Recently, WillowTree posted a picture of food cooking in his kitchen. There was an immediate response from all of his readers about the cleanliness of his kitchen; The appliances sparkled, the counters gleamed. I was jealous. I remained mum for I figured people in dirty houses shouldn't throw food.
Then I started thinking about how unrealistic his kitchen was. (No offense, WT) His kitchen was almost "magazine-ish". He could put on his Charlie Daniels hat and pose for Better Homes & Garden. I decided he was setting a bad example for the rest of us.
So, the more I thought about it, the more I knew what I had to do. Robin took a brave step this week and spoke from her heart about the darker world of mommyhood. I decided I had to do the same. If not just for myself, but for women everywhere. Here is the truth! It is a picture of a true, REAL kitchen; The horrors that are held behind closed doors.

From upper right hand corner to the left -
#1 - the sticker sheet I use to reward my children with good behavior
#2 -The Salsa cooling on my tenth used towel today.
#3 -The box of zucchini that have been sitting there for 5 days, waiting to be used up and slowly turning to mush.
#4 - The flashlight that I took from my children when they tried to bonk each other with it and the new-age oven mitt.
#5 - The 11th used dish towel of the day.
#6 - My bottle of prescription medicine for Ulcerative Colitis, in front of a bunch of Peter Pan squash (waiting for use, just like those in the box).
#7 - One of several Diet Pepsi cans that my husband finds around the house in varying states of fullness.
#8 - The chopper I used to cut up some onion. It is clean, just not put away.
#9 - A hard to see number (sorry) - in front of the white and blue bowls that have various vegetables in them (tomatos and hot peppers) along with my pink tumbler full of water.
#10 - an open drawer, full of flatware and crumbs (oh the horror) that accidently got brushed in when I was cleaning the counter.
There you have it. The truth laid bare. My kitchen is a seething pit of grime, vegetable matter, utensils, and various objects. I'm not proud, just realistic. I wouldn't eat off my counters, that is for sure.
I will tell you one thing. If someone called and said they were coming over, that counter would be miraculously shining clean just like over at WillowTree's!