Life with Pinterest

Y'all, whatever did we do before Pinterest? I pity our parents who grew up in a world lacking in free exercise tips, 1000s of chicken recipes, dollar store crafts, and pictures of places that only Brad and Angelina can afford to visit. Not to mention the inspirational quotes that keep me smiling as my children destroy the house, keep me running every morning despite the dastardly temps, and encourage me to add a little sarcasm to my Facebook posts, text messages, and face to face conversations.

How ever did they do it? My mom had to shell out 38 bucks a year for a Southern Living subscription to figure out how to rearrange her decades old furniture, all while her perfectly seasoned pot roast simmered on the stove for HOURS. Nowadays, thanks to innovative pinners who share their wisdom via social media, moms can "fake" the taste of an hours long piece of meat and decoupage a trash bin find to make an old dresser look like an antique piece of art. Talk about living the good life-all for the measly price of monthly internet connection:-)

I must say it didn't take me long to develop a slight little addiction to all that pinning has to offer. When I tell the boys to leave me alone because I'm "pinning," they start putting in requests for decadent brownies. When Coach comes home to an unfamiliar meal on his table, he immediately asks, "Pinterest?" My girls at the gym look at me with glazed eyes when I tell them we are trying something knew. Most of them (fellow pinners) will just sigh and ask, "OK, which Pin is it?"

But after many months of a Piniful (plentiful, piniful, get it?) existence, my rose-colored glasses are getting a little foggy. I mean, sure, who doesn't want to be the perfect Mom and spout a timely Bible verse for every parenting moment? Who doesn't dream of popping out perfect, original(oh, the irony) valentine goodies for the kids' classes? I don't know any girl who doesn't want to walk into her closet and come out sporting a kick a** outfit with the stuff that has been hanging pre-pregnancy. But how much is too much? Just how AWESOME are we supposed to be?

Here, A few of My Favorite Pins:

25 things Moms should do with their boys. What a GREAT idea, but unfortunately our quality time these days boils down to me with my hands on my hips, pointing to piles of clothing and an unmade bed, shouting something like "we aren't leaving this room until it is spotless!"

The Mom pooch. What a relief to know that the pooch at my belt has NOTHING to do with my Coca-Cola addiction. There was, in fact, physical trauma in those three pregnancies that requires more than just crunches and cutting back on sugar. So although it isn't an excuse for muffin top, at least it's a REASON for muffin top.

Victorian character captions. Most of these pictures capture dapperly-dressed men and women, dancing around and suggesting that I a)drink more wine b)critique everyone's grammar c)drink more wine and
d)defriend anyone who doesn't do a, b, or c.

Baking soda uses. Seriously? Baking soda is one of the cheapest things I can pick up at the grocery store, so I'm all in. But I'm a little concerned with the fact that the same thing that whitens my teeth and eliminates toxins from my body with a bath soak is the same stuff that can take the red sharpie out of my carpet. Oh well, at 99 cents a box, I'm stocking up.

Of course, I'd be remiss not to mention my "lists," the little reminders Pinterest offers to suggest that as a wife and mom I'm not quite up to par. According to my boards, I have things to do with my kids, things to do with my husband (in case after 15 years I'm at a loss), things to do before I go to bed every night (we're talking squats and lunges; nothing to do with the husband here), and a delightful list of foods I promise not to eat for a month, which will insure that I'll look good but everyone else will be living with a witch.

So maybe I don't Pin every day like I used to, but there's still plenty to be gleaned from Pinterest. While I'm scrolling through ideas, hints, and suggestions on how to improve my life, I can look around and see see that my life is plenty Pinworthy already. It's the boys wearing mistmatched clothes eating Kraft mac n cheese from bowls I did NOT make myself that assure me of it.

LIfe with Boys

After a particularly rough day cleaning a house that resembled a men's dorm room, I started thinking about all the ladies who, like me, live in a male dominated house. Scrolling through my facebook friends, I found more than ten friends who qualify as the lone lady in a house full of boys, the Queen Bee, so to speak, in a very sticky beehive. This actually gave me some comfort to know that for every errant sock I scooped from the pocket of the pool table, another mom was scooping something just as stinky. So for today, I'm recapping some of the things that moms-in-a-house-full-of-boys experience. And please, if I leave anything off, let me know.

1. Wet toilet seats, or wet floors around the toilet seat

2. Lego's in the refrigerator

3. Baseball gloves on the kitchen counter-- I've learned to work around them

4. A freshly folded load of laundry and no youth sized undies?

5. Lego's in the vacuum cleaner

6. Sticks- big sticks, little sticks; sticks that look like pistols; sticks that have been whittled; stick are everywhere, even the washing machine

7. Oxiclean-- it changed my life, y'all

8. Frogs and earthworms-- it's been almost 12 years and I'm still not ok with those two things

9. Lego's under bare feet

10. Torn shirts and pants- how does a boy wear a brand new shirt to school and come home that same day with a rip?

11. Bare chests- surely I'm not the only one who has to issue a warning to put on a shirt before coming to the dinner table

12. Mud, dirt, dust-- the dirtier the dumptruck, the better

13. (Gulp) The F word-- I can't even write it, but why (and where) does every little boy learn to say *art before he can say his own name?

14. Ridiculousness-I have been indoctrinated into the world of Rob Drydek; and Tate asks in all seriousness if he can watch adicolus when he gets home. Because what could be more fun than watching STUPID people?

Of course, I wouldn't trade my house full of boys for anything, and I know there are sooo many more examples I could add to the list. But if y'all ever see me with a toad frog in my hand or hear me utter the F word, you'll know the boys have won; and my Gail Pittman pottery is being used for target practice with the new BB guns Daddy brought home.