Social media can be intimidating and frustrating because everyone puts a false façade on their lives. NOBODY has it all together so I like when people post real-life photos and tell stories of imperfection and grace. There’s nothing as encouraging as someone coming along side and saying, “Me too.”
That’s why I’ve loved Anna Rendell’s “Mom Confessions” on Facebook and now her blog. I’ve used #reallife some on Instagram myself. Mommas, let’s be in this life together and not competing for who can look like we have it all together.
In no particular, some recent mom confessions ::
1. Ben cheered – literally – when I tossed a package of bologna in the grocery cart at his request. Best $1 I’ve spent in a long time. That evening my kids ate bologna sandwiches for dinner at 4:30 today because they were “starving.”
2. I assumed my kids could wear their soccer cleats from last year. Um, no way. Their feet have grown exponentially. So the day of the first practice, I bought them new cleats while they were at school. All was good – except I bought Cate baseball cleats. I knew they didn’t look right, but they were her size so I just scooped them up. And then returned them and bought the right ones the next day.
3. Ben doesn’t nap much anymore, but recently I needed him to nap for my own well-being and because we had plans that would keep us out later than usual that night. Hello, March Madness. So I bribed Ben with the promise of ice cream if he napped. He did. He got ice cream. And I might do it again.
4. With the bus service that exists now, I only pick up Cate at school on Fridays. But two Fridays in a row I had trouble remembering this. One week I didn’t remember until it was time to be there. It’s 15 minutes away. So I called a friend to ask her to tell the teacher at the door that I was coming, eventually. My friend Julie volunteered to bring Cate toward me because she had some errands to run. So I picked up my daughter in the Walmart parking lot.
The next week, Ben was sick so I made him a doctor’s appointment. I made it with my favorite nurse practitioner, but then I realized I wouldn’t have time to get Cate from school on time. So I called Julie. She rescued me again – although she had more warning this time. I now have timers set on my phone to remind me when and where to pick up Cate.
Of course, I haven’t forgotten where to be since I set up the timers, but, you know, better safe than sorry!
5. Hello, Spring! I used baby wipes to wash off my 5-year-old son, who is allergic to trees, grass and weeds. He’d been outside for hours playing that day and we let him stay up late while we watched basketball. No time for a shower.
6. I pulled into my kids’ school that is 12 miles away recently and realized my gas light was on. Their school is in a tiny neighboring town with no gas station. I had no idea if I would make it back without running out of gas. I did, thankfully.
7. Each Christmas I get out the bin with the GeoTrax Santa Train and Little People Nativity. They kids are always excited for these toys to come back out. Since December, my 5-year-old Ben and his friends who are often at our house have loved building and playing with it so much that these seasonal toys are still in my living room. Perhaps they’ve found a semi-permanent home there. The Christmas train is now connected with the Cars GeoTrax.
Fellow mommas, let’s share the ordinary in a real way. Let’s encourage one another. Let’s laugh together. And let’s remind one another we are not alone. {Tweet that.}
{And, yes, feel free to share your own mom confessions in the comments.}
I’m linking up with Anna Rendell at Girl With Blog, who encourages real-life mom confessions, and Soli Deo Gloria Sisterhood’s weekly gathering, where women are encouraged to come as they are.
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1) Dealing with physical and major depression means that sometimes Mt laundry overtakes the laundry area of the basement…which entails finding uniform shirts or pants that are basically clean sometimes…they are just going to spill and mess with snack lunch or art anyways…
2) If it rains 5 inches overnight and Mt laundry is over the drain in the basement floor…the sump pump can't keep up…I haven't fessed that to hubby yet…still shop vacuuming basement…
3) Cereal and toast or sandwiches is fine for dinner some nights…
4) I have always kept an alarm on my phone for after school pick up…literally labeled "don't forget the kids" or time to think about the kiddos"…or something to that effect…all good unless I happen to be volunteering at school when the alarm labeled that way goes off and I have to let on that I seriously think I might forget them without the alarm…
5) Now that my kids are all in school all day…I still look forward to nap time…maybe even more than when I had to get then down before my nap…
6) The way I keep house is evidence I may nap too much sometimes…
7) I lose my patience with my kids much too easily when I've been unable to sleep for several nights in a row…not there fault I have depression, knew that before I had kids…
The list could go on and on…but I have a basement to clean up and laundry to do 🙂
I love this post because it is so real! Now that Penny is potty trained she loves using public restrooms with the automatic sinks and soap dispensers. Sometimes, more times often than not, if we are at Walmart or the grocery store and she says she gas to go, I tell her the bathrooms are closed for the day (if I know it isn't an emergency).
I bribe her often with icecream or Disney movies at home.
I am no longer embarrassed when I have T is one arm and have to pick up Penny with one harm sideways while she is screaming at the top of her lungs in a store. It doesn't happen a ton, but it still happens.
haha! thanks for making me laugh today!
We've all been there 😉 Don't miss shopping with littles at all…in fact avoid it at all costs now…unless they have to go to try things on…and have been known to buy two sizes of shoes, pants etc while they are at school. ..and return whichever does fit the next day 2hile they are at school !
Happy to do so, Rebecca! Happy Easter!
Ben still loves public restrooms. Really Cate does too to some degree, but not as much as she did when she was 2. On the bathroom subject, when Ben has to pee when we're traveling, we just pull over and let him go on the side of the interstate. At some point we're going to have to stop doing that … 🙂 And, yeah, no embarrassment necessary – we've all been there with screaming kids. Wait, it still happens! (Thankfully this does seem to lessen with age!) Thanks for joining in the confession time, Mary!
Speaking of laundry … I forgot to add to my list that my kids wore dirty socks to soccer the other night because we couldn't find any clean ones! Yeah, life. Thanks for joining in with your confessions, Angie! Hope you get that water under control.
Love this, Kristin. Thank you for the encouragement!! I think my favorite on your list is the Christmas toy status. Baby Jesus is still played with from our Little People Nativity too 😉
Hooray for year-round Christmas! 🙂 I appreciate the way you encourage mommas. Happy Easter, Anna!
I ate many a bologna sandwich in my day. And I'm still here, maybe no worse for the wear? ha. Glad Ben rewarded your purchase.
My mom confession: I used to save part of my kids' Halloween candy and use it to fill their stockings at Christmas. They never knew the difference. 🙂
I love your sweet spirit, Kristin. I always am encouraged when I visit here.
Your sweet confessions remind me of some of my young mom days. With delight!! Like the time I sent my youngest son to preschool, on picture day, in a worn, ugly tee shirt that he insisted on wearing and my single mom self was too tired to fight with him. Until the school called…Those were the days. So enjoy every minute, Kristin!! And these are the days too!! Thank you, Lord. Give us all a heart to be mindful of all the moments! xxoo
I LOVE that about your kids' candy. I've been known to put Easter candy in party bags for my daughter's birthday parties and Halloween candy in the bags for my son's. I'm glad you stopped by, Lisa!
Mindful of the moments – yes, amen! That's what God has been working on in my life. Thanks for being here with encouragement, Sheila!
Amen! #RealLife is always better than fake life because Truth cannot be fake!
Yes, I love have you as a friend who lives that out. Love you!
I feel the tension here! Like most, I'm guilty of posting our smiling face pics right before or after we've all bitten each other's heads off! I hope others realize, as I do, that there's more that goes on than what you see online!
I think sometimes the happy pictures help change my perspective, though. It's a reminder that the bad attitudes aren't all we are. So the tension goes both ways and no one picture can tell the whole story anyway.
Exactly! Well put.