When someone walks into my messy house it makes me feel embarrassed, exposed, and ashamed of every bit of fun time I took for myself.  I think those guilty feelings are unnecessary.

I’m not advising you to forget cleaning when you invite someone over.  I’m saying that sometimes it’s good to just say, “Come on in.  This is my home.  This is how I live.”

In high school I checked my hair a lot.  Most high school girls do.  I remember my mother saying, “If they are really your friend they will like you whether your hair is messed up or not.”  Made me think then; Makes me chuckle now.  Now I change it to, “True friends will still like me after they see my messy house.”

I remember a few times when we had friends into our house without a second of clean-up.  I’m glad we did.  Usually they were another family with children close to the same age as our children so they understood.  [The first time they came over it was nice and clean.] You know what?  They’re still our friends.  If anything I think they are closer friends than they would have been if I’d said, “Sorry, we’ll have to stay outside because I didn’t get a chance to clean up.”

I can’t say it didn’t bother me that my house was messy.  But when I look back I first remember the fun we had, the laughter and the food we shared.

I don’t want to say what Erma Bombeck said, I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.”  I want to invite them over while I can.