TYWSOP Day 3

So I missed a day. Told you this was reality. :)

Today's doesn't come with a picture. Simply because I cannot take a picture of myself not running.

I signed up for a 5K at the end of March. This won't be my first. And, evidently, it's not my first time to sign up for a race and then consistently talk myself out of training runs each week.

So - as much as I love fitness plans and the thought of running, the reality is I don't enjoy it. And I'm not good at being consistent.

Oh, I'll make it through the 5K. Hopefully things will turn around in the next couple of weeks. I'm trying. But if history (reality) proves me right, I'll be the one at the back of the race looking like I need to be carried off the course.

I'll keep you posted.

TYWSOP Day 2

TYWSOP (things you won't see on Pinterest) - has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

Here's day two of my unveiling reality.

Legos. I love them. I really do. They foster creativity, imagination and don't require batteries. However, the organization of all those tiny little pieces has always been a struggle. I've tried everything, and I've finally come to grips with the fact that if my son's happy with their current home, then I need to be too.

So, without further ado, (adoo? adue?) here's the fabulous you-won't-see-this-storage-solution-on-Pinterest Lego box* compared to my dream Lego storage. Really, Pinterest? I could use my time and money doing that. And I would be in love with it. For all of the 2 minutes it took my boys to completely dismantle those drawers and have none of the pieces back where they belonged. And that's a battle I'm not choosing to fight.

(*We actually have multiple boxes of Legos. Not just one. That would be way to easy.)

Things you won't see on Pinterest

The other day, I posted this on Facebook:

with the caption "You won't see this on Pinterest. Just keepin' it real."

And within minutes I had people liking, commenting and texting me about the sneak peek into real life.

All of it made me wonder. Why is that such a big deal? Am I really the only one with piles of laundry that I just can't keep up with? Legos taking over my house and hiding in every crevice available? Dirty socks here and there that a certain little girl just can't seem to get into the laundry basket? Dishes left in the sink overnight (Surely no one else goes to bed with dirty dishes in the sink. The Fly Lady would definitely not approve.) 

So I thought about it. And here's what I think.

Society - women specifically - tries so hard to mask reality. Whether it be our homes, our faces, our kids, our marriages - doesn't matter as long as no one knows who I really am and what I really struggle with. What my house really looks like.  What my marriage is really like when no one is around. We want to put on a mask and only show the world a put-together, perfected version of ourselves, our families and our homes. 

(***Disclaimer: This is not a post promoting an unclean house, lazy parenting, and lack of spiritual discipline. It is a post, however, to encourage us that it's ok if we aren't perfect. Because, more than likely, that friend we're comparing ourselves to? She's not either.)

Pinterest, Facebook, blogs and I have a love/hate relationship. I love the ideas I see. My family has enjoyed the results of many wonderful recipes found because of Pinterest. (They've also been dealt the hand of eating some not-so-tasty meals from the same source. But that's another post for another day.) I love the resources blogs are for teachers and homeschooling moms and the wealth of ideas I find for my home. I love keeping up with friends on Facebook - especially those far away I don't talk to as often.

But I hate. hate. hate. what all of that does to me. The feeling of never being able to accomplish the perfectly coiffed hair I see. Or the 1000s of fitness plans I have pinned. Or the homes whose cleanliness and beauty I envy. Or the multitude of moms who seem to have it ALL together. And I've come to see that those internet resources - maybe in all their goodness, aren't quite so healthy for me. I'm not swearing off Pinterest, or Facebook, or blogs. In fact, dinner tonight is on my Pinterest food board. I'm just thinking I should probably dial it back a notch. Or two.

I don't believe God wants me to live comparing myself to everyone else. And that's what happens when I spend too much time browsing all those fabulous internet-y things. I begin to be distraught that I don't have the time or money to accomplish most of what I see. Or that my kids aren't spending an hour a day reading the Bible or memorizing a chapter a month. I don't like feeling intimidated by the mom who makes 25 Valentine cards out of scrapbook paper and stamps, tied with cute little tags all personalized for each student in her child's class - while I go to Walmart and buy the cheapest box of Valentine cards I can find because I don't have the time or patience to be crafty. 

There is nothing wrong with expecting our children to develop good habits. Or being crafty and making things for our children or our home. I think the issue lies in striving to have the perfect home, and be the perfect mom, and have the perfect kids, and .... I could go on and on. It only makes us tired. And discouraged that we can't keep up. And bitter because someone else has something we don't. And ungrateful for the life we've been given because we're too busy to comparing ourselves to others. Life is not a competition. And I don't want to get into the habit of making it one.

So. In light of all that I've been pondering, for the next week, I will be posting straight out of reality. The good, the bad, the ugly - and the beautiful. I'm taking off my mask. Here it goes...

This is what I wish my homsechool room looked like compared to reality. We do most of our school in an upstairs loft area. There are no cute organizational spaces or desks or decor on the wall. There is, however, a large ping pong table that doubles as a great workspace. :) And we only have that one chair. So mostly they sit on the floor or stand at the table - which is great for a bunch of ADD-ish boys who would much rather balance a chair on one leg than sit in it. We may not have a Pinterest worthy school room, but it works for us!