One of THOSE Blogs
In this corner of the internet, I try to keep things real. I try to tell the truth. The whole truth. And nothing but the truth. Sometimes, that means I tell people about temper tantrums and 3 hour meals and time outs and meltdowns because those things are just part of being a parent. I try my best not to omit those instances because if I only showed the high-resolution pictures with perfect lighting where everyone is looking at the camera…well, quite frankly, this would be a very short blog.
There are bloggers out there who choose to only show the high-gloss pictures. They tell the good stories. The ones where children obey and use their manners and make funny little jokes. The ones where husbands bring flowers home, hard wood floors always look shiny and clean, and toys don’t liter the floor in every room of the house. We all blog for different reasons. I blog to feel connected to people, and to remind myself that I’m not alone in this suburban life I lead. But others sometimes blog to remember the good in their lives and their families. They don’t want to look back and remember the temper tantrums and runny noses. And that’s okay. I don’t knock those blogs. In fact, I love those blogs, too. I read them to remind myself to keep striving and to, you know, bathe myself every couple of days.
For the past week or so, though, I have gotten to experience the “good only” in my household. It seems like lately, every time I turn around, I’m having more fun with my family. Chris and I are back in each others good graces, and we are working really hard to make each other and our marriage a priority again. And we are reaping the benefits of that. Our conversations have been full and satisfying, we’re joking around together again, and we are seeking out times to be together – both with the kids and without.
And the kids are only making things seem even sweeter. Lately, they have been playing together so good. They hold hands when they walk somewhere, they share their toys, they play pretend, they help each other find their shoes. It seems like every little thing they could do to get along, they are doing. I wish I could tell you there has been some big secret is making that happen, but Chris and I haven’t done anything. It’s been all them. The first words out of their mouths when they wake up is, “Where’s Beanie?” or “Where’s Gracie?” and the last thing they say at night is, “Night night, Beanie” or “Night night, Gracie.” When they are getting along like this, life is so much easier.
I would describe myself as a no nonsense type of person. I’m going to call things like I see them, and sometimes that means you may not always see the best side of my family. But even on the days when tempers flare and I’m tired, disheveled, and slightly overwhelmed, I still love my family. I love every hair on their heads. Every tear that they cry. Every temper tantrum they throw. I love them through it all. We love each other despite our imperfections. In fact, we love each other so much that when we have those rare weeks of no time outs and clean hardwood floors (…okay, so the clean floors thing will, like, NEVER happen in our house…), we aren’t so much surprised by the good we have in our family. We are just thankful that every once in a while it comes through in photos, too.
12 Comments
Jen @ Ginger Guide
Glad to see those kind of days actually exist! I was starting to have my doubts. But you deserve it. You’ve had some rough times recently and it’s about time you get some good to go along with it. I, on the other hand, tried to cut my kid’s hair today. Chaos and bald spots ensued. Not a good day.
Claire
Gorgeous family!!
Rebecca @ The Reluctant Housewife
The pictures of the kids together are just so sweet! May the good times keep on rollin’!
mae
def have to treasure those moments…i wish i knew what those were like though. lol love the last pic. i don’t think i’ve ever taken a pic with the kids where all of us were looking at the camera at the same time and smiling.
Jess Z.
Gracie looks like your sister in the last picture 🙂
kat
wait…hold the horses….i’ve been polishing my floors every single day and only taking pics in daylight with perfect lighting because I thought that was real life……are you telling me these people are not sharing the whole story?!?!??! o m g (i am just kidding…….)
HeatherM
I think if you were to write a letter to yourself when you were depressed and pregnant w/ Gracie, this would be the gist of it. So sweet.
On a slightly unrelated note- do you think Bean and Gracie get along better when you and Chris are getting along better? Just a thought. So glad to see you guys are all doing so much better.
Jayne
It’s true love when you can love every oily, sweaty hair on someone’s head. Even when the table is filled with papers, the sink is full and the bathroom is grimy. Even if life is hard. Thanks for sharing the real deal. It helps to know that someone is feeling and experiencing the same things albeit in different ways. And I know that love. He’s sitting beside me right now. Thanks again Katie.
Victorai
I read your blog for exactly this reason. I’ve followed many a blogger who projections ‘perfection’ and frankly, it makes me feel bad about having toys everywhere, a kid who eats half the meals I make, and my real marriage where we argue. So…thank you – I thoroughly enjoy coming to this blog and laughing because what you’ve posted is what I’m feeling.
Donna
You should be proud of yourself for seeing the good…sometimes we people don’t notice the good as much as we notice the bad or the annoying. I think too that the more we look for the good or the positive the more we see.
Ann @ Such a Mama
I love that your floors are messy and your pictures aren’t perfect! They are real! And that is why I keep coming back 🙂
Bella
I admire you for staying true. I appreciate reading blogs that project real-life occurrences (the good, the bad and the ugly). You’ve got an awesome family, so it’s only right to be proud of them. 🙂