And that’s exactly how it should be.

You know that moment: the house is finally clean. The counters are wiped down. The beds are made. The floors are crumb-free—for once.

So, you let yourself revel in the moment. You light a candle. You take a deep breath, maybe even a photo. And for a minute, it feels like you’ve arrived.

But then… (maybe you blinked?) someone spills a snack. The dog tracks in mud. A child upends a LEGO bin. A toilet overflows. Or maybe you enjoy Clean House Bliss for a couple hours and then you need to feed the people who live with you and now you have dishes, again. Compost, again. Counters to wipe down, again

And just like that, it’s over.

The sense of calm and control and cleanliness. Gone.

If you’ve ever felt like you just can’t keep your house clean, like you’re constantly chasing an ideal that vanishes the moment you get there, you’re not alone.

But what if the problem isn’t your house? What if the problem is what we’ve been taught a home is supposed to be?

We’ve been sold a “still life” lie

Everywhere we look, Pinterest, Instagram, perfectly curated YouTube and TikTok cleaning videos, we’re shown homes that look done. Uncluttered. Serene. Final.

As if the person who lives there just… doesn’t actually live there.

We’ve been sold the idea that the ultimate goal is for our home to look like a still life painting: a perfectly arranged, unmoving scene. Like once we clean, it will stay clean. As if we can freeze time and space if we just had the right products, processes, and Insta-worthy floorplans.

It all looks lovely. I admit, I love looking at it. And, it also looks a helluva lot like real life doesn’t happen there.

But here’s the truth: Still lifes don’t breathe. Still lifes don’t play. Still lifes don’t live.

Still Life with Bowl of Citrons by Giovanna Garzoni, circa 1640s

And we do.

Our homes are living things.

Your house isn’t failing. It’s functioning.

Dust comes in through open windows. Crumbs appear under chairs because people eat there. There are fingerprints on the fridge because young humans are learning how to feed themselves. There’s pet hair on the couch because your dog loves you and your couch in equal measure.

Life is messy. That’s normal. And yeah, I can even see the beauty in the well-loved and well-lived-in home.

“Our home isn’t a showroom,” is something I’ve had to say to myself over and over again when I want it to look just so and stay just so, but since we (me, my husband Dique, our two tween sons, and our rescue retriver mix, Samwise) live here – it never does.

Our home is simply a container for living, breathing beings. It flexes. It adapts.

It helps us welcome and prepare for the day, and it helps us relax as the day ends.

That’s it’s job and it’s purpose. To allow life to flourish, not look as if it never happened.

Lemons vs. lemonade

We have a gorgeous, full Meyer lemon tree in our backyard. It’s currently packed with fruit. I went out there to pick lemons to make lemonade, and ended up picking over 50 lemons.

I arranged some in a bowl as I got to work on washing and squeezing about 30 lemons and I had this thought:

Lemons in a bowl look beautiful. It’s photogenic. It says, “Look how fresh and simple and clean I am.” But give it a few weeks? It turns to green, powdery penicillin mush. It simply molds and collapses. It becomes a waste.

Lemonade, on the other hand, is sticky. You make a mess squeezing it. You need sugar and a pitcher and someone inevitably spills. But you drink it. You enjoy it. Your kids sell it on the sidewalk. It brings people together.

Lemons are pretty and have a ton of potential. But lemonade is living.

Stop comparing your life-filled home to lemons in a bowl. Start celebrating the sweetness of what you’re actually creating.

Everyday Così is for the sticky sweet life

For years I got caught up in wanting the beautiful picture-perfect house. And truthfully, that still calls to me. I’m a Taurus, I want pretty aesthetics all the time, everywhere.

But I also am realistic, and know in this season of life, we need a functional home that supports us and it won’t always be camera-ready.

That’s why I designed The Così Home Reset – it helps our family keep our home more tidy, more clean, more often. It’s good enough for everyday. And, when I want it to be as polished as possible, say for a holiday or birthday party, getting there is an achievable goal.

If you’re the kind of person who can’t sleep until your counters are cleared and the sink is spotless, The Reset might not be the right fit for you (and also, I love that you are so naturally aligned with keeping a tidy place!! Good on you, friend!).

But if you’re like me? If you’re someone who wants your home to feel functional and peaceful without spending your life cleaning?

If you’ve got kids, pets, big feelings, ADHD brains, or a full calendar—and you’re tired of feeling like you’re failing?

This is for you.

Because your house gets to be messy sometimes. Not because you’re lazy. Not because you’re behind.

But because you’re alive.

Reset, don’t perform

The Reset isn’t about chasing perfection. It’s about building a rhythm that helps your home hold you.

It’s a system that nudges you daily, weekly, and monthly by simply stating: “Let’s return to what feels good.”

Not perfect. Not Pinterest-ready. Just good.

You don’t need to preserve a still life. You need to live a full one.

So, let your home be alive, and say it outloud with me: “My home is not a still life. It’s a living thing.”

Let it breathe. Let it move. Let it get a little sticky sometimes.

Because you’re making something sweet here. And that matters more than pristine polished counters ever will.