My mind wanders sometimes

I am having one of those "back" days where actually getting stuff done like laundry, dishes, vacuuming and sensory activities for the kids are tasks that I can't even think about, let alone do...

So, I have been laying here on the couch with an ice pack watching for the kids' buses to come home while I answer emails, send emails and drum up wonderful ideas and documents for the Fragile X Association so that I don't feel completely useless today.

Aside from being a wife and mother there are 6 things I LOVE to do.

1) Photography
2) Write
3) Graphic Design
4) Sing/Perform/Public Speaking
5) Create things, like jewelery or artwork
6) make photo DVD's for family or friends

So today with the options I have, I have decided to write. Maybe that will make me feel useful and may make me laugh as I write!

I have had a few things on my mind today funny and serious and you may get them all... we'll see.

I was looking at a blog of another family and observing the pictures of their children. It got me thinking about the way a lot of us parents dress our children in this day an age, or even how we dress in this day and age. There's so much vintage, so much color, so many throw-backs to the good old days. I wonder if it is humanity's way of trying to take ourselves back to times when things were simpler, families were closer, and life was slower.

I've noticed trends of home schooling, do-it-yourself projects, refurbishing old furniture to look like older furniture, and making things out of stuff like toilet paper rolls.

I am amazed at what women and mothers are doing now days and all the time they devote to making things better or making things from other things so that they don't have to buy new things or add more garbage to the world.

But, I have to say that there is this part of me that also rolls my eyes at this...

Not because they disgust me or even bother me...

I think I roll my eyes because I am jealous. I would love to be able to make shelves to put in my daughters room that I made out of recycled 5-gallon icecream buckets neatly arranged and modge-podged by the latest scrapbook paper from the Hobby Lobby. I think that toilet paper roll coin purses wrapped neatly in vintage skirt cloth from my grandmother's closet would be so sentimental and shabby-chic. I would love to fill my house with  decorations that are made from decorative rubber matts sprayed with spray paint and sanded to look like antiqued iron, or old wooden shingles that have been refurbished into block letters hand carved with my old kitchen knife that I have refurbished by added a handle made out of the copper tubing from re-plumbing my pipes with the flexi-pipe. (Oh for Pete's sake it is amazing what people do!)

I would also love to have my daughter, who demands to have SHORT hair, wear sweet chic dresses made of white linen, with sweater tights and a blue ribbon tied neatly around the waist and riding boots to add to the "American Doll" look. Oh, and that she would wear a matching ribbon tied around her head like a sweet little headband topped off with a flower. And I would love to have my youngest daughters hair curled and styled by using cloth rags over night to make the perfect ringlets to match her cute little faux fur vest and matching faux fur-topped boots with ruffled skirt.

And then I want to go take these cute little children and take their photos while they pose willingly and happily so that I can hang massive canvases all over my house in neatly arranged patterns that I have pinned on Pinterest.

And then I want to have the amazing house that looks like it was set up for a magazine shoot and my kitchen has shelves and cupboards that look like they just came out of the Home Magazine.

OK, OK, so maybe I am a little jealous. I think these things are cool... funny, in a way, but cool.

But, I have to face my reality.

That stuff I listed above is just not Our Life.

At all.

I am lucky that I remember to change the toilet paper roll to the new roll, let alone put it somewhere to be saved and then re-purposed. Besides, in my house, I don't even know if the toilet paper roll would be sanitary.

If I made cubby shelves out of 5 gallon ice cream buckets and modge podged them with beautiful paper they would just become the canvas for Sister's latest artwork. And dresses are only a 3 hour requirement for Sundays and will not be worn at ANY other time or the world may fall apart before her very eyes. And if she ever wore things that were frilly and girly no one would recognize her outside of her Angry Birds T-shirt and jeans comfort zone. Having Baby let me curl her hair would take and act of God. Seriously.

But there are some things about today's styles I can definitely embrace (an you'll notice this is something that takes no effort on my part). I am so grateful that colored jeans are in for boys. You don't know how long Brother has wanted to have green pants. Well, now he has them and is happy as can be.

I love all the color in the world right now.

I wish movies would take note of color and not make so many dark movies. Can't Hollywood see we have seen enough dark and are ready for color. I love watching old musicals, not only for the reason I LOVE the music but because the colors are so vibrant. Ever seen "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers"?



That movie is full of color! And Pinterest does not lie, if you look there you will see all the color and vibrance that we all long for!

OK, OK, so Hollywood is not to blame and Pinterest is not always right, but Social Media certainly is the wave of the future.

When I first heard of Pinterest I was thinking, "Why in the world would I want to 'pin' stuff to look at and hope I achieve." So I pin things hoping that someday I will actually accomplish or do some of these fantastic ideas that so many people have been smart enough to come up with. It can be overwhelming to see how creative and busy mom's are while I just pin what they have done so that people think I am as cool as that and will actually do all those things I pinned.

Raise of hands here, how many of you have pins that just collect dust on your Pinterest Board only because you love the idea of the idea and hope someone will want to repin your repin of some one else's repin? Be honest... you know you do it.

So in this world of over-achieving-upcycling-vintaged-shabby-chic people I can sit back and make fun of some of them because it is kind of funny when you think about re-purposed flyswatters and cottage cheese containers. I can also sit back and wish that even with all the craziness of it, I had reason or means to do it because it really does all look quite picture perfect.

I just have to remind myself that we are also in a day and age of technology and Photoshop does wonders to anyone's reality.

(smirk)