The online world is filled with pictures of finished homes with color coordination, painted walls, and seasonal decorations. I never follow any of that stuff as it makes me feel discontent, but I still see plenty of it.

You see, our home-sweet-home is small and unfinished. Add a tight budget and four little children to the mix, and it never really looks Pinterest-worthy. However, this morning as I was cleaning up the children’s room (yes, we have all four in one tiny room), one part of the wall caught my eye and reminded me of the truth of homemaking.

Homemaking is exactly what it sounds like: making a house, or any space for that matter, into a home. The word “home” brings up feelings of comfort and belonging. Sure a slightly roomier, finished home would be this mama’s dream, but my family finds comfort and belonging here.

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So back to my children’s room, the metal studding that had to be cut and reworked to make room for the bunkbed made a little shelf for their collections. The crafts and balloons of their choice get hung on the walls, and they haul in pine cones and dried plants they like for some reason or other. It’s their home as much as mine after all.

Yes, I do put limits on the number of trinkets and treasures they can keep at any one time. If we kept all the papers, rocks, leaves, and crafts they had ever wanted, there would be no room for us at all in our home. But within limits, I remind myself over and over that my house is not a showcase of the beauty I can make it to be. It is home for us all.

I also remind myself that the atmosphere of the home is what matters most. It does need a level of order, cleanliness, and beauty to maintain my sanity and joy. But the atmosphere I create will be a huge part of what determines whether my children look back on their childhood home with fondness or if they someday choose not to come back to my then-perfect home because mama was always icy and too perfect.

I keep learning and reminding myself to not compare my home with others. After all, comparing does nothing to improve it. Someday I might have more time to add beauty that won’t be messed up by a busy, growing family. Someday it won’t overwhelm me so much and the children will learn to make more order on their own. Someday we might even manage to extend or finish what we have.

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Besides, my home has unique adventures. As a Central American house, it also tends to become home to various other creatures such as bats, insects, lizards, and spiders (all of which I work to evict at all times!). But they do add spice to life.

Best of all, my imperfect home reminds me that I am seeking my heavenly home and not getting too comfortable here. And I’m reminded that many others throughout the world would be happy with a home like mine.

Even if your home, like mine, can’t match the homemaking trends, I invite you to join me on the journey of making my home a happy place that my family can look back on fondly someday. And for now, I want them to feel that it is truly home sweet home.