The Roanoker - January/February 2020 - 13
CHRISTY RIPPEL is an award-winning freelance writer, covering lifestyle, design,
health and parenting. A VT graduate, she likes to bike and walk local trails. When
she and husband Chris aren't watching the Hokies, they watch their four kids
compete in sports. Christy is a Maryland native and lives in Roanoke County.
out of plastic Tupperware containers because all the
bowls were dirty.
In 14 years of momhood, I've mostly accepted that
life with kids has to find the middle ground. There is
no perfect home, and there definitely isn't when small
people live with you. But giving up isn't a great option,
either. You've got to decide what level of order you can
truly reinforce and what matters most to you, and let
the rest go. You can deal with toys littered across the
floor, but the throw pillows have to be just so? Great.
You can abide toothpaste all over the sink, but a huge
laundry pile makes you crazy? Go with that.
Even when you have your priorities straight,
surprises of the messy variety are still going to sneak
up on you. We've got a stain on the ceiling from the
time my six-year-old was left alone in the upstairs
shower and got most of the water on the bathroom
floor (drip, drip). We've got blue and orange paint
flecks on the kitchen table from when my daughter
used the contraband art supplies with the babysitter
(those aren't washable paints, my love). We have a
graveyard of broken lamps in the storage area, and I'd
bet you a date night with a free babysitter that my kids
have hidden destroyed home goods that I don't even
TheRoanoker.com
know about, and am too tired to remember that I own.
Water is going to drip through your ceiling, moms,
real or proverbial. Something you own is going to get
paint on it. We try our best to instill the lessons in our
kids-don't be a slob, clean up after yourself. Have
respect. But I hope they also learn that mistakes will
be made. You clean them up, you learn what not to
do, you move on. Sometimes mistakes leave a mark.
Perfection isn't a worthy goal, at home or anywhere
else.
I try to enjoy my house tours more now, and
compare less. House tours are like Instagram-it's a
highlights reel, it's the best filter that blurs all the
blemishes. All of the bad stuff is hidden in the closet.
There will be a season of my life when my house
can be shiny and clean, if I want it to be that way, and
I can ditch my minivan for something two-seater and
sporty. I'll sit on my white couch in the silence and
miss the sound of muddy cleats, clomping across the
floor. I'll probably wonder what the kids are doing,
and why haven't they called?
Show me your own graveyard of broken lamps
at @crippel on Instagram or send me an email at
christyrippelwrites@gmail.com. I -CHRISTY RIPPEL
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020
13
http://alcova.com/jbailey
http://www.TheRoanoker.com
The Roanoker - January/February 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Roanoker - January/February 2020
The Roanoker - January/February 2020 - Intro
The Roanoker - January/February 2020 - Cover1
The Roanoker - January/February 2020 - Cover2
The Roanoker - January/February 2020 - 3
The Roanoker - January/February 2020 - 4
The Roanoker - January/February 2020 - 5
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The Roanoker - January/February 2020 - VL1
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