Friday, December 27, 2013

Writey Mom Here We Go...


I read a lot of  blogs out there and learn something from them all. Maybe it’s a new clean recipe or that I can spray paint just about anything, or that everyone loves their kids a ton and that most mom writers think their house is the wackiest of all. I read of the challenges and the expectations and the mistakes and the successes moms make. And then I gain that we are all out here trying to do the best we can, through it all, big and small - skinned knees, tears over not making a team, birthday excitement, mean friends, laughter over a pet’s antics, illness, pride and love… Whether we work in a fabulous office using the degree we hard earned or we work our asses off at home and never make a penny, we are all trying our best and figuring it out as we go. My daily mantra is wherever you are whatever you do, be happy with it.

Sometimes the mommy blogs bug me (can I be honest here). Sure, we’re all trying to do our best, but some of those bloggers make their imperfections seem so….cutesy? And let me tell you, I don’t like cutesy. Now, since we are just getting to know each other, please know I’m very positive. I practice yoga regularly, believe in the total benefits wholeheartedly and strive to keep my glass half full. I make an effort to see the best in people and try to help my family to do the same. But I don’t like cutesy. I’m done with preschool – my kids are 12 and 14. It’s not cute and sweet that my house is often messy – I can call it creative, but that’s just bullshit, I just need to get off the computer and clean it up. Oh wait, I’m digressing a bit too much, and sounding more snarky than positive, so….back to mommy blogs and my positivity. I also get a little bugged when I read blogs that are…can I say pretentious? Sure, I can make a conversational reference to NPR and hope someone gets it, or discuss the character flaws of Jay Gatsby, but I also really like The Walking Dead and a good zombie killing, and I’m listening to the Glee station on Pandora right now, not the symphony station (because then my narcolepsy may kick in).

Often I admire the women who write the blogs with their optimistic, mindful grateful and realistic POVs and they inspire me to blog, too. I see similarities to my family and myself and want to call these writers and chat while I unload the dishwasher. When women can share their lives with others, it enriches us all. I remember my mother’s generation didn’t talk about things like their daughter’s period or OCD or pubic hair. But those things (and all the other things life throws our way) are reality and it helps to talk it out (believe it or not, this isn’t a digression). My goal for this blog is not to sound better than anyone or make anyone feel less inferior like I know it all and do it all oh, so lovely. My goal is to share what I know, which is only what I’ve learned from my own experience and hopefully learn from my readers in return, because I know hashing things out with my friends is one of the most helpful parts of parenting. We all do things differently, whether we sit with our kids when they do homework or we do it for them or we don’t even know they have homework, but our insights can be helpful. I have 2 girls and have no idea how teenage boys think, but my girls sure want to know so that’s where my friend with 2 boys can help. As moms, we can offer insight; we can offer support and encouragement, even though our methods may be different. We should leave the judging out, because unless we have walked in someone else’s shoes (or got fed up with over zealous cutesy-ness and condescending pretension), we never know what anyone else is really experiencing. 

For the past 3 years, my friend Rachael and I have talked about writing about our mom experiences, because it’s way better than fiction and keeps us laughing till we almost pee, and on our toes – keeps us on our toes, I mean – not peeing on them. My plan is to rope her in to join me on this adventure, and I hope many of you stick around, too.

So here we go, a kind of chronicling, sharing, laughing, unbelieving and forever hopeful blog to begin – remember I like reality, but it’s still all just a big ol’ adventure, right? Let’s go!  

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