Scrolling through your Instagram feed you probably see countless perfect pictures of smiling babies, clean kitchens and mamas who look well rested. It is easy to get caught up in comparing ourselves to all these people and their lifestyles and wonder why the hell the rest of us have screaming kids, dirty dishes in the sink and bags under our eyes. The truth is, those pictures are a mere moment in time. Business owners and bloggers fool us into thinking they never stay in PJs all day stressing over the piles of laundry or have a bad hair day. But real life is what happens in between those pictures, it's just that no one really wants to see it because we're all living it. I am the first to admit I'm guilty of posting pretty pictures. But I am also the first to admit that they certainly do not tell the whole story.
Truth: Fallon is not the happiest baby on the block. In fact, she's far from it. She rarely naps for longer than 30 minutes and if she's not sleeping or eating she expects to be entertained. I spend most of my day trying to keep her occupied by whatever ridiculous means necessary, including sweating my ass off and getting eaten alive by bugs on our deck because she loves to be outside.
Truth: More days than not I wear pajamas until I change into my work out clothes. Sometimes I actually get to work out and then shower and put new pajamas on, or maybe even the same ones!
Truth: I have a 2 outfit rule for Fallon. If she shits or spits up on the second one she goes naked. This pretty much happens every day so I am constantly stain treating and washing baby clothes.
Truth: I used to wash my hair 3 times a week. Now I wash it once a week. I'd love to say it's for the sake of healthy hair but mostly it's because I don't have time. When your kid is crying or appears to be sleeping but you know your time is super limited you take the fastest shower possible. Thank God for dry shampoo.
Truth: Sure we go places and I do occasionally fix my hair and wear something cute. But it takes 3 times as long to get ready and get out of the house than it should. I'm either running back and forth to put Fallon's pacifier back in her mouth or jingle her toys or I end up just holding her in one hand and using the other to do my makeup. It's a production that leaves me too tired to do much of anything else after we get home.
Truth: It takes approximately 82 shots to get that perfect picture of Fallon and the best ones of both of us are the ones in between the shots I was going for. I often dress her just for the picture and set up with blankets and props and stand over her making faces and shaking rattles. I almost always edit and use a filter before posting.
My point is, the truth is life beyond the pictures. On a typical day it's 10AM before I can even consider doing something productive. And as soon as I start I get interrupted every 1.5 minutes by Fallon or a dog or myself because I have a million things on my mind and get distracted. Every day starts with coffee and usually ends with a glass of wine or a beer. Fallon is most likely in only a diaper by noon and I have spit up or shit on the nursing tank I slept in. My hair is so familiar with topknots it practically does itself. I sweep and mop the floors with Fallon in my wrap and may or may not count that as a cardio work out. There are days I get the nails on one hand painted but not the other. By 7PM I'm trying all the things just to keep little miss calm until bath time, her favorite. She screams like the air is on fire when she has to get out and I am literally all of out fucks to give at that point I don't even bother trying to wrangle her into pjs. I half ass it and nurse her until she's falling asleep before I finish the job. I like pretty pictures just like the next girl. But just remember that the truth is probably that smiling baby picture is one between 50 others of her crying, that clean kitchen is the only non disaster area in the house and camera angles plus editing tools make puffy eyes disappear. The truth is, real life is messy and not really all that pretty. The truth is we share the moments in between the total shit show. The truth is perfection is an illusion.
So here's to all you coffee drinking, baby wearing, pjs all day believing mamas just trying to get through the day. The truth is, we love it even when we don't and that's the whole truth and nothin' but the truth.
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