So I have jumped on the blogging
bandwagon. This is my very first post and this was my New Year's Resolution that's taken me a month to start. I take lots of photos for other people
and then forget to take many photos of my own life. I
started this blog for that reason, remembering my own life and my own kids at
every stage. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Because this is motherhood and
life and sometimes it’s downright ugly. But, it can also be pretty beautiful
too. It is not a photography blog and most photos on here are probably uploads
from my iPhone or Instagram. I tried for awhile to think of something witty and
cute as a blog title but came up empty handed. I am a mom of boys and kept
replaying ideas for blogs celebrating raising boys, “Helmets and High Heels?” “Three
guys and a mom?” But, everything seemed like
it didn’t work. I was about to give up and sat down on the couch to make a
phone call, (yes, as a mother I realize this is a gamble at any time. We all
know the second you get on the phone all hell breaks loose, even if the kids
are sitting quietly eating breakfast.) “Mommy….MOMMY….I have oatmeal in my
haaair and it won’t come out!” Ugh, get up, go over to the table and yes, there
is in fact oatmeal. Stuck right in my 2 and a half year old child’s hair. Like,
lots of it, and it won’t come out. When oatmeal dries it’s like glue. Welp, I
guess that will do. Voila. Blog name with meaning, right?! ;)
This past
year has proved to be one with lots of highs and lows for my family. My biggest,
bestest high was of course the birth of our sweet little Bennett who was born
on April 25, 2012. However, after Bennett’s birth everything else seems like a
complete blur. Go here, go there, be here at this time, don’t forget this, etc.
etc. etc., you know the drill. I feel like much of my day is spent in pure
survival mode….mental lists in my head, “Don’t forget to let the dog back in
before you leave, are diapers changed before we go? Do I look too scary for the
Starbucks drive thru?” Around 2pm every day is the heavenly time. The boys, (if
I’m lucky enough), will go down for a nap. AT THE SAME TIME! Mason is pretty hit or miss with naps these
days, but at least I’ll force him to have quiet time in his room which usually
consists of a good 20 minutes of time before banging on the door and saying he
needs something. During this quiet time I will catch up on mindless shows like “Kourtney
and Kim take Miami”, then get instantly depressed about my wardrobe and looks,
and then check emails and Facebook to see what’s going on in the outside world.
This has led me to believe there is
often the “Facebook life” and then there’s the “real life.” It goes something
like this….Facebook life = log on and scroll through photos of smiling
children, perfectly manicured families with hair brushed, matching outfits,
etc. If they are not pictures of children they are vacation photos with pretty
sunsets, palm trees, big tall glasses of wine, or something of the sort. If
they aren’t photos and they are status updates they usually say something like,
“So blessed to have the best husband ever who sent me huge flowers at work!” You
get it, capture the pretty moments in life which, trust me, I am ALL about! If
my husband sent me flowers, (God love him, but he is not typically a
flower-sending-I’ll-surprise-the-hell-out-of-you-today-for-no-reason type of guy), I would probably take a photo
and upload it too. I have a ton of photos of my kids in super cute outfits,
pretty sunsets, weekends at the cabin with big smiles around bonfires, and
vacations. But, then there is real life. It’s the everyday life that we all
live. Real life = My house is a mess. I clean it and then it’s a mess again in
about 9.5 minutes. There are handprints all over the fridge. I seriously can’t
make a pot of coffee without moving from the coffee pot to the cupboard without a
baby crawling up my leg and clinging and hanging on for dear life who ends up
coming along for the ride because I’m too tired to peel him off. A dog that won’t
stop barking, kids that won’t stop talking or yelling or whining, a 2 year old
who is weirdly obsessed with Les Miserables and sings it at the top of his
lungs all morning until I successfully have a migraine, hockey sticks scattered
around the kitchen that I trip over constantly, pinterest inspired crafts
covering the table that look cute online but are always, “my-pinterest-craft-turned-out-like-crap,”
a husband who asks what he should wear whenever we go somewhere because, God
forbid, he dresses himself. (Hold on, wait wait, I take that back…this is a
good thing. Nobody wants to see what he wears if he chooses his own outfits.
Trust me. Think old flannel shirts and jeans with Birkenstock sandals that are
totally hideous but he refuses to throw them away and still wears them in public.)
He will say, “What is wrong with this? Flannels are back, baby!” Oh, no, not those kinds of flannels. The cute,
fitted, Urban Outfitters flannels are cool. That baggy mess is from American
Eagle circa 1999 honey, but good try! :) And jammies. I am a huge fan of
jammies. Who cares if my baby stays in
his jammies all day? I mean really, who wants to take a baby out of warm, cuddly
jammies that have cozy feet built in? Who wants to put them in stiff, tight
jeans and uncomfortable button up shirts when it’s -10 degrees outside just so
he looks super cute and trendy while strolling through the aisles at Target? Oh
wait, I did. That was me every time I took my older son, Mason, anywhere. In
fact, Mason had to be perfectly accessorized as well. “No, no, we can’t leave yet…I need to find a
matching newsboy hat that goes with these super cute boy-capris and Minnetonka
mocs, and this wayyy overpriced Polo shirt that I just had to have for my 3-6
month old”….poor baby Bennett. Bennett usually heads out of the house in
Carters jammies that may or may not have banana squished into them somewhere
from breakfast. But, his coat is over it so it’s fine, right? Ugh, okay maybe
not but, that’s “real life”. Don’t worry, lots of my Facebook photos are of
sweet little Bennett in cute distressed jeans, button up shirts, and fedora
hats, (granted, most of them are now hand-me-downs or clearance rack items
because I have been forced to be a bit more practical since the days of
only-one-kid).
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A typical day in my house - Bennett
still in pajamas, Mason naked, (do I have the only two year old who is
impossible to keep clothed? I'm starting to worry!) The big empty space where Christmas tree once was but now it's a toy-dump corner. Oh
yeah, and my bra on the ottoman that was left there from a shower I was
thinking about taking hours before this but realized that possibility was
squashed when the baby woke up.
So, the point of my blog is to
celebrate the mess and beauty of everyday life. To remember my family’s
milestones. Every mistake and hiccup at a time. To embrace all of the imperfect moments that
make life sort of perfect. My future posts may or may not include a 3rd
birthday in which the ONLY thing on his wish list is a freaking guinea pig that
he talks about constantly. “Mason, what do you want to do today?” “Oh, oh, let’s
go to Petco and visit my guinea pig I get when I turn 3!” Me: “How about a bike
instead when you turn 3? Bikes are super cool and I think you would LOVE to
learn to ride this summer?!” Mason: “Wellll, how about a bike AND a guinea pig
because I really really want my guinea pig.” Also, a trip to Florida solo with
two kids, (bound to be a complete sh*t show), my baby’s first birthday, and all
of the unpredictable stuff in between. :)
They're plotting against us...as usual. #stopfreakingsplashing
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Mealtime!
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A Pinterest craft that you can't really screw up!
