Thursday, August 12, 2010

A Sugar-Coated Life

Sometimes it is too easy to write about all the joys of life and to pretend that bad stuff never happens. Sometimes it is tempting to present a side of me and my life that I know will impress others or instill feelings of envy or jealousy. I know this because I am guilty of it too...

I realize that it is easy for me to write a biased account of my life ONLY because I live a truly blessed life. I have a ROOF over my head, a loving and CARING husband, two beautiful HEALTHY boys, a JOB that pays me to do something near and dear to my heart, good HEALTH, nutritious FOOD on my table, LOVING parents, the list could go ON and on. 

But it's not really fair to sit here and pretend that my life is all fluffy and sparkly and beautiful ALL THE TIME. 

Cause it's really NOT.

It's not that bad stuff happens all the time -- of course I have very challenging days alongside the memorable and 'pretty' ones. I suppose it's just the eternal optimist in me that chooses to not think about those challenging days for more than a moments time -- and to commemorate the memories that make me smile instead. Maybe it is wrong of me to live my life this way, or to sugar-coat all my memories. I don't know the answer. I do know that, looking back over the past 2 years of my blog history -- my life looks pretty darn perfect. And that just isn't so!

For example, I know that I, personally, tend to choose to post more of my perfect pictures -- the ones that captured the perfect moment rather than the snapshot from a split second before or after.... or the ones that paint the stories of my life in the most perfect light (by only telling the parts I want you to hear!) -- it is the anonymity of the Internet! How ironic that I use that anonymity to talk about my most personal moments and MY FAMILY!

Well, NO MORE I SAY!

Max July 2008
  So, without further adieu, here are some of the greatest outtakes of the last 2 years that never made it to any blog, any facebook page, or any photo album (well...can't promise that last one...blackmail pictures and all....).  It turns out that it IS a really good thing that I have a hard time deleting ANY digital file -- even the bad ones...

ENJOY!

January 2008

Amanda's birthday Feb 2008 -- we look so young!
Dec 2008 -- poor child...
sometimes you can't help yourself...I've always wondered why I have to open my mouth like that when I put on mascara..
I think we were trying some sort of new-fangled position to rid ourselves of double chins...  did it work?
I don't think big Max was trying to take a picture of my face...just a hunch... (March 2010)
we don't want anyone walking away thinking Sam's labor was ALL fun and games... (April 2010)
Sam is not excluded ... (June 2010)
THERE.  I feel so much better now, like I got a weight off my chest.  How about you? 

Hope it was good for at least a good laugh or two...  :)

Moving forward I'm going to try to include a little bit more 'real life' in every post.

10 comments:

oceansunfish said...

I totally know how you feel! And I used to feel the exact opposite when I kept a private journal (only writing about the bad stuff!) but this is what you want to remember so who cares!! Love the first pic of Max...he looks like the record was just screeched to a halt! :)

Anna said...

Even the "bad" pictures of the kids are super-cute. But I do know what you mean....

Emily said...

darn double chins!!!! LOVE all those photos :) And here I was thinking you are PERFECT--pretty darn near it though ;)

Tiffany said...

It's not "sugar-coating", it is "selective memory". I do the same on my blog. I'd rather celebrate the good than whine about the bad. I'm not looking to mislead, just to entertain. And that's exactly what you're doing, too!! But, it was a perfect excuse for the outtakes. Love it.

Emily S. said...

that was good stuff, my friend... LOL!

Laura said...

All the pictures are cute. They all made me laugh! It seems like yesterday that Lil Max was that small. Thanks for sharing.

Amanda said...

Love this and the pictures! My absolute favorite is the one of Max. EVERY TIME I see that I can't help but smile remembering that day!

And we DO look young. Love you.

mel said...

Funny! But it is the good times that get you through the bad... so if by sharing your good times, you are helping yourself or someone else get through their bad ones... then I say, On With The Sugar!!
and, yes, we were trying to counter act the from below camera position rather than the trick of from above. ;)

Whitney said...

It's so much easier to avoid writing about the bad days. Who wants to hear about how crabby my kids are sometimes?!
Those are all great photos. Definite keepers!

Annemarie said...

The pictures are adorable and while the text may have been a bit challenging to write, it's my favorite writing of your blog posts. Well done, lady!