The Real Deal {Tea with Me]

If you were to tea with me today I'd tell you that I was challenged recently by a post Em, from Teacups Too wrote regarding social media & the partial truths that can be portrayed on the internet. She posted a link to a fantastic article by Shauna Niequest called "Stop instagramming your perfect life".

I've been mulling over similar thoughts for a while now as I vacillate between ideas for blog posts & ways in which I write them.

I want to be real. I want this space to be real.
A place to record memories. A place to inspire people not make them feel inadequate.

I want to share the everyday AND the exceptional. The successes AND the challenges.

So this is the 'real deal' tea post (complete with the photos we never post!)

In fact, no tea this morning, I'd probably suggest coffee. No, not instant; the good stuff. It's one of those mornings. Actually it's been one of those mornings for at least the last month and a bit. I feel like I am walking around in a sleep deprived stupor & coffee is the only thing that clears the hazy morning cloud over my head.  Of course, I would have to clear a path to the coffee machine...

I would have to apologise for the smell as you walked in today; there is a bag of nappies in the hallway waiting to be taken to the bin (ahem...did I just take the 'keeping it real' a step too far!?!)

I'd ask you if you ever felt like you weren't enough? If you'd ever read someone's blog or looked at an instagram feed and wondered why your life/house/kids/husband wasn't as exciting/eventful/clean/pretty/amazing/talented/coordinated/good looking etc etc (create sentence as appropriate!)

It's so true isn't it...our lives can look better on the internet. I really enjoy scrolling through my own instagram photos (can I really say that?). Its a collection of really lovely photos. Highlights, special events, times when my kids looked cute, amazing foods I've made, times my hair looked good...you get the idea!

But it's only a snippet of my life. A small glimpse at my real, messy, sinful life. I've got to be honest...I'm not what you would call a natural homemaker (gasp...no!). You would be hard pressed to find a spot on the lounge to sit today to have your coffee. The lounge room is a bomb & you would probably find Harper with his eyes glued to ABC for kids.

We don't post photos of the messy & unlovely. Just the good bits.

I'd tell you that I think that social media has the potential to breed discontent & only we are responsible for how we let it affect us. I find it's so easy to get sucked into the comparison game, we can become so quick to judge. What if we cared more about the cleanliness of our hearts than the cleanliness of our homes? What if, instead of comparing & judging & justifying & wanting & striving & outdoing...we just got alongside & cheered & encouraged & celebrated?

And then I would realise that I had talked your ear off...oops. I'll go make us another coffee! I would probably apologise for being too 'real' & promise that next time you come I will clean the house haha!


(Linking up with Em for her regular 'Tea with me' posts)