Sunday, September 19, 2010

Why I shouldn't read blogs

I was perusing a blog this morning, and she talked about how homemaking was her job, and she took it seriously.  She gets up early, cooks, cleans, prepares delicious meals, blah, blah, blah.

I wanted to choke her.

The next blog in my reader, was describing how to create HANDMADE love notes for your child's lunch box.  Seriously?  Write on a napkin or buy the ones premade, never mind that my kids always buy their lunch.

I didn't attend any bible studies this week.  Or last week.  Or the week before.

We had cereal one night for dinner.

The laundry isn't done, the floors aren't spotless, and I don't get up early to make my kids a hot breakfast.  I fix something for Junior, and the girls are on their own.

I think it's okay if my kids wear the same pajamas more than one night.  (I don't think they should wear the same clothes every day, but luckily that's not an issue here!)

I don't handmake my husband cards.  I don't send a letter every day to Gunner.  I don't make cute countdown chains or calendars or any of that stuff.

I don't water my lawn, because if it dies then I don't have to mow it or go through the trouble of getting housing to do it.

I don't save everything I am getting rid of for a garage sale.  If I didn't like the person who gave it to me, am I going to want money from the sale of said item?  Not hardly.

I do love my kids, take care of my kids, workout, keep the house reasonable clean, and make sure there is always toilet paper.  The dog gets walked, fed, and watered.

I don't spend my free minutes scrubbing, cleaning corners with qtips, or making sure the underside of my chairs have no spots on them.

I did take my children ice skating, to the What If festival, to the Cool Science event, on a walk, had a movie night, and took them to Burger King because I didn't want to cook.  (Pictures to come)

Life is good, and if my baseboards are a little dusty, at least I know it's for a good reason--Em, Abs, and Junior.

19 comments:

Allison said...

You do a super job. It's a matter of priorites.

You're a big picture person. Not bogged down in the details. That's a good thing. And I don't think kids can appricate handmade notes in their lunch box.

Mayhem At The McNeils said...

Personally speaking, I'm a clean freak. Yes, i dust my baseboards and do all that "crazy" stuff. (never used a Q-tip though) I do leave notes in my oldest's lunch box, b/c he can read them. He tells me he likes when I put the notes in there. I grew up with my mom doing it for me.....and I loved it too.We do family movie nights here too ( on Fridays). I do the same things as you also. Cereal for dinner, jammies are def. worn for 3 nights.....People are different and I don't think anyone should be judged for how they choose to run their home! ;)

Anonymous said...

Your kids will not thank you in 50 years for clean baseboards and sparkling toilets! They will thank you for being there and building memories that will last longer than a lifetime. Keep up that great work and know that you are doing the things that really matter!

Just Another MilSpouse said...

Since I first started reading your blog I thought you were an absolutely amazing Mom to those kids. You maintained an upbeat attitude even through deployment. After a little while I realized one of the BEST things about your blog is how truthful you are. Some bloggers can write about how perfect everything is and you wonder, was some of it exaggerated, or were there ommisions? I love reading your blog because it's real; good and bad.

I am not saying that the blogs you speak of are not "real" but I have to wonder. If you read through someone's blog and they've never had a bad day... are they admitting everything???

You are a fabulous Mom and MilWife, I look at your blog and think "that is the kind of Mom I try to be". So, don't feel bad about pj's being reused, I do it. Most of us do!

Birdie said...

The sentence about the lawn made my LOL for real! The worst chore while he is deployed, for me, is trying to walk through 2 ft tall grass, cause I sure as hell ain't gonna mow it!
I think the way you raise your kids is commendable, because even though you have a husband, you're essentially a single mom, and a super one at that! I love your blog, don't let all those pretentious liars change you!! lol

Anonymous said...

I love your blog. Your kids will thank you later in life for all the great memories not whether your house was always spot clean. And you are raising them to be independent.

Ellen said...

I'm over here wondering which blogs you were reading, cause I'm evil like that ;)

I struggle with the same thing. I also read a lot of blogs that focus on only the positive side of things. People who really romanticize domestic life while seemingly doing it all effortlessly. While it's good for me to shake up my viewpoint, I try to remember that they are only presenting what they want you to see. But that being said, I can't count how many times I have read something and thought to myself how much I would like their life instead of mine. Right about then the "unsubscribe" button comes in mighty handy.

You are a fantastic mom and handle so many difficult things with grace. Don't let 'em get you down.

Sara said...

Great blog!! I think it's all about priorities. I grew up in a family where there were always dishes in the sink. But we had family time after dinner and didnt have time to keep everything spotless. Your kids will thank you later for the awesome family they had, not the spotless chairs or perfectly mowed lawn.

Abbey said...

I heart you.

A lot, a lot.

You are an awesome mom. You are an awesome wife. You are an awesome friend. You are an awesome PERSON. Period. You don't need the kind of friends who will come to your home and judge your baseboards, anyway. Then you would never want to have them over because of the stress of having to "deep" clean for their visits. I have a plaque that says something like "Cleaning while children are in the house is like shoveling snow while it's snowing." True words, my friend. :)

Brandi said...

Once again your honesty rings true for me. Like the others, I love this blog because you aren't too ashamed to admit that you aren't perfect, and you're courageous enough to share your efforts with us. I love that you give the good and the bad, that you TELL THE TRUTH.

Jill said...

I love your blog because of your frank honesty! Keep doing what you're doing - you're doing it well!

Oh, and I've had cereal for dinner 3 times this week and we've had Burger King and McDonald's more since my hubby left than I've ever had it before. :)

Unknown said...

here here to a real army mom! nice to read a real blog for onece

S said...

dito. That's all to say. Who cares if I keep a little spider in the corner or there is dog hair on the chair, most important thing is that the kids are healthy, they know that mom loves them and they know they won't go hungry to bed. And you do great. All those deployments and you are still standing strong. Hats off.

Old Cowboy Dan said...

Love you and the kiddo's. Keep on trucking, your doing great.

lola said...

Hahah, my husband said the SAME thing about the grass. The less watering, the fewer times the mower has to come out! :D

CJ said...

Yay, for you! And I'm right there with you on the grass!

cjh

d.a.r. said...

This made me laugh so hard. I always get comments about being superwoman...um, maybe I should blog about how I have three baskets full of CLEAN laundry that have been waiting for two weeks to be put away. Or how I haven't watered the flowers I planted since the day I planted them (yes, they are dead dead dead now). Or how my car has more discarded clothing than my closet. Or how I have been to church once since my sister's wedding...in May.

Blogging is funny, because you have completely control over how you are portrayed. It makes you wonder what those women are letting slide or NOT doing...

d.a.r. said...

This made me laugh so hard. I always get comments about being superwoman...um, maybe I should blog about how I have three baskets full of CLEAN laundry that have been waiting for two weeks to be put away. Or how I haven't watered the flowers I planted since the day I planted them (yes, they are dead dead dead now). Or how my car has more discarded clothing than my closet. Or how I have been to church once since my sister's wedding...in May.

Blogging is funny, because you have completely control over how you are portrayed. It makes you wonder what those women are letting slide or NOT doing...

Rhonda said...

I stopped competing to be perfect a long time ago and it has worked out just fine.
Do you ever get the feeling the 'perfect' isn't always so 'perfect' anyway?