Want to be encouraging? Show me your dirty dishes.

I’ve recently stumbled upon a group of mom blogs that are all “beautiful life”, “encouraging words”, “pretty pictures of my house”, “here’s a latte and my 2 perfect kids” and it’s been bothering me. I thought I was jealous of their lives but then I realized something was missing… the messy floors, the sticky kids, the reality.

I know they have good intentions. Moms don’t want to talk bad about their family, they try to highlight the best parts of their lives to be an encouragement to others. But these are just glimpses into the pretty parts of their lives. These glimpses can set unrealistic expectation of what life “should be” versus what it really is. Life isn’t perfect play dates and beautifully styled toddlers. There are temper tantrums, dirty dishes, days with big zits and empty wallets. That is what makes life so beautiful. Making it through those tough times (that seem to happen every day) and THEN embracing these beautiful moments in life. If we don’t acknowledge the tough stuff those beautiful moments aren’t nearly as encouraging.

If you’re a “mom blogger” (or a non-blogger mom) just BE REAL.
I’d love to see your beautiful home and gourmet meals, that’s why I’m on Pinterest.
And the pictures of well dressed kids are gorgeous, I wish I had some of these kids’ wardrobes.
But what really captures my attention and my heart is REAL LIFE.

Show me your dirty dishes.
Talk about your rough days and what gets you through.
Share your struggles and how you’ve overcome them.
Show me the REAL.

I know there is a fine line between sharing what’s real and complaining, I struggle with this all the time. My kids drive me nuts on a daily basis, my house can never be clean enough and there is this constant fear of my debit card being declined because we never seem to have enough money. But instead of ranting online I try to processes my struggles via my blog, and ask for advice from other experience mothers. That’s why I enjoy writing about our potty training struggles, paying off credit card debt or Jude’s SPD, in hopes that my reality will help encourage others. And I might even find a few new friends.

I don’t have it all together and I highly doubt anyone else does. I just want to be real and by doing so hopefully you will see the beauty in life.