Have you met Nicole from  Sketch42?  I’ve long loved Nicole’s blog and her gorgeous art.  Not only is Nicole an artist living in NYC but she is also a mom and very fashionable one, at that.  I had a chance to meet Nicole last month while I was in NYC and she was truly lovely.  I think you’ll relate to Nicole’s mess… I know I did.

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Nicole from Sketch42 here. I fear that Trina picked the wrong person to give an inspirational message about Monday Messes. Although, I will admit, Monday morning, after the weekend with everyone home, the house is especially ridiculously messy. I have to say, Im the worst housekeeper/house manager ever. I never imagined that it would be this much work to keep a house just up and running. Before we had kids, I was able to keep it under control, but now, with the kids, the messes are at a new level.

There are mess tiers: Tier number one is just  adult clutter. Every room now has a little landing space where things just pile up. Here is the kitchen clutter space. Obviously, I put all this away whenever people come over, or I take pictures. But here you go, this is what it usually looks like. This is actually a little messier than normal because we just got the mail (something we do only once a week here in Manhattan.)

Tier two is kiddie mess that can be easily picked up, like crayons or projects or toys. Tier three is kid mess that cannot easily be picked up, but that is kind of funny and amusing in some way. Like an entire bottle of dinasaur sprinkles dumped onto a sheepskin rug? This happened two days ago and even though we cleaned and cleaned there will probably be a sprinkle or two stuck in there till the end of time.

Tier 4 is any mess that smears. Food messes that arent dry. Ketchup Icing. Bodily functions. These messes make all other messes seem like fun. These are the messes that while scraping out of grout and velvet and woven leather, I wonder: How did I get here? What ridiculous life choices did I make to be in this position right here right now?

One mess I kind of enjoy is the clutter pile on my desk. My desk is lucite, with no drawers, something everyone warned me about. On top of it, I keep a printer, and on that printer I pile all the stuff I use daily. Extra change from my pockets, my sunglasses collection. Random stuff my kids bring home. Old photos of my husband, and my kids. Whatever jewelry I wore the night before, including an ivory bracelet I inherited from my husbands grandmother, my watch, and a coral necklace I got in Croatia. I also LOVE my Albert Hadley dont forget notepad, and the Sharpie marker container I once got as a gift… Behind all of that is a cork board I DIYEd years ago, and an art print of a drag queen that I love.

Ive learned to let go and enjoy it a little bit… My kids are only going to be this size once… might as well not freak out about everything. Right?

By Trina