Monday, November 24, 2014

Why I hate Pinterest ..sometimes



It all started when I decided I needed some new clothes.
Then I went shopping...and came back with nothing.
So I said...you know what? I have a sewing machine.

I'm going to start sewing more.

So I bought a sewing cabinet.

And spent about a zillion hours on Pinterest drooling over DIY tutorials.


I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest.

I now have a gajillion different skirts to sew and fifty sweaters to refashion...
not to mention, the million and a half toddler crafts and sensory activities
I should have been doing since my children were 6 months old.


say WHAT!?


Apparently I am waaay behind.

We should have been stringing macaroni, playing in rice buckets, and painting with edible yogurt....

and now my kids are lagging behind everyone else and will probably
be doomed to failure.

all because I didn't give them enough sensory activities.

-insert failure of a mom face here-


So here it is....my woeful apology to my children...


I'm sorry.
I'm sorry I didn't give you pipe cleaners to string through a spaghetti strainer.
I'm sorry I didn't put paint inside gallon ziplocs, 
tape them to a table, and let you smear away.
I'm sorry I didn't spend hours dying pounds upon 
pounds of spaghetti so you could feel the slippery noodles
while we learned our colors.


I'm sorry.
I made you boxed macaroni and cheese and let you eat it with your hands.
I'm sorry I took you outside and helped you collect leaves and squirrel nuts while we talked about how God made everything.
I'm sorry I spent hours washing your clothes and cloth diapers, folding them, putting them away...while you "helped" in your own special way.
I'm sorry I helped you sort m&ms into piles while I snuck most of them into my own mouth when you weren't looking.




For every mom who feels like a Pinterest failure...

its time to stop obsessing about being the perfect DIY mom.
And just... be a mom.

My babies follow me all over the house while I keep the house clean and in order.
We fold laundry together and Liberty likes to help put it away
(which explains Noah's sock drawer)
Grady loves to play with tupperware and the salad spinner while I cook.

Yes...they are always under my feet and there are days when naptime is the only time of day I can use the bathroom with the door closed.
(which, by the way, isn't necessary since they're in bed anyway
...but its the principle behind it)

But I do adore my little people...
I think we can get too wrapped up in what everyone else is doing
and start to feel like we're lacking in the 'cool parent' department.

My mom didn't have Pinterest. I don't think she ever made me homemade play dough.  In fact, play dough was too messy for our house.
And the only rainbow colored spaghetti I experienced was spaghettios.

My mom took me with her everywhere, gave me chores to do and when I got too crazy she sent me outside to pull weeds.
She fed me Lucky Charms and wrote me notes for my school lunch box.

I managed a spot in every 'gifted' extracurricular class since 4th grade, graduated with honors, and made deans list in college.


But if only I had played with rice in a bucket...


...I really could have been great.




And thats why I hate Pinterest sometimes.

4 comments:

Anna May said...

Haha. Exactly why I'm not on Pinterest. :)

You're an awesome mom. Keep it up :)

L ~ S said...

LOL, I get what you're saying. I do love it for the ideas! When I need them, they are there and saved. I decided though, some people are just more artsy-crafty type of people who like to own more supplies that take up space. I'm not one of those, plus here they start school at 2.5. I let my son paint and cut up stuff there. When he's with me we go on outings :)

Oh, and I tell my husband that Pinterest is good, because I remember my mom checking out magazines or having subscriptions to BHG or decorating magazines. They all end up at some point in the garbage. This way we can look at pretty things for free, without taking up space.

Anonymous said...

I agree about the love/hate thing with pintrest! Of course my home page is mostly food lol. I think your children are far better off with out playing in rice and making colored noodles etc....let them play in the sand at the beach and color with washable markers...lol. You are teaching them better by having them "help" you in everyday chores of life! I can barely get through a whole day here picking up. cooking. daily stuff let alone be crafty...my office is totally trashed, my bedroom...yep company comes all things go to our room or office...sigh. If you come to my house do not open drawers or closets...you may get hit by falling debris!!! However my children seem happy and well adjusted without all the extra DYI projects and crafts....however one day it may be nice to sit down and do some of them! Keep up the great job Jeni. Kristi

KP said...

I am SO glad you posted again
I laugh out loud every single time
Hard to put a price on that

I am so bad I can't even Pinterst at all
I start to and wander off before too much happens

I DO have a bunch of stuff for paper crafting now though
Someday you might get a card!
Yeah

Love you so much :)