Our Leftovers Messy House Silly Dance New Year's Eve Party

I couldn't talk Quinn into wearing pants with her tunic (it's not a dress, Quinn).

Or talk Eli out of wearing his sister's camisole as a shirt.

I thought all day about straightening the house. Because Christmas. And clutter. And *so* distracting. But ultimately I knew if I did, there would be nothing left of me by evening. Earlier in the week I received my routine treatment, leaving my weekend energy reserves low. And I was committed to celebrating this New Year's Eve with my Littles. So in the name of conservation, the house stayed a mess.

We pushed the crafts to one side of the table to make room for our little party spread. And while the hummus and na'an were fresh, everything else was leftover.

Leftover party hats and princess balloons dug out of the birthday bin.

Mismatched leftover cocktail napkins.

Pop Rocks leftover from an October birthday party.

Poppers and confetti leftover from Fourth of July.

Candy canes plucked from the tree to stir hot cocoas at bedtime.

I read the other day that having your home "Instagram Ready" is on the list of top, up and coming design trends for 2018. Meaning a photo can be taken from any angle in your home and uploaded to social media as if it's fresh out of a magazine. And while other times I've been guilty of a quick spruce-up or a bit of staging, on this night, our little party was no where near Instagram ready. Even the decorations were scribbles torn from notepads and taped haphazardly to the walls.

On this night, the house was filled with joy and laughter and exactly zero thoughts of Instagram. We danced the silly dances and wore the hats and tossed the princess balloons and made all the noise.

All the noise.

And it was perfect.

How many times have you put off playing with your kids until the laundry is "finished"? (Is the laundry ever finished?).

Or delayed inviting a friend for wine because of That One lingering home improvement project?

Skipped the beach or the reunion because you're not at your goal weight?

Not taken the photo because of the pile of mail or your child's stained t-shirt or you're not wearing mascara? Is it worth missing out on the moments because the house isn't ready? We're not ready? The napkins don't match?

I can guarantee our home will not be "Instagram Ready" in 2018 or any year after that. Because, children. And dog. And cancer. And life. But there will be dance parties. And photos. Plenty of photos. Because, same.