When I went out to start my car at the asscrack of dawn to get the kids to school, I was shocked when my eyelashes didn’t immediately freeze to each other like they have been for the past couple weeks. I quickly realized that it was a full 20 degrees! That is 40 degrees warmer than 24 hours earlier
Needless to say, I am wearing shorts. They are Spanx shorts under my jeans, but shorts are shorts.
With the new found freedom of getting fresh air without freezing a lung, comes a huge sense of gratitude. I think that is why I love Minnesota so much. Just when you think you are going to die, Mother Nature swings into our little slice of heaven and lets us know what we were not forgotten by the powers that be. My children’s winter break was so cold, we really did not do much. Not that we normally would, but being stuck inside because we want to and being stuck inside because we need to are two totally different ball games. We all need a PJ day at home, but after 10 in an row, it gets a bit old.
So school started back up (after 2 holy-shit-its-too-damn-cold-to-let-little-people-stand-outside-for-the-bus No School Days) and I literally skipped around my house. For about 10 minutes. Then I realized I missed the little A-holes.
Which brings me to the Gratitude part.
They are awesome kids. We have an awesome life together. It is not all glitter and sugar, laughs and shiny floors, it is often the opposite. The house is never fully clean, the kids are rarely ever happy at the same time (when they are you are guaranteed a Facebook video or picture), food is usually processed, baths are infrequent and precious TV time occurs more then I would like to admit.
Social media is a great space to vent, brag or over-share. I am guilty of doing them all, and I am not ashamed. Sitting behind a computer, I have slightly more control over the way I get perceived. I can be a snarky mom, a overwhelmed mom, a professional chef, a super creative talented mom, whatever. I try to be realistic in my posts, but there is no way not to sensor yourself or project a certain image. The one thing I keep in mind when I am about to post something is will this help another person, now or in the future? Will someone laugh? Will it help another mom see that we are all flawed? Will it help show my daughters that we did have fun despite their accusations? If so, than I will keep posting.
That being said, I do have something to say to the people who may think I am ungrateful or fake…
Go ahead.
Think away. I am not losing sleep over it. I am not sitting down trying to ensure that my public perception is one way or another. I am trying spread joy and, if need be, awareness. I vent. I bitch. I cry. But I do it to people I trust and that I know will help me move forward. I will share that experience honestly. If you think I am not being honest, just ask. I am a pretty open book. There just isn’t chapters devoted to one issue.
I ain’t got time for that.