I'm a Hypocrite...Well, Almost

This picture, this VERY picture almost made me someone I dislike.  It almost made me paint a better picture than reality.  It almost made me something I hate....a hypocrite!

As you look at the picture above you will see two happy little girls who just went on a Jeep ride up Green Canyon to look at all the Fall leaves.  Next to them, you will see a mommy who loves them with all of her heart.  You can see that Shelby needed her leaf in the picture because she was just so excited to pick up a "sign of Fall."  You will see that Kadence and Shelby are smiling a genuine smile because daddy made a fart noise which is the only way to get a genuine smile.  What's wrong then?  Well, as I almost posted this picture on Facebook I thought for a moment.  When other moms saw this they may think that the day went so much better than it did.  It might portray a false reality, a picture of perfection, a happiness that is unattainable.  Well here is the honest part....The only reason we went on the Jeep ride was because I thought just maybe that would make them behave when we got home.  I figured that at the very least I would get a half hour to an hour of peace because I can't hear them over the noisy Jeep. The reality is that David and I spent the whole morning/afternoon getting mad and frustrated at our kids.  Kadence by this point had been in time out I think 6 times.  Kadence was just starting to feel better from having pneumonia and she was restless.  Her sister was so excited to have her be able to play again.  Mom and Dad lost sleep earlier in the week due to a trip to the ER at 3am and constant coughing, nebulizer treatments and checking her oxygen levels throughout the night.  All these things put together was a recipe for disaster.  We went in an attempt to change my attitude and the girls behavior.  It didn't work.  We still had frustrations, I yelled a few times and we had a few more time outs.  Then after story, scriptures, prayer, bed time songs and kisses we tucked the girls in their beds.  I thought about the day and thought my family would love to see an updated picture of the girls.  I almost posted the picture above (And the pictures below) and then I realized what a hypocrite I would have become.  I absolutely think that we post on Facebook what we want and keep the details to ourselves.  Some prefer to paint a miserable picture, but many choose to paint an overly perfect picture.  This leaves fellow moms feeling inadequate.  I have found myself thinking "Wow, how did you find the time, Where did she get all that energy, How does she look so great, She is such a fabulous mom for doing so much for her kids, etc."  How terrible is it that the media has allowed us to portray our lives as perfect.  We can paint whatever picture we want.  If I posted these pictures I may have done the same disservice to my fellow moms.  I may have made them think that our lives were going just perfectly.  The reality was, it was a rough day.  Nobody had a great day.  I was glad that while we were on our Jeep ride we all had a great time.  We truly had a very enjoyable time.  We laughed, explored and made a new memory.  Posting that one hour and portraying it as the reality of our day would have been dishonest.  I'm so glad I caught myself and refrained from showing a story that needed a little more description.  I love my girls to death, I love being a mommy....but not every day is a piece of cake.  Now that you have some background you can enjoy the honesty of these pictures. :)