A great reminder

There are so many things in this world that have seemingly made the world a bit smaller. Technology links us all together such as the Internet. All of the world's information right at your fingertip along with all of the crap that, well, stupid people post. 


We have Facebook and Twitter which keeps everyone linked together - we can check in on our friends and see what they are up to, and we have bonds with some people we have never met. Have an interest? Well, then join a Facebook group and be around a great number of people you will never meet in person but every one of them like the same thing you do.


Then there's the Blogging world.  A place we can post things about our lives and thoughts, which - for me - no one ever seems to read, but it's still a great place for me to journal the lives of my family.

Now, there is a thing on the Internet called Pinterest.  (As you can see, it's even written more cutely than I could have done here.) I have not gone to this site.  I will NOT sign up for this site. The reason for this is simple. If I want to feel like a failure as a mother, a wife, as a woman, I simply have to watch television or read a Martha Stewart Magazine to discover all the ways that I am failing.  It's a really long list according to society: I'm not thin enough, I'm not craftly enough, I don't have everything uber-organized in such a cute way that it would not seem OCD.  Then there's the plethora of ideas for you to try! Nope, I have enough pressure to try new things thank you very much, so I will not be visiting Pinterest - EVER!  


I will admit that I have seen some pictures posted on Facebook, and I have been tempted to just click on them.  Oh yes, I am attracted to the Dark Side, but I have resisted the temptation.  


This morning, this Blog article was going around Facebook:



Your Children Want YOU!
There's this crazy phenomenon going on right now. Good, devoted mothers get on Pinterest . . . .and blogs . . .. and Facebook . . . .and Twitter . . . and they're convinced they're not enough. Here's what I've discovered.

It's a little teaser to get you to read it, but it worked! I read this article and realized that #1 - I am NOT the only woman who goes through a daily/weekly/monthly identity crisis, and #2 - that I'm not just justifying my existence on a daily basis - I am really OK the way I am!

Here's the link to the blog, which will hopefully be there forever:

Power of Moms - Your Children Want You

There was even a cute picture of a Pinterest edible flower-thingy that went with the leader post. 


But, basically, we are who we are.  Holy shit, really? Isn't it great to get validation that you can't be anyone but who you really are??? I'm raising my daughters to believe in who they are, accept their limitations for what they are and not accept the expectations of society. Well, crap, why can't I do the same for myself?


There have been changes that I have made - I have decorated the house for almost every season with a cute picture based floral-type arrangement in the living room.  I have a great picture orientated shadowbox for each holiday/season that hangs between the living room and dining room for everyone to enjoy.  I made a family based calendar every year, and I'm learning to sew for crying out loud!  I want to have the "extras" so that my house is a "home" and where you can feel this family is connected from the moment you walk in the door.  I spend time cross-stitching in order to make special gifts for my children and friends.  


When Ken and I started dating, he told me that there was only one thing I was lacking on as a parent and that was spending more time with the girls.  I had been so used to working full-time outside the house, then going to school that by the time I got home, it was time to get the girls bathed and put to bed.  I didn't GET to spend time with them let alone know how to do it. The rest of my time was spent cleaning, doing laundry, and everything else since Lord knows Jackass wouldn't do anything as the stay at home parent.  


Now, I have the time to do things.  I work from home, I'm attending the girls' events at school and after school, we have a designated Family Day where we just spend the time together.  Just eating supper together every night makes a difference - my girls brag to their friends about it at school! I cannot believe how many parents cannot or just choose to not participate in their children's lives.  Then, I remember how detached my own parents were, and I remember how I would just hope that they would show up - just once.  


Being there and being involved is all they want.  I really am the best I can be and the best mom for them.  I make a TON of mistakes on a daily basis, but it's all going to work out - even if I have to pay for their therapists.  Haha!