Saturday, February 15, 2014

Keepin it Real!

A couple weeks ago I was chatting with a client/friend about blogs.
I love reading all sorts of different ones from farming, budgeting, cooking, inspiration, animal butchering.
You name it I want to read it.
I have them bookmarked on my laptop and on my phone.
I love to scan through them in the morning while drinking my coffee.
One thing my client/friend mentioned she doesn't like about blogs is that everything always seems so "perfect"
Whatever perfect means.
I have to agree with her.

For instance I love this blog, but it is far from real life.
They have a photographer that follows them around.
I realize it is for their business, but it appears that life is "perfect"
It could make me feel like when I am baking that I am just not up to par because I am not in heels and a sweater, but instead I have The Farmers socks on and a sweatshirt.





This is my go to blog for when I am feeling crummy. Ann Voskamp loves The Lord and her writing so perfectly conveys her heart.
However, when I first learned of her I thought to myself "there is no way I will ever have a heart for The Lord like she does"
Even if that was the case He LOVES me anyways!

Now, Jen Hatmaker's blog will have you rolling.
She is not only a kick, but she also has a heart for Jesus. She is hilarious and just says how it is.
I feel like it is pretty honest and pretty real life.
I want to be her friend, invite myself over for coffee and probably move in with her.

Blissful and Domestic is an all around super hero.
She home schools, bulk grocery shops, makes everything from scratch, sews and is an all around superhero mother from what it appears.
Oh, did I mention her family of four also lives on 14K a year!
Let's face it by Thursday I am barely hanging on and we usually have pizza for dinner either frozen or take out.
By Thursday I have all but given up on home cooked meals and my laundry is multiplying like a gremlin that got wet.
By Sunday I am throwing out all the rotting vegetables I had really good intentions of cooking for my family.
I am anything but blissful or domestic!
The same holds true for social media.
We can ever so slightly crop out the piles of unfolded laundry behind our sweet as sugar kids who never act naughty.
We can filter a picture with apps so the entire background is fuzzy, or you can't tell that a drink has been spilled down the front of their shirt.
Oh and our marriage is so full of love its bursting at the seams.
Which is true, but it doesn't change the fact that sometimes I want to choke Jer out and I am fairly certain he feels the same way.
We post only the "good" stuff.
I am guilty of this myself.
Sliding clutter or shooing away the tumbleweeds of dog hair to get an angelic picture of my sweet kids.

But, let's be honest.
Perfect isn't real life.
So let's get real.

Just a couple weeks ago I was yelling at my kids as we were on our way out the door TO CHURCH.
We were going to church and I was yelling!
I mean sheesh is there anything worse that that?!
It was a quiet ride there and I felt like such a jerk.
Real life.. check!

This space on my counter is my demise!


It doesn't matter how often it gets cleaned off it is always full of stuff by the end of the day.
Library books, spelling words, snacks, snack wrappers, homework folders, checkbook, bills, to do lists. You name it; it's on this counter.
Real life.. check!

My kitchen sink


ALWAYS has dirty dishes in it. I would like to believe that if we had a dishwasher that this wouldn't be the case, but I would likely be wrong.
We use way too many coffee cups and cereal bowls that I know!
Sometimes I "soak" pans that I don't want to wash.
A little soap and a lot of hot water and that pan can wait until tomorrow!
Real life.. Check!

Laundry, oh laundry I loath you.
It is so time consuming!
Sort-ok I don't sort
Wash
Dry
Restart dryer- I am really good at this part.
Fold 
Put on bed


At bedtime I put the pile on the floor near my bed and then I put it back on the bed after bed is made so I can get dressed from the pile.
Repeat.
Oh wait
Sometimes I move the pile to the top of my dresser
Real life.. Check!


I wish I could say that all these pictures were "staged", but they weren't.
They are how real life goes down here at our house.
Life is messy and perfectly imperfect.
I'm ok with that.

Blessed is me...