always looked when my four were young and I would not have been taking pictures and posting them online, that’s for sure. However, I guess I would rather have piles of toys and damp toys and happy children than a picture perfect bathroom. There is time for that when they are grown.
Ana De-Jesus says
Haha this sums my life up perfectly, I will never be pinterest worthy but that is ok. After all there is no fun in not having a house with character and a little mess is never any harm!
Sarah says
Haha. This is so me. We had our bathroom renovated last year, it looked amazing!! For about a day. Then aaaaall the plastic toys, cups, sponges came back in!
Rebecca Smith says
I totally get this – I would love a Pinterest perfect bathroom but it will never happen!
wha2wear says
lots of the things that we see in social media are not realistic or they are really prepared for the picture. I think your bathroom is really cute, colorful and alive 🙂 x