Bensmom Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I was so excited to see the thread listing homeschool blogs. I started with Golden Grasses. For the well being of procrastinators everywhere, I felt a warning should be issued. Her blog is beautiful. Her house if fully decorated with all things Christmas. We are talking outside lights, windows trimmed, wonderful little decorations in cozy corners. If you do not yet have a fully decorated tree and are just hoping to get it done by the 24th, you should proceed with great caution before viewing such blogs. It may lead to envy, and coveting thy neighbor's decorating abilities which are not particularly good Christmas sentiments. That is all. Carry on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 She has older children. Her youngest is 11? That right there is a big deal. My 11 year old sets up our tree and then corrals his sister into putting up all the ornaments. I put on the lights. Not having little kids around can make a big difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Can my older kids paint my living room and kitchen for me? That would be a huge help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Do you think someone is going to post pictures of a cluttered and dirty house for all to see? These are not usually the parts of real life that homeschool bloggers are going to advertise. Likely, she tidied, put up the decorations, they looked great for the photo, then life continued. Almost anything could look good for one moment in time if strategically set up. I might even be able to find one tiny corner of my house to photograph... ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I was so excited to see the thread listing homeschool blogs. I started with Golden Grasses. For the well being of procrastinators everywhere, I felt a warning should be issued. Her blog is beautiful. Her house if fully decorated with all things Christmas. We are talking outside lights, windows trimmed, wonderful little decorations in cozy corners. If you do not yet have a fully decorated tree and are just hoping to get it done by the 24th, you should proceed with great caution before viewing such blogs. It may lead to envy, and coveting thy neighbor's decorating abilities which are not particularly good Christmas sentiments. That is all. Carry on. Well, when I see those pretty pictures, I just rejoice for that family. They went through a horrific house fire some years ago, so they understand chaos and mess, I'm sure. I'm so glad for them, to have their beautiful house! It's great to see! :party: Lisa, may you and yours have the BEST Christmas ever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 The author is a long-time member here and about as real a person as I know. She's shared her struggles (we all have struggles) with transparency and warmth, over the years. I know this is probably meant to be a light-hearted thread but I think you picked the wrong poster child for Blogger Mommy snark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I didn't read the OP as snark, she neither said nor implied anything derogatory about the blogger. The post made me laugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I did not see snark in the OPs post, I saw it as a tongue in cheek jab at herself for not having it all together. Like we all know that trying to reproduce something off pintrest likely will never look like the original but we all keep pinning away anyway. I am hearing she loves Golden Grasses blog and was having envy not snark.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I considered the word "envy" before settling on "snark." How is Lisa supposed to feel if she reads this post? Like she's trying to make other homeschool moms jealous or feel bad about themselves? Like she shouldn't share her joy and her lovely home if people are going to warn others not to read it for the sake of their self-esteem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I once saw a homeschooling mother post a pile of laundry that she suddenly realized was taller than herself. How is Lisa supposed to feel if she reads this post? If someone told me they couldn't look at my house without feeling envious, I would be thrilled. It will never happen, like, EVER, but I'd be thrilled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I have to say... I blog and I hear this sort of sentiment a lot. Sometimes I even try to post things being like look, we did this and that, but no one managed to get out of their pajamas or get a single page of math done that day. And still people say that we're "too perfect" or that we are "so much better" or other things. It does make me feel sort of uncomfortable. I mean, I'm used to it and if it really got to me or got really nasty (only a few times have I been outright accused of bragging or said anything personal about my kids in that way) I wouldn't blog. I'm putting myself out there and I accept that. I guess it's just... weird to me. Like, I always know that people are putting their best selves out there. And that if I want to show my best self that I can. And that everyone should seek to find that best thing for themselves. There's a sort of sentiment sometimes when people say things stuff to me that the speaker doesn't think she has a best self or an area of expertise and that makes me feel sort of sad and, like I said, uncomfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaughingCat Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Isn't it on this forum that someone said "Don't compare your back stage to everyone else's highlight reel"? (and next year I am definitely getting DD the older to set up the tree! -- too late this year unfortunately) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 oh i didn't think it was snarky at all - I thought she was admiring the blog & making a bit of fun of herself, not of the blogger! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tranquility7 Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I did not see snark in the OPs post, I saw it as a tongue in cheek jab at herself for not having it all together. Like we all know that trying to reproduce something off pintrest likely will never look like the original but we all keep pinning away anyway. I am hearing she loves Golden Grasses blog and was having envy not snark.. Yep! Tone is hard to read online, so why not just assume the best? I think OP was just trying to be funny (and complimentary of the author's blog and home), not snarky. Hopefully if the author came upon this post she would see that, too, and be encouraged rather than offended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Don't look into your neighbors nicely decorated front yard or living rooms either :lol: By the way, my neighbors Christmas trees are up and I enjoy the view while walking to the library :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bensmom Posted December 9, 2014 Author Share Posted December 9, 2014 Just in case anyone else is concerned....I am the OP, and yes, I just intended it as a light-hearted post. As stated in the original post, I think her blog is beautiful!!! I love reading well-designed blogs and was happy to find another great sight for inspiration. I in no way meant any offense. Yes, I was making fun of myself, not the blogger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I refuse to put up a tree more than 2 Sundays before Christmas and then I let the kids decorate. It looks like the decoration box exploded but never mind. I do feel envious in a positive way of some libraries/school rooms though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystie Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Want to see dirty socks spilling out of the school cabinet? :mellow: http://www.simplyconvivial.com/2014/peek-average-school-days-house Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I also thought the OP was meant as a joke, not as a snide remark. But I blog and find the whole issue of "keeping it real and blogging" interesting and sometimes frustrating. I've written about it a couple of times... http://supratentorial.wordpress.com/2010/12/21/being-real/ And from a post after a trip to Harper's Ferry: This is the season of Christmas photo cards and newsletters. Inevitably now with the smiling kids on cards and newsletters detailing accomplishments and vacations comes a discussion about “keeping it real†and whether the cards and letters are too sanitized, too neat. This is also the era of blogs and Twitter and Instagram and Facebook. And for every person who posts photos and stories of their seemingly perfect life someone else will criticize them for not being real enough and post photos showing their own messy living room or stories about their messy life.... Here’s what the photos also don’t show. And the newsletters can’t fully tell either. The stupid jokes we all laughed at when we were tired and sore and a bit giddy. H. and my shared laughter over how ludicrous it was that Ruth was changing clothes yet again. The beauty of the light from the setting sun coming through the trees. How good the mediocre Tex-Mex food we had for dinner tasted because we were tired and hungry. The sweetness in how John comforted Ruth when she had the splinter. The hawk that we all stood and watched quietly but didn’t get a great photo of. I’ve always been more on the side of posting only the good. Or mostly the good. Not to try and seem perfect but to protect my kids and their privacy. And also because I’m still of the generation that believes there are some things that should be private. What I share over coffee with my closest friends is different than what I choose to share in this public setting. And I’ve always thought of this as an active decision on my part. One thing I realized yesterday is that pretty much every outing is a mix of the good and bad. Someone is always grumpy (not the same person, but it’s fair to say that someone is). Someone gets injured somehow. Someone loses or breaks something important to them. And I think sometimes we choose actively to present only the good. I think we can also choose in how we remember to remember the good. The bad things become less bad over time.... So what’s real? Well, obviously it’s all real. The pretty pictures and beautiful setting and smiling kids. And also the snotty noses and bickering and whining. But just because we choose to remember the good more than the bad doesn’t mean we are sanitizing our lives. It just means that we are expert at knowing what to forget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingmama Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 If you want to feel good about yourself...read my blog. 70% of the pictures are of my kids in pyjamas with unbrushed hair and a vacumme cleaner in the background waiting to be used LOL. My kids decorated the tree this year ..which means the bottom is overdecorated and the top half is bare. DS2 also decided to add his stuffed puppy collection to the branches LOL. Today we decorated cookies that belong on the Pinterest Fail blog LOL. I'm too tired too care how we look to the outside world...I have not given my blog address to my mum though LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I started with Golden Grasses. I could tell you were joking! In all seriousness and for people who haven't read her blog, I think she has one of the best classical education blogs out there (IMO). We're probably not considered real classical homeschoolers and even I really enjoy her blog. Her archives go back to 2008, which is a long time! A lot of interesting posts on her blog...and very well-organized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Hey Friends, Thank-you for this thread- I have had the most exasperating, exhausting week of "real life" and the kind words here and encouragement here meant so much to me! Let me keep it real for you- I DO have older kids. My youngest is 11. I only have 3 kids at home (one in college). We DID have a house fire 5 years ago (you can read about it on the "Tear Down to Build up posts- complete with pictures of lots of mess). 4 days later my sister died, a year later my dad died, we were swindled by our contractor, our older 2 went awol, we have had life changing medical issues and we have cried rivers in the past 5 years. We don't have much mess in our house because we have much less stuff since the fire and fewer people living here. The outside lights are courtesy of my dh, who spends more on lights than Christmas presents (true story). This Christmas season we are better. We decorated. We sang carols. We laughed. Emmanuel! It is THIS season. And I am grateful. My Christmas post was meant asand encouragement and not anything that would cause dismay to anyone! I hope this Christmas will be one of joy and peace for each of you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Hey Friends, Thank-you for this thread- I have had the most exasperating, exhausting week of "real life" and the kind words here and encouragement here meant so much to me! Let me keep it real for you- I DO have older kids. My youngest is 11. I only have 3 kids at home (one in college). We DID have a house fire 5 years ago (you can read about it on the "Tear Down to Build up posts- complete with pictures of lots of mess). 4 days later my sister died, a year later my dad died, we were swindled by our contractor, our older 2 went awol, we have had life changing medical issues and we have cried rivers in the past 5 years. We don't have much mess in our house because we have much less stuff since the fire and fewer people living here. The outside lights are courtesy of my dh, who spends more on lights than Christmas presents (true story). This Christmas season we are better. We decorated. We sang carols. We laughed. Emmanuel! It is THIS season. And I am grateful. My Christmas post was meant asand encouragement and not anything that would cause dismay to anyone! I hope this Christmas will be one of joy and peace for each of you! I love your blog and this update. It is inspiring. Best wishes for you and your family. And OP, I actually had not ever read that blog until your post, which I took as cute and admiring, not snarky at all. It inspired me to hop over and look at the blog. Thanks! I am thoroughly enjoying it! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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