Outside the Frame: On Being Real on the Internet

I hope you all know that when I sit down to eat breakfast it doesn’t look like this.

Breakfast Muffins with Zucchini and Banana

 

It’s not even on a table. That’s my kid’s toy chest, it just happens to have good light. Just outside the frame you’d see all her baby toys shoved aside, our window that looks out on the neighbors siding, and probably Layla trying to “help” by touching all the muffins with her sticky baby fingers.

As someone who projects an image on the internet I can tell you that 99% of all my photos there is crap shoved off to the side. We (Nate often “gets” to be the photographer) find the best spot, the best lighting, the best angle and show you that. Because we want things to look pleasing and pretty and attractive; and a pile of paper, clothes, or baby toys isn’t “cute”.

But I hope you know just outside the frame we are living real life.

blooper

And so is everyone else on instagram, facebook, and pinterest.

There is nothing wrong with putting your best side on display, but the people I love the most are the ones who are keeping it real. I love that the nester shows you how her house looks messy.

And I read an inspirational post by Kayse Pratt about how she is intentional in her morning time before the kiddos get up AND she freely admitted in the comments that on the day the post went live she actually slept past her alarm. Love that. Because it can get a little discouraging reading about how great everyone is doing with their gorgeous and clever homes, intense workouts, no-fail dinners, and babies who actually smile at cameras.

IMG_7422

(You’re killing me kid! But when you look good in the pic, you definitely still put it online. ;))

So outside the frame here in my house you’d find legos on the floor, messy buns, no mascara, laundry waiting to be folded, a no-workout day, and tomato soup (from a can) and grilled cheese for lunch.  Things are REAL over here, you guys. I hope you don’t mind. In fact, I hope that is why you come back.

[tweetthis]It’s easy to get discouraged in a picture-perfect world, so let’s keep it real! [/tweetthis]

I hope this little space on the interwebs is a “let down your hair” kind of place where we can talk about how much easier it is to eat Arby’s than fix dinner and binge-watch Friends than workout. (I promise not to judge you if that’s what you need today.) My goal here is to inspire you, not by my perfection, but by my transparency. I want you to see it doesn’t take a degree in nutrition or a certification in group fitness to make healthy food that tastes awesome and be active. So my journey may not always be Pinterest-perfect, but I promise it’s always real.

Tell me the most real, imperfect thing going on in your house today…

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10 Comments

  1. This morning I sprayed my carpet for fleas for the second time in a week and a half. (YIKES!! Fleas!!) The flowers on my island are all wilted. Crayons, books, coloring pages and stringing beads are strewn across the table, and my healthy lunch was just shot all to Hades with a 1.5 oz bag of Doritos that I had stashed away. On the up side – I got 2 loads of laundry folded, memorized Philippians 4:8, read to the kids and managed to get the dirty diaper out to the trash. As an added bonus, when the M&M’s were calling my name I said “No,” and walked the other way.

    1. I’d take an m&m right about now! 🙂 You have always been a great example of it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful. A welcoming attitude, listening ear, and a plate of cookies and no one notices the dirt on the floor. 🙂

    1. Ugh. Laundry folding is the worst. I normally try to couple it with podcasts or tv viewing, but I have two loads calling my name. 😛

  2. You are your mother’s daughter (and that’s a good thing). So pleasurable to read the real, the vulnerable, the transparent. Keep pressing in to Christ. The goal is not to be a “good” mom, a “good” wife, a “good” woman, but to be a redeemed woman, wife, mom. Live in the love poured out for you.

  3. Wow. This was so perfect. You inspired me to go post a less than pretty picture on my instagram… 😉 Keeping it real is so important. You want your readers to know that you are human, just like them. :)))

    1. Haha! Absolutely, I feel like those are the kind of people I want to hang out with in real life, so those are the type of people I want to hang out with on the internet too. 😛 YOUR openness and realness is a blessing to me!

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