What I am, is a normal mom. Living in a normal, 3 bedroomed semi-detached house. A rented house. One that we've lived in for over 3 years now, but don't own. And have no desire to own. If I was ever to buy a house, it wouldn't be this one as it's not ideal for our needs in some ways and if I was to make a permanent commitment to a house - I'd want different things.
I don't mind renting. I know a lot of people act as though it's the most irresponsible thing in the world to do, but it suits me. My parents owned our home growing up and I remember them always being pretty stressed out whenever various things would go wrong with it and need repairing - I like the fact that I'm not financially responsible for any problems that arise in this house.
Like a few summers back when the kitchen ceiling collapsed out of the blue - all it cost us was a call to the landlord, and within a few days it was sorted out.
It also means we can up sticks and leave whenever we want - something which really appeals to me, as somebody who gets bored staying in one place for too long. I don't fancy being tied to one place. I like to have options to come and go as I please somewhat.
There are, however, downsides to renting and one of the biggest ones for me is that I don't feel like I can put as much of a stamp on our home as I'd like to.
I do bits & pieces, but I can't really do much in the way of decorating - I can't take out walls or make rooms bigger, or overhaul the garden.
As a mom of 3 little boys who are spoiled rotten with gifts by family members every birthday and Christmas, and who own a lot of "stuff" - I also have the issue of clutter. A LOT of clutter. And no matter how often I attempt to declutter, there always seems to be so much of it left.
So in short - our home never looks quite the way I'd like it to.
But there are little bits & pieces of it that I do like, and it's not the size of the rooms or the sea view or the bay windows or anything like that. Its the tiny little touches, the little injections of personality. To me, those are the things that make this space our home.
So today, I thought I'd share some of my favorite little corners of our home with you - they really are some of the simplest and silliest things, but they're what makes it home to me.
I told you they were silly things! I'm sure not many people would look at this and think it was anything special, but I've had this little door hanger sign since I first moved out of home. I was given it as a house warming gift by my sister, and I just loved it. I've always been a sucker for fairies...I'm one of those irritating grown ups who insists that fairies are real! And so I just loved this.
It lives on the end of my bed, and I fully intend for it to live there until the day I die!
Another odd little thing to have so much love for are these faux books - they were a Christmas gift from my mom and they're actually storage boxes. They house my favorite photos, and some other little trinkets - and they're just so handy and functional, but also so pretty to look at. I love them! I also love the little copper planter from Primark too - I don't know why, I just think it's so cute!
Something that people always comment on when they see my Instagram stories is my Unicorn bedding set. I know its totally juvenile, but it is such a mood lifter! Anyone who knows me knows that I'm obsessed with unicorns and rainbows, so this is just the perfect bedding set for me. I do have other more grown up ones of course, but this is my favourite! Luckily Jon is happy to go along with whatever I like when it comes to home decor!
I do think it might be time to invest in a new memory foam mattress though. Ours is a few years old now, and I think a new one would be a nice treat. I've seen some great prices advertised with Mattressman so I think I'll be placing an order soon!
Another little obsession of mine is cushions, I can't have enough! I have my eye on some lovely new mustard and gray ones, I could happily buy new cushions every month!
One part of our house I do really like is our kitchen - it's absolutely tiny, you couldn't swing a cat in it but I love the style of the cupboards and walls. Its the one room in the house that is exactly as I would choose to design it myself. I also love my baby pink kettle and microwave...I chose pink kitchen appliances when I first moved out of home and have never changed my kitchen colours since!
Tyne's bed from Noa & Nani is another of my favorite things in the house. Although I have to admit, I love it less when its time to change his bedding!!!
And finally, I thought I'd show you one of the things I like least of all in the house - just to balance things out.
This sofa drives me absolutely mad - the cushions never seem to sit right and although I loved the color when I bought it, I HATE it now. But as much as I really want a new one, is there any point in getting one while the boys are this age?! It's only going to get destroyed and so I'm trying to wait a little while.
So there we have it, my favorite corners of our little house. We're going to be doing a bit of an update on the dining room/playroom and updating Sailor's bedroom from nursery to big boy room over the next couple of months so I'll share some updates then if you're interest in room makeovers on a budget.
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