Who Am I and What Have I Done to My Control-Freak Self?

Good news everyone! I'm learning to let life be messy! 

Mom is coming today and I'm honestly proud of how messy and dirty the house is! There are cobwebs, dirty toilets, and crumbs on the floor. I haven't made her bed, yet... or laid out her towels. I have huge piles of clean laundry that I will need to deal with later today. The toy room (where she'll be sleeping) looks like Hurricane Double Trouble just swept through. I have ongoing projects for JGP and TABA to finish. I need a haircut.

Heck, even my nail polish is super chipped!

But you know what? I'm not stressed that she's coming and I'm not "ready" :o)

I didn't kill myself to get the house spotless before she got here. And MOST importantly, I didn't yell at Jesse about any perceived Cinderella-martyrdom I was angry about. I didn't get all bossy-pants-cranky-momma with the girls about any messes they were making.

I just did the usual things I do (like caught up on two days of dishes) and a quick blog post, then snuggled with J for some TV time before bed. 

And I was up early enough for a child-free cup of coffee and I'm excited that today's the day I'm picking Mom up from the airport!

This may seem silly to many of you, but then you never struggled with OCD ;o) I already warned her that the new me is a slightly messier version of the old me. Letting go of my perfectionism is an ongoing struggle.

But I know she'll be happy to see that.

Because new-me will actually have time and brain cells this afternoon to relax with her over a cup of chai instead of breaking my back trying to be the hostess with the mostest.

I'd rather just be present. 

Which is something my whole family, guests included, will be relieved to hear!

Anyone else have a habit of stressing themselves (and everyone else around them) when people come to visit? How do you combat the inner urge to be a perfectionist?

I'd love to hear from you in the comments!