Domestic bliss... or is it?

So here I am.....

Mid-40s, husband, 2 kids, 2 dogs.

Nice house, lovely part of the world, good job.

Lucky me.......

I'm going to let you into a secret..... everything isn't perfect. I've always got a huge pile of ironing waiting for me in the utility room, and the washing baskets are never empty, no matter how much washing I do. And don't even get me started on the state of the kids' bedrooms.... mums of the world, I'm sure you know where I'm coming from. Untidy? Health hazard, more like.

But over the last year I  experienced a revelation. A moment of clarity, a blinding flash of reality.  Now I know that it doesn't have to be perfect, that perfection only exists in glossy magazines with the assistance of stylists and countless other assistants. Some might call that cheating. Me? I would say they are lying.

Ladies, why do we beat ourselves up trying to aspire to a completely false illusion of perfection? Are your kids happier if the living room looks like the pages of a Sunday supplement? Do you feel a better person if your kitchen gleams with the help of the latest miracle cleaning product? Tell me, just how white are your whites? Bright enough for the neighbours to see?

I was thinking about this as I dashed round the supermarket last night, after a busy day at work. It was no.2 child's birthday, and I needed to buy a birthday cake. Too busy to make one, of course..... more guilt... anyway there I was down the bakery aisle. I also needed some bread rolls - but there were so many, it gave me a headache just choosing one type over another. So I bought 2 types...... then felt rubbish because I couldn't choose between 2 bread rolls. Then it was the shampoo aisle.... aaaargh, too much stress!!!!

WHY? Why do we need 25 different shampoos in one shop? More than a dozen types of bread roll? 14 washing up liquids, 9 different dry dog foods, even nearly a dozen types of toilet paper for goodness' sake!!! On the way home, I started to think about choice. Is too much choice a bad thing? I'm still thinking about it today.

Oh well, time to sign off. I need to go and put the washing on. I hope it's white enough to hang outside.....