#behindthescenes

Behind the Scenes; Packing for Paradise

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It’s a party! Nope it’s just a typical Sunday with the ’12’ of us! Most of our weekends are spent out on the lake with friends and family.

There is good food, drinks, fellowship, and lots of laughs to be had by all. It is a time to kick back and relax with the family. It is when my family connects and truly takes the time to enjoy each others company. The fresh scent of the Summer  air, the cool evening breeze, the mouth watering s’mores, breath taking sunsets, and many afternoons spent fishing are just a few God sent bonuses of Summers on the island. 
What you do not see on these weekend getaway pictures is the countless hours of prep! The food prep; oh, the food prep! With so many food issues this in itself is not easy. The endless loads of laundry to wash, fold, and pack/re-pack. You also don’t hear the sound of over tired children and their ‘off routine’ bedtime drama. 
Regardless, of the prepping hurdles and bumps along the way. With one in nature is exactly where we are suppose to be. Enjoying each others company and soaking up all that God created. Leaving the mess at home and the ‘undone’ aside. It is not easy for this ‘get it done’ perfectionist mother of four, but oh, so necessary! Dreams are not built by watching and memories are not made without putting forth the effort either. So are you going to stand by the way side and just let life happen? Or are you going to join me in putting the ‘undone’ aside and make some memories this Summer!!
Join me and some blogger friends as we show you the ‘Behind the Scenes‘ …no fluff, raw truth, behind all of those ‘perfect’ Instagram pictures.

Warning: Kids @ Play

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Ah yes, here we are a lovely rainy, cold day out on our boat. The sound of children playing in the background as I read a good book on my nook. We are warm and cozy indoors just the six of us.

Oops wait…what this picture is not telling you is that my children yelling at each other as they  ‘mess up’ someone else’s toy master piece reaches decibels I’m pretty sure my ears were never meant to hear. It also does not tell the ‘countless’ times I repeated ‘kind words’, ‘soft voices’ , ‘get along or else…’!

The reality parenting is hard work. Although, the reward of my work is so much more than I deserve:  the countless kisses, big hugs, and tons of snuggles I receive. The blessing of having these four little monkeys to raise is truly a gift but each seed that is planted needs constant watering in order to flourish. Which means I must repeat myself ‘countless’ times and ‘get over ‘ my ‘perfect vision’ of what I think ‘it’ should look like. The reality is my kids are little sinners just like myself. Therefore, it is completely unreasonable of me to think they would be ‘perfect’. Our world throws ‘perfection’ in a mothers face. The world is ‘full’ of social media “fakeness”. We never truly ‘see’ the full picture that is until someone lets us in on the ‘real’ deal.
So when my children reach near inaudible tones may I remember that it is season and the ‘coaching’ I’m doing will someday pay off. I just might need a hearing aid in order to enjoy the ‘fruits’ of my labor in the future or at least invest in some good ear plugs until then. 

Join me and some fellow bloggers as we let you in on;

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