Yesterday I had a bit of a breakdown. Then I felt guilty and weak. I'm beginning to think that's the root of many a mother's problem, this inability to allow ourselves some grace for being simply human. This expectation we put on ourselves to be strong and under control and unaffected by how hard life can be much of the time. We forget to feel, to simply say this is hard, feeling the emotion of it, really feeling it, taking a little care of ourselves and then moving on. We suppress it instead, thinking we must just keep going, and then sooner or later it's just too much. We tell ourselves we have it easier than so many others so buck up self! When really, yes, there are all different degrees of hard...but they're all still hard.
Anyway...
This morning I woke up feeling better than I have all month, finally relieved slightly of this sickness, the nausea and overall physically defeated feeling, and I was able to...well, walk around for longer periods of time.
I heart mercy.
Before I had the inevitable there is so much to do and I'm so sick and I want to be up but I can't and my boys are so stir crazy and I'm so overwhelmed oh dear Lord we're moving in five seconds and I haven't started Christmas shopping and when will I ever feel better breakdown of yesterday, I sat on the floor with the boys and we acted silly. So I grabbed the camera, trying to catch them in these good-enough-to-hug-and-smile spirits, hoping they'd be willing to sit still and serene for a possible perfect Christmas card photo.
It was interesting. And sometimes blurry. And mostly hilarious.
Wanna help me choose which one I'll be sending
I'm serious. I'll use whichever picture gets the most votes in the poll at the end of this post.
Ready?
Set.
GO!
{1} Blurry but beautiful, like an abstract painting
{2} Stretchy faces
{3} Close-up faces
{4} Play Doh Mustache
{5} Side hug
{6} Just plain weird
51 clicked right here to comment:
Dude. I am 100% voting for the stretchy faces. But I am kind of a balls-out, "let's be real", "I am never taking my kids for posed holiday pictures" kind of gal who is not even sending Christmas cards this year. So you might want to discount my vote. But I still love that one. xoxo
It looks like stretchy faces is gonna win, but those beautiful smiling faces up top COULD be made abstract in photoshop and be very artsy! I love the dry brush look. In black and white. I'm a sucker for black and white. :)
You are safe with any of them. Those beautiful boys will make anybody smile! I love that you're making cards like this!
Stretchy faces all the way!
Steph
I voted for the Play Doh mustache photo. I think it's unique, charming, and captures that age perfectly. I like how you can see a little hand on a little shoulder---nothing is cuter than two brudders.
I feel guilty and weak but have no problem saying that I'm having a hard time. I do it quite regularly in fact.
I hate to be sick...I get this crazy notion every time that I will never feel better. I'm so happy you are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel...that would be a great Christmas present.
I voted for the play-doh smile but I do like them all...seriously how could you got wrong with boys that cute! I hope you are feeling soon... the way I see you...beautiful and strong! :)
I voted for the side hug, but the Play-Doh mustache was a close 2nd.
Shouldn't it a "benefit" of motherhood that we are immune to illness??? Just a thought, becuase I hate being sick too.
I chose the first slightly bluury one, but the poll would not let me vote ...weird. Of corse my other vote would be to do a multi pic card using several of these!
They are all precious but the "abstract" one got my vote!
I love the playdough mustache!
those silly photos are some of the best!
Glad to hear you are feeling a bit better.
i voted for #2.
this whole motherhood thing has been making me pretty crazy lately. i think you might be on to something.
glad you are feeling better. it's been a while!
I can't decide between stretchy faces and side hug. Maybe both??
Stretchy faces all the way!
I had to vote for the play-doh mustache...but it was a hard choice, they're all such fun images!
Play doh mustache with smaller pictures of the close up on either side! :)
Very very cute...all of them. I love those blue glasses. Such cute boys you have!
I love the stretchy faces. We have a shot of our whole family doing that on our Christmas cards this year. I'll have to post it at some point for your viewing pleasure.
Just plain weird. I love the little guy smiling in the background while the big guy's up front making funny faces. So dang cute.
OMgoodness, I completely relate with the chaos with this season- we are moving tomorrow LOL I voted for the adorable stretchy faced one- Merry Christmas!
I heart the stretchy faces. So full of happy personality. :)
Stretchy faces for the win!
Im boring, I loved the close ups! but the pay dough was the runner up!
I'm surprised the vote is so close!
I kind of like the Just Plain Weird one, but then of course, I'm pretty weird myself.
Oh the feelings you describe in that first paragraph! That is so where I've been at the last few days. Last night I was in tears because of all that I'm feeling is expected of me and this overwhelming feeling that I can't possibly do it all. I just wanted to quit everything I could possibly quit and curl up in a ball and cry and eat cookies for a few days. But this morning I woke up happy and optimistic (and nearly pain free!) and the bleakness of the night seems to have been removed. Grace indeed!
I loved them all - especially the stretchy faces and the close up... but the close up one is what I voted for :) too darn cute! {and so so glad you're getting better!!}
I vote for "just plain weird" because Asher's face is so frickin' darling in that picture!
stretchy faces!!
i have been pondering 'what is with all this mom guilt' all day today. and why do we have enough grace for our friends, but not ourselves?
ooh, GREAT QUESTION @~love! Grace for our friends, but not ourselves? Why indeed. This perhaps is the absolute most important key to the centrality of our friendships: we are all helpin' each other help ourselves. Our friends get us a little closer to our own version of grace.
I like the blurry but cute ones. My second favorite was the stretchy face. But, they are all awesome.
Wow, you have a close race going here! Know what that means? They're all really great pics of your two sweeties! : )
Wow, it is a tight race so far. I had trouble voting because I like 4 of them equally. Why did you make it so hard? I think it would be a lot easier if your boys weren't so darn cute!
Who could look at those photos of your boys and not want kids of their own? Seriously? And Miles' smile is killer.
The first paragraph of your post...me too, girl, me too!
As for the pics, I love them all. So fun!
I voted for blurry but beautiful...but I love them all!
Hang in there...this too shall pass (my mantra).
Begone mommy guilt. Be gone.
It is hard.
You DO have a lot on your plate right now.
I have sent Valentine's cards instead of Christmas cards because I was moving and Christmas is overwhelming and I wanted to enjoy my boys not get caught up in some self-imposed deadline and miss the fun.
Glad you are feeling better.
for the first time in years, I am not doing Christmas cards this year. I have just ran out of time. Maybe, if I get me act together I will send out new year cards, then again maybe not.
Cute photos!
Playdoh mustache won me over ;)
For the record: I had a total meltdown/hissy fit last night after church because the house was trashed and no one seems to notice but me.
As sad as my fit was...it proved to work ;)
Love YOU!
My card totally ain't happenin' this year. I personally LOVE the stretchy faces. Totally epitomizes the craziness that is life with active children!
if you need a tie breaker, i voted for play-doh mustache
cause my vote should really carry a lot more weight than the rest :-)
I voted for stretchy after much deliberation. But Play Doh Mustache was a close second...
I voted for blurry. I just thought if I received a Christmas card from you and I opened it up in front of my tree which pic would match the spirit I think of when I think of you and your boys, and I had to pick the first one. Great smiles, great eyes, big love, those extraordinary boys of yours. Love it.
P.S. I like stretchy faces too but I don't love that Miles is not really looking at the camera....
P.P.S. Aren't you sad you asked my opinion? Geeezzz......
I love the not quite perfect yet perfectly perfect pictures you got! #3 is my fav - I struggle with trying to get my two to look at me in the same frame for a useable shot - but whatever - there's always next time - right?
Great pics!
Wow. Close vote. Of course, they are all good. You can't go wrong with any of them.
Two years ago I was just too busy to send out cards. My MIL went ballistic. She couldn't believe I was just being nonchalant about it. And you know what, the sun still comes up! Turns out, my "perfect" photo cards are not what keeps the world going. Who knew?
They're all fabulous! Way better than stiff poses and a take-the-picture-or-die look in their eyes.
(Hey, I'm a little behind here... Have you been sick or something? I'll go do some digging around, but I hope you feel better soon!!)
Kinda hard to take a bad picture of those gorgeous faces.
I'm with ya on the stress of the season. I am so behind n everything. If you threw a move in my direction, I'd spring a leak....Much luck!
Oh those boys are too cute! I voted for stretchy faces but loved the blurry one too. I think we moms need to have a sign up somewhere saying "it's ok to be human today".
I voted for blurry. I just thought if I received a Christmas card from you
Work from home India
Those boys are just so darn cute. I love kids at that age. I can't get a natural smile out of my princess. It is either a funny face, or a pasted on cheese smile.
Love those boys' faces... I heart them, I really do.
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