that time I took an unintended 4 month break

Wow. I certainly didn't mean to take a 4 month hiatus from the blog-o-sphere. Some big things have happened since March.  Kyle accepted a position as social media marketing strategist with the International Mission Board (IMB) for the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). He began his job June 10 and moved to Richmond, VA. God sold our home in Milledgeville in a week and the kids and I were able to move up on July 11. We have been staying in temporary housing and will move into our new house this week.

This morning I set the laptop up and asked the kids one by one to go in and record their thoughts about moving and our 2 weeks here. The results were - well, I'll just let you experience them. Here they are - 3 of the Brogdon children at their creative finest. One child stated he was camera shy and could not talk in front of a camera so he's not represented. Just a few notes:

1) None of this was prompted or staged. The only direction they had was to "talk about moving."

2) Evidently forever = til Thursday.

3) If you can understand what Noah is saying, you have my utmost respect.

4) When did my almost 13 year old start sounding like a grown man?

In which I lament springing forward

When I was a little girl, I didn't really catch on to the whole "time change" thing. I mean, I knew it meant I'd be going to bed while the sun was still up until school was out, and there was something about it that made adults cringe and talk about it for weeks before and after. But, my child-like brain just couldn't wrap itself around the gravity of the situation.

Fast forward 30+ years. I get it. Oh, how I get it. 

Springing forward crept up on me this year. I was going about, waking up to beautiful sunrises at 6:30ish each morning, never realizing it was all about to end.

Sunday came and went without too much trauma.

But then Monday came. And Tuesday. Followed by Wednesday (which I understand is the normal order of things, but emphasis, people. Emphasis.) And the morning darkness has gotten me. My alarm goes off, but there's no reaction. It's still dark outside and my brain is evidently totally against functioning until the sun is up and screaming "Good Morning!"

So the past few mornings have been a blur of "How is it 7 already?" and rushing to get Ellie ready for school and Kyle out the door in 30 minutes. 

On a positive note: if there's ever a contest, say one that involves getting a child out of bed, dressed, hair brushed, shoes on, fed, lunch & backpack together in the shortest amount of time, well, go ahead and sign me up.

TYWSOP Day 4

I spent most of Wednesday in the bed sick.  I've heard of moms whose children would have taken the same opportunity to cook all the meals, clean and sanitize the house, make sure it smelled like roses, and as an added bonus have all the laundry done, folded and put away just so mom wouldn't have to do it.

But here's where my reality kicks in.

Y'all - there were no children rising up and calling me blessed. No one who brought me Gatorade and saltines out of a heart of gratitude for the countless times I've done it for them. Certainly no little people cleaning the house.

In fact, I'm not even sure they realized I was sick. They knew I was here - that was certain. They'd pop their sweet little faces in the door every so often to ask if they could have a snack or if they had to do their math.

As far as they were concerned, it was a free day!

Now, I could wallow in the fact that my kids didnt take on role of substitute mom for the day OR I could choose to be grateful for my fabulous kids who did finish their school work and didn't completely destroy the house. I choose the 2nd choice and I'm so honored I get to wake up to these kids every morning - sick or not!

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!

Ellie talks about the Mayan calendar

So I decided to have a little fun with the whole Mayan doomsday thing and interview our resident Mayan about the Mayan calendar.

A few things to note:

1) Days of the weeks and months of the year have never been her strongest points.

2) It's too bad she's so shy in front of the camera.

3) The ending - ADD much?

4) Her hair's not normally such a mess. Ok, yes it is, but at least it's halfway still in a ponytail.

For your Mayan apocalypse enjoyment -