Behind the scenes at The Polished Pickle.

One evening as I was getting the boys ready for bed Sparky started whining about the T-shirt I tried to put on him. "No," he said, "those are my adventure clothes." It's true, we do a lot of adventuring. By nature I am constantly seeking new experiences for myself and my boys, and those outings look pretty darn fun when packaged up nicely for a blog post.

What you don't see is... all the chasing down kids before they run into the street... whining, tired, and hungry little grouches when I don't plan ahead well enough and we stay out instead of having nap-time... undone chores and back-burnered responsibilities...

I'm not saying that I would change our thrilling agenda of hikes, bike rides, exploration, hunts, and gathering of life-moments. No, not at all, I choose it, and I fancy myself a pretty good tour-guide. But knowing that I cannot do "it all" means that I must, in that choice, learn to forgive myself for the other things I don't do as well.

Confession time.

1. I have really really really hard time brushing the boys' teeth every day. Sometimes I forget and go several days before something reminds me (like when they breath on me) that I need to take that minute and a half to teach them proper hygienic habits. I seriously have three signs up in my house that say "BRUSH BOYS TEETH" and I still don't always see to it.
2. We eat grilled-cheese sandwiches on white bread with processed cheese for almost every lunch (when we're not having top-ramen, or peanut-butter and jelly). By the time we rush into the door, back from an excursion, or finally put away all the craft supplies or science experiment stuff, we are starving and I make the first, easy thing I see. Do I wish I was a better cook? Yes. Am I willing to make the time sacrifice every day? Not right now. I'm not superwoman, you know.
3. We don't have a TV but we might as well, given the hours we spend on net-flix. The kids are practically fluent in Spanish from watching Go Diego, Go. When I don't let them watch TV, I have trouble finding time to not have B.O.
4. We wrestle and play, but hardly allow ourselves to just be still together. I have to force myself to sit down and read them books, not because I don't want to, but because I feel like I might fall asleep the second I stop moving.

Those are just a few of the many areas in which I "fall short" when I start to compare myself to others or just the ideal mother I created in my own mind. I could go on and on, really, but here's the deal...

A lengthy presentation of all of my worst qualities would (a.) be incredibly uninspiring (b.) make me feel crummy about myself and (c.) cast shadow over any goodness I might have to share.

The long and short of it all is this; no one has it all together all of the time. Not me. Not you. Not anyone. And that's ok.

I read a good cooking blog, not to make myself feel like a wretch in the kitchen, but to become inspired in that area. I hope you come here knowing that although I don't really post my most horrible motherhood "recipes," I have them. That said, I hope I can inspire you in areas of spontaneity, perpetual childhood shenanigans, and creative adventuring.

One last blurb: While creating a dragon for fighting the other day, Sparky let me know he was hungry. I seriously handed him a block of cheese. A BLOCK OF CHEESE, PEOPLE. If you ever think for one second that I've got this whole motherhood thing figured out... please think again.

I hope you enjoyed this 'stop by our house without calling ahead' moment with The Polished Pickle. Hopefully we'll be put together by the time you stop by again, but I wouldn't count on it.

Comments

This was fun to read! We have more things in common than I thought :)
Unknown said…
Oh my Goodness! I didnt think it was possible! As I read over your words and admire your photos I think how I need to be more like you and then reading this made me Yearn to be even more! I Love this post! Thank you for sharing that you are just a mother like the rest of us and that its OKAY to be exactly that! LOVE LOOOOVE this post!! (PS I would always steal a block of cheese when I was little so I think that it was a great idea for lunch!)
Kathy said…
I laughed and laughed when I read this post - especially the part about a block of cheese!! Your kids are so lucky to have you as a mom. I promise, kids will remember more about the time you spent WITH them and the fun things you did (like build them a dragon to fight!) FOR them than what you fixed them for lunch!

You DO have this motherhood thing figured out! They are healthy (even as they eat velveeta grilled cheese on white bread!) safe and so very happy!!

If they were my grandkids, I would be super pleased with their Mama!! Keep up the great work!!
MaryPosa said…
I love your blog, and all the magical and creative things you do with your kids. I love the videos, the dressing up, and (of course) anything having to do with Oregon fog. :)
This post was refreshing and delightful. Little imperfections are what make people interesting, and in my opinion, endearing (which you very much are).
You are positively delightful, and i'm so glad you choose to share your adventures with all of us. Have a very happy new year!
emily said…
i love the honesty. it was funny because when i saw the first photo, i thought how perfect it is and how on earth does megan get her boys to cooperate in a photo like that?
thanks for the confessions. they help me remember the reality of children, life, what really happens between blog posts.
happy new year, lady.
I love this post....well I love all the posts!! I think it is great to be reminded that we all have different strengths. I love being inspired from your outings and hope I get to it one of these days. Thanks for always inspiring me!!
teamBoo said…
It is funny how glamorous a blog post can make the most menial of tasks. It can also shed light on the simple pleasures we may have missed amidst all the chaos. A moment to look back and see it without the stress levels and the setbacks...absorbing more like your kids probably did. I think what is admirable is your choice to spend that time with them, no matter how ridiculous it can get. great post, as always ;)