Keeping it Real

Last week got the best of me. It felt like a total disaster. I was constantly in a rush, continuously battling with the Mini Fashionista, dropping things, forgetting things, breaking things....you get the picture.

When I have those kind of days, I appreciative the power of social media to lift me up. On Wednesday I posted the following status on Facebook:

"Bad things always happen in 3's .... 1) Roller ski, get caught in a downpour. 2) Finish skiing (drenched) only to find I have locked my keys and phone in the car and am now late to pick The Mini Fashionista up. 3) In a rush, once my +1 comes to my rescue, I forget to put my poles back in the car and run them over. Awesome, Just Awesome!"

Leave it to my friends to, as I said, lift me up by suggesting things like wine and ice cream. Okay, so some of them (including my dear sister) admitted to laughing, but in hind sight it was maybe just a bit comical. However the very expensive, broken poles...not so funny. 

Some of the comments included: 

"Is it bad that I am giggling right now...I see you as such a perfectionist and its nice to know you are human"

"I also laughed, but mostly because I was thinking ditto of what (she) said, and it is reassuring that others have days like this!"

On Thursday, I posted the following picture and title on Instagram. 

My Kitchen looks the way my life feels #disaster

Again, I received lots of comments (as I expected). 

"This is my life everyday. Just roll with it girlfriend. You're the most perfect person I know, so this will definitely not cramp your style."

"Hey lady, don't stress. You taught two kick-ass classes today, ran around town, took care of your kid, cooked, cleaned...you are winning this game."

So what is my point in sharing all of this? First, I was surprised about how many people see my life as being "perfect", because I can tell you with %100 confidence, it is far, far from it. Sure, overall I've got my "S**t" together, but perfect I am not. 

So why is that their impression?

Because social media (Instagram and FB in my case) is where we display the best of ourselves, our triumphs, our best "selfies", the cutest pictures of our kids, etc. And why not? Social media is how you display your personal "brand", your image. It should be the best of you. All of this, I believe can help to build you up and make you feel better about yourself,  just as it did for me this week. 

On the flip side, social media can also bring you down. It can make you feel inadequate, ugly, fat, lazy, unsuccessful...the list goes on.

Recently C&C friend and blogger, Hilary posted this quote on her Instagram feed. 

It resonated with me simply because like many, sometimes I feel that inadequacy that results from social media. Maybe if I stopped looking at blogs, Facebook and Instagram I wouldn't feel that way... 

So again, what is the point of all of this?  Going forward, my goal is to "keep it real" on social media, just as I have here on the blog. I am not perfect, and I never want anyone (friends or readers) to feel a sense of inadequacy because of something I post or write. If you missed my previous post on this topic you can find it here. It's worth a read.  

But fear not, I promise to use a filter. You may see my dirty kitchen, screaming toddler, spilt milk, makeup free face and greasy hair, but I promise to keep the gross and personal stuff...personal and private. There is such thing as TMI! 

Keeping it Real

Let's start the day off with the winner of our giveaway! Congratulations Evie! You are going to receive your own set of ZizzyBee bags! I know you will put them to good use.

Now to today's post...

A few weeks ago, one of my favorite mom bloggers, Sarah Tucker, of Fairytales Are True wrote a post about her imperfections (read it here). It was very much in line with my "Keeping it Real" posts. Her point was to show her readers that despite her life looking "perfect" on her blog, facebook and instagram, that it really is far from perfection and that she too is human like the rest of us.

I often find myself feeling inadequate compared to the women on blogs I follow, in magazine articles, etc, and I do have to remind myself that what is in print is not usually "real". It is a photoshopped, filtered, staged image of what life really is. Olivia Palermo can't look that fabulous while walking down the street all the time, right?

Anyway, that got me thinking...some of you might look at this blog with that same kind of feeling. Athough, I really hope not given how we try to "keep it real".

So in honor of imperfection, I would like to title this post "Confessions of an Imperfect Blogger (mother, wife, and woman)." Thanks Sarah for the inspiration!

Here goes nothing!

- I bite my nails. I always have and I always will. Sometimes it is just faster than using a nail file.

- I use sweetened coconut in all recipes that call for unsweetened.

- I use Tilex to clean my shower and Comet to clean my toilets. There's a time and a place for bleach. Sometimes natural cleaning products just don't cut it!

- I let the Mini Fashionista drink my coffee (okay, so it's decaf, but still). I'm talking grab an extra cup and poor half in for her, not just a sip here and there. What can I say, the girl likes a decaf latte.

- This kills my husband, but I am that person that leaves the parking meter stubs sitting in my passenger window after I've left the parking spot. Sometimes it's just too much work to reach over and grab it.

- I let my child watch TV nearly everyday (not everyday, I promise). Sometimes I just need 20 minutes to get something done and Doc McStuffins is the best form of distraction, and it is pretty much the only way to ensure she doesn't get into trouble when I'm not watching her every move.

- I eat something sweet nearly everyday....chocolate, a pastry, cookie...you get the idea.

- I have been known to throw away baked goods (to prevent me from eating more) and subsequently remove them (still wrapped) from my garbage can in order to eat what's left. It's low...I know.

- I usually exercise in the morning and spend the entire day in my sweaty workout clothes. And then, there are days when I skip taking a shower and go right to bed. It's gross, but sometimes a shower is just too much work.

- I am a firm believer in the 10 second rule. If it drops on the floor, pick it up, dust it off. It's called building immunity.

- I've become more insecure since leaving my job at Nike. There is something about working for a Fortune 500 company that just makes you feel like the s**t. Being an "on-the-go mom"...not so much.


I could go on and on. The point is, no one is perfect. What I will say with 100% confidence is that I am a good person, a good friend, a good mom and a good wife. We all have vices. We all have imperfections. And that is what makes us human.

Cheers to that!