Oh, Get Real!

I really need to tell you something…..

 Although my intentions have always been to encourage others with this blog, I realize that sometimes I may not appear to be “keeping it real”, as they say. I have tried to post things that are helpful, positive, and pretty. I’ve posted about the accomplishments of our weeks, the new ideas that we have tried, any new resources that I happen upon and think are noteworthy, and any ideas that have encouraged me. I purposefully leave out all the bad days, the failed curriculum, the whining, the discipline, the messy house, and the days when I am not a happy camper and would like to just give up. (Yeah! I have those days.)

I know exactly how REAL things can get around here, and to be honest, I don’t want to blog about those negative things. I want to encourage, help, and share ideas. With all that said, I also think that sometimes there is a fine line between being an encouragement to others and appearing to be a know-it-all or a show off. I want to be sure that no one thinks the latter of me or my intentions with this blog. Because of my fear of looking like something I am not, I have deleted a few posts that might have been taken the wrong way. I want this blog to be a place of help and encouragement, but NEVER a place that appears to be full of unrealistic expectations that might discourage others.

Ya know what? I like tea cups. I love vintage graphics, lace, antique furniture, cottage gardens, Jane Austen, birds, well organized houses, and pretty flowers.  HOWEVER, our home school days do not include any of these things… except maybe birds! We do not sit in an immaculately clean house that is decorated with all things beautiful reciting poetry while drinking our tea with our pinkies in the air. Seriously, who does live that way? (Okay…just don’t tell me if you do.)

 I do not always have it together. I mess up. I freak out. I yell when I should calm down and count to 10. I may have a plan for cleaning our house and planning our meals, but that plan does not always work out. Sometimes we run out of milk or eggs or cheese and the meal I had planned flops. Do you know why I can tell you so much about so many different brands of curricula? Because I have tried them all looking for what works! There are some subjects that I just do not like to teach (ahem…math). I still have to remind our children to brush their teeth, do their chores, and pick up after themselves EVERY DAY. Nope. Our life is not all roses and tea cups. That’s for sure.

I recently told a friend of mine that EVERYTHING looks better on a blog. I’m often surprised at how great our lives look on-line. Pictures of projects look much more fun than they actually were. Field trips look effortless and always VERY educational. Curriculum reviews sound like the very thing everyone needs. Homemaking and housekeeping appear to be a JOYOUS exercise that all family members adore! Pictures of meals look delicious! Children look well-behaved, smart, and creative, and mothers appear to be organized, exercised, and ever-so wise! It’s just not reality, friends….

I am going to continue to accentuate the positive here on the blog, but please keep in
mind that there is an equal amount of the negative being left out. I just wanted you to know.