Everything's Perfect in Blogland

I don't look at many blogs. But the ones I enjoy reading are ones that are happy, have great pictures, are reflective, happy, funny, happy. I'm that way with movies and books, too. If I actually find a couple of hours in a day to escape from the real world into the scenes of a movie or the pages of a book, I want the whole thing to wrap up with a really great 'happily ever after'. I don't even like when the conflict is all that major or serious along the way- predictable, neat, tidy, and happy are what I prefer. It's funny because I actually stayed away from the whole world of blogging for a while because it seemed sort of fake to me- way too heavy on the whole life is perfect and happy thing. I imagined the world of blogging to be a bunch of moms trying to show they are the best mom in the whole world because they canned 47 jars of asparagus (which, by the way is their children's favorite food), knitted a baby wrap, and did 6 different craft projects with their preschoolers that involved paint and glitter all before nap time, when they stole away to type their blog in a cozy studio at their amazingly decorated home. But as I have jumped into attempting to capture my life in a blog, I have realized that as moms we spend a lot of our day focused on (and later dwelling on) the things that don't go right, the things we didn't get done, and the ways we wish we could be better. I've realized that the art of blogging, at least for us moms, is a way to bring to the front the bright and the happy, the moments that often get overshadowed in our memories by what-ifs, wish-I-coulds, and maybe-tomorrows.  So, I'm gonna keep on looking for beauty and goodness around me and continue to set it in my record here. I'm going to focus on happy, and assume no level of perfection. It would do no good to try- not a single one of my children likes asparagus.

A few pictures from the nephews' visit. WARNING: These images contain scenes from real life that were not staged, set in just the right light, or photoshopped. (They do make me chuckle, though, now that they are over!)

 Someone's got a frowny face- Tuesday, May 1.

 The stash of confiscated electronics and cheeseballs on top of the fridge (yes, cheeseballs)- Monday, May 1.

A good place to hide (and not come out for like 30 minutes while loudly sobbing)- Monday, May 1.

*Oh yeah. And I almost forgot. I found my first white hair yesterday. I never really believed it when I heard parents say they got grey hairs from their kids, but I think it may be more than a coincidence that we are wrapping up a week with five kids ages nine and under in our cozy little house at the same time that I found my first white hair.

 
 I couldn't get a good picture of the white hair on my head (it was sticking up, right in front), so I yanked it out and taped it to a black piece of paper just so nobody could say, 'that's just blonde from the sun'. It's white. For sure- Monday, May 1.