Reality Check

I have a few bloggers that I really do read on a daily basis.  Sometimes they are inspiring and motivating.

And sometimes, they make me want to crawl back into bed and start over fresh tomorrow.

I'm just not a glass-half-full kind of girl.  That's not to say I'm a glass-half-empty gal either.  I'm more of a "the liquid contents are in the middle of the cup" and if that cup contains, say, coffee or wine then I'm likely to just refill it without much more thought.

Life in our house is what it is.  None of my kids can wipe their own poopie bottoms yet.  We generally stay in PJ's until after 10 when Sesame Street is over.   There is always a dog or a child crying, barking, or yelling - and yes, even the kids bark sometimes.  I often use the leftover coffee from breakfast to make iced coffee at 3 in the afternoon when I'd love nothing more than to curl up in a ball until after the kids are asleep.  Dinner is usually between 4 and 5, followed by cuddle time and Sprout, and the babes are in bed by 7.

We definitely have our share of "suck the marrow out of life moments", but we still have a lot of days that begin and end in 100% pure survival mode.

My whole point is that as I was browsing through my daily reads this morning, simultaneously scrolling and drinking coffee with one hand while pulling the three year old off of the dog with the other, I was struck by the fact that a few of the moms on my reading list are all-day-every-day rainbows and fairy dust.   Maybe this is intentional - like the moms in question don't really want to share the not-so-pretty sides of life.  But I can't help but feel like it isn't reality.

To their credit, there are definitely some mamas out there who call it like it is.  And, as with everything, there are some who are completely over the top with their negative musings and foul-mouthed reflections.  Usually, I would dismiss those things that don't fill me up and put them out of my mind.

Perhaps it's because we are already on our 5th time-out of the morning, or maybe it has to do with the fact that I haven't even been able to get through this post without losing my train of thought about half a dozen times.  But today for some reason I can't seem to just ignore the fact that, while occasionally inspiring, the all-good-news-all-the-time blogs have rubbed me the wrong way.

My day began with sweet kisses from my girls followed by hugs from the mohawk monster.  We then spiraled into a tantrum over pop-tarts versus bagels and topped that segment of our programming off with orange juice spilled all over the floor and a round of time out.  The next chapter began with a dog fight, a bottom wipe, and hugs between the littles which quickly turned into a pint-sized mess of screaming, arm pulling, and crying (enter time-out number two - or three... I've lost count already). Five minutes of Sesame Street snuggles were short lived but savored as my attention-span-of-fleas offspring ran off to make a tent someplace.  Another time-out was given as a golf ball was lobbed from brother to baby sister and a bossy slap was exchanged between the oldest and middle child. Punishments were administered, tears were dried, kisses were given, and I love you's were exchanged.

Right now, All three children are clothed in big-sister-imposed princess attire.  The dogs have been adorned with dress-up necklaces.  And somewhere from the depths of her closet,  Mini-Me can be heard proclaiming that it is "Kingdom Day" and that everyone needs to be quiet.  The Bichon is antagonizing the puppy-mutt resulting in screeches and growls.  And as I finalize my thoughts, a knock and "I'm DOOOONNNNNEEEEEEEE" are being called from the bathroom.

This is my world: glass half-full, glass half-empty, and everything in between.  And even though it isn't always fairy dust and unicorns (but is usually princess crowns and puppy breath), I wouldn't change it - or share it - any other way.

Love, hugs, and blessings,
The Mama