I grew up in a neat-as-a-pin mansion which for the longest time left me feeling anxious and ashamed of the simple fact that my adult home looked like (gasp!) people actually lived there. I used to tell visitors “Sorry it’s a mess. *excuse-excuse* It’s not normally like this.” Then one day I realized that was a shame response. So instead I started saying, “Please excuse the mess, it always looks like this.” It feels so much better to tell the truth.

And yes, 93% of the mess is clean, unfolded laundry.