Highlight Reels

Do you know how easy it is to get caught up in every one's highlight reels?! You know, the awesome pinterest projects that you see other moms posting. The home-made snacks (organic, of course) that their kids are eating. The fabulous vacations with perfect pictures they upload. The cutest turquoise/owls/gray/chevron/bird rooms in their house, beds made and freshly vacuumed floors. The perfectly mowed lawn, with all the gorgeous flowers. The date nights (that they go on once a week) with perfect hair, lip gloss and cute clothes. The pictures of their car, fresh out of the car wash, smelling as clean as a new baby. You know about these things, right?
Do I post about these things? Well, of course. This is what our society tells us we need to post about. These are the things that make us an "American." These are the things that every perfect family does on a regular basis, right? Wrong.
Let me let you in on a little something. It is called "reality." This perfect world does not exist. I know this, in my heart, but my head is always telling me something a little different. Such as; "Wow, how does she keep her house that clean?" "How can she fit another thing into her schedule?" "What can't that woman do?!" "She has three kids and look how put together she looks!" Do you know what these questions do to a "worn-out-mommy-of-three-who-struggles-just-to-stay-a-float-on-some-days?" It causes me to doubt my abilities as a mother.
Satan wins. Why do I let him get into my head like that?
When I stop and really think, I realize that my house is not always a wreck. I realize that I make fun things for my children to eat and to play with. We go on vacations. We have a beautiful house that is never occasionally vacuumed. We go on dates and I even own lip gloss! We have a car. We have all of these things that I am constantly looking at and comparing myself to.
I know that there are SO many improvements that I need to make, to be the mommy I really want to be. I know that less time on facebook would be good for my soul. I know that instead of sitting down and watching a bit of tv, I should fold the laundry. I know what I should do, but sometimes, I just want a break. I know that some of you will think to yourselves, "She has a break, she just stays at home." But when you are thrown in to having three children (even more so, when they are 2 and under), there is a lot of work that goes into just simply functioning each day. Just meeting their basics needs is all I can do some of the time. And you know what, that is ok. That is exactly what they need. They don't need glow-in-the-dark play dough or cute finger painted pictures or home-made fruit snacks each day. They need me. Their mommy. To love them. To feed them. To protect them. And to teach them. I am learning a few things about being a  mommy of three.
One thing I definitely need to work on is comparing myself. Comparing myself will not change the fact that my closet is disorganized. Comparing myself will not make me skinnier or run faster (or at all). Comparing myself will not make me a gourmet chef. I am who God made me to be. A mommy who gets tired. A mommy who gets stressed. A mommy who is not organized enough. A mommy who checks out on facebook. A mommy who may not always have dinner ready. But I am also a mommy who loves her children. A mommy who is married to the greatest guy. A mommy who gets the privilege of raising our children. A mommy who wouldn't take back any of it.
We all have our ups and downs. The ups are obviously the more fun of the two to talk about and to post about. There is nothing wrong with that. But, let's be real. Every day, every moment does not look that easy, perfect or clean. I am living in a beautiful mess. And, just in case, you really do have it all put together, all the time, feel free to stop on by anytime you'd like. There are plenty of babies to feed, dishes to wash, laundry to fold, floors to mop and on and on and on. I love the highlight reels, but here's to remembering that it is just that...a highlight of your life, not the day-to-day.
-Krystole 

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