a few weeks ago, amidst my blog negligence and blur of a life in general, my darling deb [you remember deb right?] posted something on her facebook page about projecting the perfect life. and i can cut it with both sides of the double edged sword: for one, social media gives us this easy + accessible opportunity to paint the picture of a perfect life. status updates typically highlight the best moments of the day. tagged in the bad photo? for shame! remove tag. we're all guilty. on the other hand, there's a select few who air the dirtiest of laundry on their social network sites. let's all learn a lesson from riri and chris brown via twitter and instagram. it ain't good. potential + current employers, family, friends, non-friends, and all of google are privy to your online-domestic-disturbances and i'd say this is the worst of two evils. keep it clean people. but don't necessarily keep it perfect. i can truly appreciate a status update that is witty, informative, a sweet extreme couponing tip from mrsjanuary, a great outfit selfie even. i have honest respect for the moms who are willing to laugh at themselves when their parenting efforts fall flat once in a while and they cave and buy the donut instead of just one timbit to bribe their little darling to do their best listening at soccer that day. just.for.example.
i read deb's update and it even came up between my older sister + i at a consequent fam jam. she mentioned my blog and i did a digital double take: i seriously hope this blog doesn't paint some phony bologna [pronounced ba-lon-ee to rhyme please] picture perfect life. i chat the challenges and triumphs of co-parenting. the divorce that i still have a hard time swallowing. the fact that i am usually running on nearly empty and trying with all of my organic might to conquer GMO foods + school functions + a hot yoga class all in the same hour. i do stay mindful that out of respect for our son that it's simply not smart nor classy to share details of the challenges that brought us to our current fam shape, and i'm careful not to speak negatively of james, simply because: he's my son's father. enough said. so here's the proof in the almost milk pudding people: ten reasons my family is far from perfect:
1. marcus karate kicked me in the face last night. i didn't see any harm in indulging him with ninja turtles. dvd's. youtube vids. action figures. but last night he both punched and kicked me square in the face + told me straight up he learned it from the ninja turtles. exit Leonardo. you are no longer welcome in our condo abode. i shouldn't have been so quick to let him open that can of ... turtles. it was a great opportunity to change direction where these action heros are concerned and cement our 'no body contact' code of conduct.
2. i have found it difficult lately to maintain my best patience as a parent. marcus has been challenging me on: breakfast. brushing teeth. getting pants on. getting a shirt on. putting shoes on. putting toys away. putting the ipad down. it is a bit tough as it's a one on one, 24/7 in our house. i have no one reassuring me during the day altho i am so thankful for the support i get from mark on our nightly phone dates and the support i get from james on the sidelines. it has been exhausting and will hopefully prove to be a short phase of pushing boundaries.
3. i still eat chips.
4. my house is not spotless. it's all kinds of tidy, but i need some miracle molly what-have-you to come up in here and clean these baseboards stat. do it myself? can you build a few spare hours into my day? or a cloning machine? otherwise, i'll be seeking the services of a sweet little cleaning fairy sooner than you can say my ex-husband's girlfriend came to soccer this morning.
5. i have a hard time with the whole other woman thing. i am slowly but surely warming up to the idea of another woman being around my greatest accomplishment, but it hasn't come without it's challenges. i did however invite her to watch m play soccer this morning [enter the twilight zone. hanging on a Saturday morning with your ex-husbands girlfriend?] and it couldn't have gone better unless i wasn't battling a touch of spring flu.
6. i filed my taxes late. fashionably late and they are since filed but nonetheless.
7. my migraines are back and i'm going to have to temporarily modify my hot yoga schedule to make sure i am at my best for little m, big m, work, and life in general.
8. i have had my head in the sand for the past couple of weeks [ahem. months] and haven't been investing in some very important relationships. so while i give myself credit for doing a great job as a mama, girlfriend + account manager, i am all about regaining my title as 'great friend' right now. i am working on myself everyday and this is an area for improvement!
9. i still wear elasticized ankle roots jogging pants on the regular.
10. ever notice that i rarely type a peep about my mother on this blog? enter the most challenging relationship i call my own. while i don't think i need to jump into the details of this bad boy, the relationship i have with my mother is difficult for me to wrap my head around. and if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all. which is why i tend to keep calm and carry on with two annual visits and a handful of phone calls.
i think it's important to cultivate a positive life. be thankful. expect very little from others and extra from yourself. find yourself surrounded with people who have qualities you aspire towards. and one of the qualities i take the most pride in is definitely honesty. so here it was: our honest faux-no's on any given day that show us that as much as we have to be thankful for, we are working towards our best life yet every.single.day. so go ahead mamas: remove that tag. but consider the picture you paint on these social networks-a-plenty and don't feel so obliged to paint it perfect. personally, i always leaned towards the Picassos anyways ;)
love kare + m
xo
No comments:
Post a Comment