Despite having a large (enough) online presence I do not have an Instagram account. And I don’t want one. I spend too much time scrolling through Pinterest – though in my defence I do actually create a small percentage of the things I pin, but it’s like, 3% – and my Facebook feed where I follow too many must-read Catholic bloggers.
But, in more recent times I’ve been wondering about what my feed would look like. The truth is, it would be…random.
Yes. Chaotic, sporadic and ranging from amusing to, well, depressing.
I mean, just this week, there’s the images of: Master 2 caught red-handed eating Nutella straight from the jar, the same child unrolling a whole toilet roll onto the tiles at 2.30am, Misses 6 and 4’s eclectic dress sense (which my husband would gladly caption #homelessprincess), Master 8’s endless Lego creations and Master 3 months coughing his lungs up thanks to good old bronchiolitis.
That’s just the kids. Around the house meanwhile…
There’s laundry draped over clothes hoists everywhere, and an ironing basket overflowing, crusts and popcorn remnants on the lounge room floor and is that a puddle of milkshake? Books with covers half attached thrown across the floor and Duplo blocks in every room of the house (bigger than Lego but still annoying!) Window panes wet on both sides from rain and the vapouriser running 24/7, beds unmade and kitchen floor unswept.
But on the flip side there’s: saying prayers with children before bed, movies watched from the comfort of a snuggly blanket on the lounge and large bowls of popcorn, slightly snotty kisses and cuddles, raucous laughter and goofy grins, good books and silly songs. And the bag of M&M’s hubby brought home as a treat for me, though I was gracious enough to let him have some.
The only conclusion therefore is that my Instagram feed would be as chaotic as my life. And I can think of a few ways to caption it, but this one says it all:
#blessed
Originally posted 2016-09-07 15:00:24.
Hi Emily, I smiled whilst reading your story. As a mother of eight children, I too went through the stage of being a perfectionist around the house to just letting it go when the kids were growing up
Now though, with the last being 18 and only 3 at home I can keep a reasonable house until our beautiful grandchildren arrive then its back to letting it go.
So we never really get back to having that pristine house ever but give me a house full of kids, the occasional dog and toys scattered everywhere anytime, and I’m a happy mum and grandmother
You soon learn to focus on the more important things! I have to admit that the mess still bothers me but I, more often than not, choose to ignore it in favour of quality time and a more flexible approach to parenting.
Good attitude – love it!! 🙂