Jill Smokler, AKA Scary Mommy
@scarymommy
Latest posts by Jill Smokler, AKA Scary Mommy (see all)
- The Disney Reveal - May 14, 2013
- Met My Match At Disney… - May 13, 2013
- Sunday’s Baltimore Sun - May 11, 2013
Pinterest: The photo sharing website that has people who’ve never tweeted or dug or stumbled ohhing and ahhing and drooling and pinning like it’s their job. Everything is just so pretty and perfect and amazing and inspiring, it’s easy to understand why. Well, yes, that’s true, but there’s a reason I no longer have an account there. Because it makes me feel like shit.
I know that I’m not the craftiest mother on the block, but after Pinterest, I feel like an utter creative failure. Clothespins with outfits drawn on? Pfft. People are building play kitchens! From old Ikea bookcases! With their own bare hands! My cooking may be tasty, but it’s certainly far from pin-worthy and my house looks downright filthy compared to the boards on the site.
Surely, I can’t be the only mother feeling less than adequate compared to that perfection. So, as a service to any of you who might be feeling similarly, I’d like to offer a few snapshots into my life. Guess which ones they are.
.
A loving breakfast.
.
Laundry, laundry, laundry.
.
Playroom.
.
A child’s bed.
.
Frosting.
.v
Clothing organization.
.
.
Arts & Crafts
.
Now, don’t you feel better about yourself?
{ 367 comments… read them below or add one }
Please tell me those really are your personal photos. And if they’re not yours, then tell me who’s they are. So that I can friend them.
Tanya Doyle recently posted..Panera, Peanut Butter, and Pickles
sure do! thanks for the REAL deal!
scrappysue recently posted..photostory friday and the busy birthday
I LOVE pinning for escapism. It’s like window shopping, excpet you’re not wandering the store wanting to try on the dress in real life.
My home is never pretty enough to be on Pinterest. Except Michaels showed my Christmas garlanded banister on theirs (highlight of my 2011!)
Megan recently posted..Stepping out to brunch with the bro at El Torito
Thank you!! Ha ha I’m glad I’m not the only one who isn’t crafty or organized. My house is a mess.
Lisa recently posted..Real Friends vs. L.A. ‘Friends’
I’m crafty, but I’m totally not organized. It’s terrible. I could be about ten times more creative if I could just find my danged supplies. :(
LOL…Love it….my house looks the same way <3
Oh so true, I love pinterest. I can’t help but wish I could use every little thing I find and pin on there.
Ha ha ha ha! My husband and I are sitting on the couch laughing our heads off, and he doesn’t even have a clue what Pinterest is. Love it.
Kristin Shaw recently posted..Why Does She Stay?
It’s so true. Especially every single one of them.
Pinterest has made me feel even more disorganized – because I have “boards” with only one pin – and then I have other boards with loads pins that ought to be on the lonely one pin board. It’s all too much.
Kristin recently posted..Glad I Saw It: Reading the Paper
Hee! At least you buy *whipped* frosting! That’s the bets kind, isn’t it?! :)
Galit Breen recently posted..A Family Heart
You’re pinning the wrong shit. Lol. I pin music videos, audio recordings, landscapes, my own pics in case one goes viral (hint hint).
Pin what you want! You don’t have to pin perfection.
You are right. I confess, I do love Pinterest. But here’s the secret. I once took an awesome pic and put it on Twitter when I first moved in. It looks AMAZING. Beautiful stencil on the walls, scarf thrown over the window, gorgeous new bedding. But guess what? Outside of the shot there were black bags housing my clothes, boxes strewn all over the place and hangers that could’ve caused deadly accidents. When I see a pretty pic on Pinterest, I just assume that’s the case there as well ;-).
Sili recently posted..Mami Ink: The Art
i don’t care which ones are truly yours, i’m pinning them all! :)
Kimberly Taylor recently posted..Lazy Sunday night (Taken with instagram)
Thank you! I pin but I know i can’t do that crap. I do feel useless but oh well. I’m happy to know that others are in the same boat as me!
Jenny Georgio-who recently posted..Cartoons Suck
LMAO! I thought pinterest was a fantasy webpage?? you know, where we go and pretend that life is really like that while ignoring the 2 year old who is locked in his highchair watching Dora the Exploer for the 5th time in a row!
Whisper cackle laughing right now totally trying not to wake up my kids (who are going on night #5 sleeping in my room) …this post is so funny I want to wake the big guy sawing logs (and I’m talking big huge redwood sequoias with a gas powered chainsaw)…but you know what happens when you wake a hibernating bear. They wanna eat. And my messy kitchen is CLOSED for the night. So…I’ll continue reading Scary Mommy and whisper cackle laughing in the dark!
Hah!! That’s probably why the majority of my “pins” are snarky little posters! But not those awful “stay calm” ones. And really.. what kid has that bed? On that porch? If that much effort went into bedding in my house, it would be M-I-N-E… doubt the Rooster would even be invited in.
Kristen Daukas recently posted..Branding Isn’t Just For Livestock
That’s why I just shake my head & laugh at so many of the things I see on there. My house is a mess, but we LIVE in it, we don’t just exist in it.
they’re Stepford Wives, you’re not…and I LOVE the livingroom shot…makes me not feel so inadequate!
Hilarious as usual…but I’m confused. Are all those pretty and crafty things on Pinterest actual photos of what people really did? Shit. I thought they were photo-shopped.
Jeez, your kid’s bed looks a thousand times more inviting than that ridiculous pouf, which made me laugh out loud. Thank you for justifying my avoidance of Pinterest!
LOL and so true!
Pinterest is eye porn. That is what I use it for. And fuel for my dreams.
Yeah. That looks just about right.
I keep a container of that Betty Crocker stuff in my fridge and scoop me out a finger full every now and then.
Wait. Whut?
This isn’t the confessional area? Awe, shit.
Lady Estrogen recently posted..The best presents are…
Thanks for saying what I’ve been feeling. This is so hysterically funny that I just HAVE to pin it to my “LMAO” board! Thanks!!!
Love the contrast between fantasy and real life.
Christina Rodriguez | The Diva’s Home recently posted..Decorating ‘The Wind’s Eye’
I love you, Jill. :) Those other people must have nannies and a whole lot of money. :)
Randi recently posted..been there
Thank you! I can’t get the smile off my face. To be honest, I have not used Pinterest, mostly because it made me feel inadequate—however you just summed up why perfectly. I never really thought about it in those terms. I used to feel the same way about Oprah and her “live your best life.” I’d feel inspired while watching an episode showing a family taking in 10 orphans or a woman who started her own company out of her livingroom, and then I’d look at my own life: messy (small) apartment, two kids, a full-time job and I’d just feel exhausted! I had to stop DVRing her.
Thanks for making me smile—it’s been a long day!
a Book for My Daughter recently posted..It Takes a Village
I find FB far more deflating – people I ‘know’ who lie about how perfect their lives are. Pinterest is for the most part strangers – and I don’t feel the need to keep up (or rather, that I’m lagging behind). It is, as mentioned above, pure escapism from the reality that is my life (which is very similar to your personal photos).
I’m laughing hysterically over here. My husband says it means I need to go to bed…I thought it was funny.
Kasondra recently posted..It’s Okay
Pinterest is like your “perfect Facebook friends” on crack. Because one would have to be on crack to obtain enough time out of their day to perfectly organize, clean, manage, and photograph these supposed masterpieces of household godliness. I, my friends, am not on crack and proud of it.
BRILLIANT.
You just made my night. No, you made my whole damn month. And I needed that badly. Awesome.
Though Christmas has long gone, my almost 4 year-old daughter remains Rudolph crazy. (Yes, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.) So I found a Pin of some cute marshmallow candy thingies on a stick that looked like Rudolph. How hard could it be? Right. It was ridiculous! WTF? Who really makes this stuff?
Oh dear Scary Mommy, you are definitely not alone feeling less than adequate compared to that perfection. This is why I steal all of my Pins and hope to pass them off as my own.
Kelli recently posted..More Than A Mom, More Than A Writer
LOVE THIS!!! Thank you, yet again, for the much needed reality check. Pinterest scares the crap out of me, I don’t want any part of it, and I’m slowly watching all of my friends fall victim to it! Why?!!! And where do they find the time for it?!! Whatever. I’m just not even going to look, I don’t want to know… And for the record, you are FAR from an “utter creative failure,” LOL, you sort of have this awesome writing thing working for you ;)
MillenialMonstr recently posted..New Beginnings
GREATNESS!!!!
and i am pinning it :)
Thank you so much for this post! I feel better. I thought I was the only Pinterest hater.
Yes, yes, yes….
In honor of this post I suggest we all PIN and make One Board seeking photos of honest to goodness real life.
It is kind of like Food Bloggers, how the heck do they make mashed potatoes look like some kind of three layer delicacy and since when do cupcakes have to look like little Dutch Towns and Random past Presidents?
Keeping it Real… while secretly learning how to knit and paint random crap with chalk paint, cook while trying to look as hot as Nigella, and
styling my kids hair for random (extremely well planned) photo ops.
Pam aka Momma
Pam recently posted..6 Reasons Why Moms Need GTD
oh I love it, you should post your photos on there for us to follow.
love your gameroom photo the best!
I have 3 words for you: staging, nanny, reality. ;)
You rock. I completely agree.
OMG, it’s about time I find a real person and not all these HGTV Dream Home Wannabe’s that I see on pinterest. I honestly think that folks that have photos like that have much more time on their hands than I do. I have nine year old, two year old and thirty nine year old boys along with a SIL that lives with us. My house looks like a train wreck every day but it’s a happy home.
Tammy recently posted..First Day at Work Post Surgery
LOL. I thought I was missing something, but yah, that would just make me feel like crap too. I feel ineffective enough! Don’t need a whole lot of picture perfects to make me feel more so. My photos would definitely look more like yours. My days are spent constantly shoveling snow during the storm.
Damn you are funny. And correct. I have a pinterest a/c, but realistically pin what I think I will be able to do/make/create.
Thanks for the laugh! I feel better :)
Carolyn recently posted..The Ticket Store
Jill, you said you wouldn’t share those pictures of my house.
I trusted you.
Dagger. heart.
Thank you very much.
xoxoxoxo KISSES xoxoxoxo
YOU ROCK MY WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
P.S. I wouldn’t buy a book from someone who kept a home like that…what for? Nothing in common. But I WOULD buy FIVE books from someone like you.
Alexandra recently posted..One Of The First
I love you. That is all.
Dying laughing. I love Pinterest…but I love this post more.
Rachel {at} Mommy Needs a Vacation recently posted..Project 365: Week 4
FYI–my laundry pile can beat your laundry pile. :) And I think you may have convinced me not to join Pinterest. I’ve been feeling like I need to do it to help build my blog, but I’m kinda trying to get away from all of that perfection.
Recovering Supermom recently posted..Awesome Songs From My Youth
I say those pics are total BS. First, the blue thing with the laundry basket drawers—you put more than one of those damn diaper covers that comes with cute little dresses in it and the white laundry basket is going to bend and collapse. Cool idea, but it would never work. The playroom…there is no way anyone under the age of 20 has ever laid eyes on it and I feel pretty confident stating that nobody under age 25 has been allowed to cross the threshold. The bedroom is a little creepy and I suspect that it is something that one would have found in Michael Jackson’s house. No thank you.
The cupcakes are the kind that someone makes and then screams at everyone in the family that dares to walk into the kitchen. Not the way I want my children to remember me in the kitchen! The cool looking tray with the strawberries and cookies is pretty, but let’s face it, do you really think that anyone other than a mom is going to appreciate it? Might as well grab a box of muffin mix, slop some milk into the mix and stir it, plop it into some paper lines muffin cups and bake it while you make sure your teenager brushes his orthodontics completely.
I am not Martha Stewart, and I don’t want to be, can you imagine having to grow up in a house like that? My house is well lived in and that is fine…ok, it is often a little more than well lived in, but I am working on that. ;)
I am a mom, first, not an interior decorator, not a pastry chef, and not a neat freak, and when messes happen, nobody freaks out about them, sometimes we leave the mess until the next day and I spend my time cuddling with my 13 year old daughter because she is in a mood to let me or I listen to my 16 year old tell me about the latest game he is playing (which I never understand, but he is talking to me and that is all that matters). The mess can wait until later, my kids need me and that trumps all.
So awesome. (even though a I do enjoy pinterest). This is how I feel about Amanda Soule.
Ha! Soulemama, whatever.
I’m going to do everyone a favor and not post a picture of my kitchen right now. Also – I am currently cuddled up in that exact same froggy blanket ;)
I like your life in pictures, it makes me feel like I’m not alone in my lack of white lighting and sunbeams in my kid’s play room.
Tracy recently posted..Monday Monday
I go insane on how quickly my two boys can mess up their playroom. I’m glad to see there is a doppelganger of ours out there.
I am newly addicted to pinterest and I love it. But I love you more. And you’re right!
Amanda recently posted..My Recent Conversation with Ed
Hellz yeah!
The minute I get off that damn site I realize I can’t cook, I have no love life, I suck at comebacks, my shoes are shit, my clothes are boring, my hair is jacked, my apartment is ghetto and I’m a fatass.
But damn if I don’t go right back the next day.
You’d think it was dick.
Carrie recently posted..Please don’t think you can be a better me. You can’t. Hell, I can’t.
For what it’s worth, I think Life cereal is delicious, and your mesh hamper is pretty sweet. :-)
Thank you for being a real person and not something out of a home decorating catalog.
Ashley Bustamante recently posted..Are We Raising Hermiones or Bellas?
I love Pinterest. Seriously, I’m an addict. My recipes never look like the ones pictured but I like to imagine they taste better. And I love to craft. Crafting & Zoloft are the only reasons I haven’t committed mass murder. If I don’t get my daily fix of sewing, crocheting or refinishing furniture, I’m an ueber bitch. My house will probably never look like something from BHG but it doesn’t mean I can’t dream or that I’m unhappy with what I’ve got.
Kristie recently posted..Homemade heart shaped pizza pockets.
Come on mama! You don’t really think pinterest is for real? It is a fantasy world and all that Shiz is so staged. Pinterest is fun like looking at a glossy magazine is fun while we wait in line to buy jumbo boxes of diapers and super absorbency tampons. I just don’t buy it that all that stuff is for real. You are real and so are all the mamas hanging out here!
Dude…you should totally pin that shit! I pin pretty stuff and also crap that just makes me laugh …like boob scarves and the photo of my kid with the potty stuck on his head. Yes, I break the rules and pin my own shit. Shhhhhhh…don’t tell the pinning police!
XLMIC recently posted..Would whoever took my serotonin please give it back?
Hilarious … the other day I said to my kid “this house is a wreck” and she says, “that’s because people live here, Mommy” … works for me!
Amy recently posted..Between Sheets
Thank you!!! I needed that… But I’m worse than you. When I saw the picture of your cereal for breakfast, the only thing I could think was… “At least she has granite countertops!” Rofl.
Karen
amazeballs.t hank you
That is too damned true! It’s form of addiction for me..and a little daydreaming. And I’m going to PIN this :)
You just made me feel SO good about myself. I needed that ego boost, thank you ;)
Nikki recently posted..Journey: Week Five
I actually really love Pinterest! I’m all for inspiration, as well as dream boards, goal boards, etc. I see Pinterest as visual bookmarking. So if I find jewelry that’s right up my alley, a fun recipe I want to try, a gift for my wife, something for our pets, a great blog post, etc. I can “pin” and come back later. Plus I’m sharing and promoting! Plus, I think a lot of people who pin actually pin a LOT of their own stuff – so someone, somewhere, MUST be out there doing it. *wink*
But on the other hand, I am an artist… I go on various art communities daily for inspiration and because I love, love, love viewing other peoples arts and crafts. And than I feel down because mine doesn’t compare – so I totally understand. Totally.
I’d say, instead of hating on Pinterest, why not make a “my life” board and pin your own pics?! I bet YOU will inspire someone else!!!
Angie recently posted..Weekly Love List Pt. 2
I don’t think about it as making me inadequate, I just use things like this as inspiration to just try that little bit harder to be more organized around the house. I’ll never be as neat and creative as anyone on pinterest, but it has given me a few good ideas for organizing and keeping things tidy.
Love it. (And hey, how did you take pics of my house???? ;)) I got an invite to Pinterest last week and haven’t activated it yet, mainly because I had no idea what it was all about. Hmm.. maybe there can be like a Dark Side Pinterest?
Maria recently posted..Traveling with kids: my to-do list before our next trip
I officially love you. I always wondered what the fucking point of Pinterest was. A way to spend even more money? A way to waste even more time? A way to never EVER be done with your home or life or family.
I admit, I called ‘done’ on my home with a tattered sofa, less than a dozen nail holes in the walls (and even less pictures hanging from them) peeling wallpaper in the bath, and crappy kitchen tile. When I heard about Pinterest from another site which already had me doubting my decorating skills, I just thought “Fuck it. I’ll never even get close.” and I was done.
Um…I think Pinterest is a waste of time. You’re just cruising the internet for hours on end so you can find an art project or find inspiration? Come on! lol.
See…I think you’re a better mom then me! You give your kids Life cereal for breakfast. Mine get poptarts or the old back up…I’m sleeping in, get the cold pizza out!
Also I sent a request in to be part of that group and I swear they must know me, cuz it’s been 4 days since my email and no answer to join. They are “big brother” o_O
haha that playroom pinterest pic has me panicking that someone would go to the ER. If my kids didn’t pull it over on themselves, they’d climb it and jump off! I like pinterest as a more reliable version of my browser’s bookmarking tool (I have to reinstall a lot), but I purposely don ‘t go searching around on there because I feel so uninspiring afterward. Thanks for the post!!
Cat recently posted..Stuff I Love: Hoover Windtunnel
OH MY GOSH. BAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA this has GOT to be my favorite post from you EVER!!!
I JUST said to a friend today that so many SAHM’s blog things like “How to Make a Pottery Barn Sofa with some Thread, Fabric, and old Wood!”
Seriously, it makes me feel like CRAP. So depressing sometimes. And it’s even more insulting when you find out they have like 6 kids. Awesome post, will be sharing this!!
Jessica@MakingHomeSweeter recently posted..Lemon Crinkle Cookies
I love this so, so much. To be fair, I’m on Pinterest. And I’m addicted. BUT… (Possibly offensive material ahead) I’m really ridiculously sick of all the “inspirational” (read: religious) pins that seem to be popping up these days. I get it, ladies. You love God. But seriously, pin it all on a single board so I can ignore it. I go to that site to look at pictures of sparkly shit and cats in funny clothes.
Chelsie recently posted..UPDATED: The Break In
omfg…I know you get this a lot but, I love you. For reals.
This has to be one of my favorite posts because it’s so real & definitely made me feel better about my messy ass house.
Lin recently posted..You Didn’t Run…
Exactly how I feel whenever I pick up Pottery Barn and William Sonoma catalogues. *Shudder* I get stomach cramps.
I feel more like this about “Facebook” people posting and flaunting their pathetic little perfect happy lives in my face. :) Before anyone gets their panties in a bunch this was written with good humor. Ok maybe just humor.
Lisa
I love this post. Plus your playroom looks way more fun than the pinterest playroom…who could even have fun in that clean of a room?
Caitlynne recently posted..Ballons, Trucks, and a Baby Doll
You’re awesome… I love that. I still love Pinterest… but I love that too. ha ha ha.
ps. I may Pin this. Just say’n.
Can I have that closet, though?
ChiMomWriter recently posted..The Worst Things About Parenting, No. 22: Jenny McCarthy
: ) Yes. I feel much better.
My drawers look just like that.
And so does my frosting ; )
Life with Kaishon recently posted..Never Give Up {An inspirational story}
thank you! that is why I never go on pinterest, I just get depressed.
I am not creative at all, but I do like to look at other people’s creativity. My pictures would look similar to yours.
Slacker.
I love pinterest. It allows me to escape my real life and plan my dream life. lol
I actually have been inspired to do a few thing from pinterest. Rather then making me feel inadequate it has inspired me to the fact that I can do those things.
Missy recently posted..$10.00 Credit at Rue La La!!!
Love your take on Pinterest, it made me laugh! But you do have a good point. Living up to all those “picture perfect” images would be impossible for us normal women!
Melody Thacker recently posted..Three Tips To Reduce Salt In Your Diet
Haha, thanks Jill!! I admit, I’m addicted to Pinterest, but only to Pin desserts. I can’t look at Home Interior pictures anymore, I feel like I live in a hovel after that.
Alison@Mama Wants This recently posted..The Truth About Having A Second Baby
Awesome
Although Id love to have a house that looks and runs like the pinterest pictures, my house definitely looks more like and probably runs more like yours. :)
I love Pinterest. Not to visit daily for hours at a time or anything, but this morning for example I wanted ot do something fun with an avocado for breakfast, so I searched avocado on Pinterest and was presented with a few awesome simple recipes, I picked one and made it, and it ended up being a quick, fantastic breakfast I hadn’t made before. We do some seasonal crafts and baking with the kids, it’s a great source of ideas. I am an artsy, crafty person, I’m a creative cook, I love making things myself, so there’s a ton of inspiration there for me, and I do also pin my own creations. Yes there are a lot of “over the top” things on there, I skip them and look for the ones that appeal to me. Clearly, there are a ton of people who do love Pinterest, it’s either your kind of thing or it’s not. I don’t compare my house, my stuff, my life, my abilities, or myself to anything on Pinterest. Probably because I feel pretty good about my own life and the way I’m living it ;)
That damn playroom just pissed me off. And made me swoon. Both of which are reasons I am not on Pinterest.
Arnebya recently posted..How’s That Parenting Working Out for Ya?
LOL! Listen….I know many more people live life according to the second pictures than I do the first pictures. Life is beautiful and messy but no less blessed. Feel good, laugh at our inadequacies and count our blessings.
Yes.
Jen recently posted..Do You Think This Kidney Will Fit Me?
Hm, I never thought to compare myself to what I find on pinterest, that could be depressing. I just enjoy the pretty!
Pinterest is like my crack. It doesn’t inspire me, it is just a form of escape that won’t show up on a piss test. Oh, sure I TELL myself I am going to frost insanely perfect cupcakes, make melted crayon art and never have a book out of place on the shelves I crafted myself out of old farmhouse floor planks and recycled dental floss. However, mostly I look at my pinboards and think “BULLSHIT!”. Seriously, look again at those pictures. Who’s kid’s room looks like that? I’m sure it did when they took the picture, but, and it’s a BIG BUT, somewhere in that lovely room there is a closet, and in that closet there is a child. Bound and gaged! That perfect playroom bookcase probably has an electrified perimeter alarm. And I bet those were the only 3 good cupcakes and they had to crop out the rest that only had a letter on each that spelled out “EAT ME”. It’s true, I know these things…
This made me laugh a lot. :D
Janeen recently posted..Organizing toys.
Electrified perimeter fence…where do I get one?! Can I put one around myself? You know, on those days I wish I could change my name from “Mommy” to ANYTHING else.
Lollie (The Fortuitous Housewife) recently posted..Bathroom Pin-spiration
Lol. Bound and gaged. That was great, gave me a nice smile here at 4am.
Hahahaha, you’ve made my day!
I have no intention of trying to be like the perfect Pinterest people….but somehow I’m transfixed by it. Are they only showing their craftiest days or do these people really craft 24/7. I’m good for a craft or two…but nothing that belongs on Pinterest. And if the kids are actually doing the crafts, why are they so perfect? I love my kids…but their projects are not Martha Stewart perfect. Fascinating. Also? If I actually make even a third of the desserts I’ve pinned I will gain 300 lbs.
Practical Parenting recently posted..Pinterest & Parenting
Wow. That playroom is fantastic. If only, but with my kids… Hahaha. Yeah right!
Thanks for sharing! My house, definitely *not* like pinterest! Mine is what I like to call “lived in”, especially with 5 very active kiddos & 2 dogs!
I found you through Pinterest. Just saying.
Oh my god thank you for doing this. Every single person I know is on Pinterest and whenever I visit it I end up confused and depressed.
Meredith recently posted..The Year is 2019, and President Gingrich Awakes to Surprising News……
Sadly, those feelings of inadequacy have been around since the beginning of blogs. Pinterest has just amped it up. Plenty of blogs give the impression of perfectly behaved children who craft all day, wear handmade clothing, frolic through fields with balloons while smiling for mom to take perfect pictures, birthday parties are extravagant, handmade ordeals coordinated down to the last detail, etc., etc., etc.
I think everyone knows, deep down, blogs and Pinterest are just a highlight reel, and not the behind the scenes. The reality you showed is true for just about everyone.
Oh thank you, thank you for showing me I am not alone. I was beginning to think everyone’s house was all neat and tidy. Just kidding…really whose house look’s like those on Pinterest? Not anyone I know with actual children living there. Who has time to do all the craftiness that is pinned. I am lucky if I get an hour or two to myself a day, and that is usually spent washing dishes or cleaning cheerio’s off the floor.
LOL So true. The first one though, I’d like to pin and then send to my husband as a big hint for Mother’s Day’s. lol But I do agree, your pictures make me feel better. lol I see the pictures as ideas, something I would like to try out and do knowing full well that my mileage will vary especially since I have an 18 month old toddler who is SO good at getting into stuff that we’ll never have a totally clean play room unless I hide all of the toys away in large totes. Not to mention, a lot of pictures I see are unattainable because I rent and renting means not doing neato things like painting with chalkboard paint which I’m sure the management company would frown on (even though I’m sure they’ll be equally unhappy with the fact that my older daughter has used the DOORS for her chalk drawings instead in absence of said chalkboard walls). lol I do use it for wedding ideas for my younger sister and that seems to be helping her a little. It’s all about the ideas even if they don’t get fully implemented. I have fewer issues with Pinterest than I do with mommy boards though. Pictures are one thing, mommy bragging is another thing entirely…
Janeen recently posted..Organizing toys.
I might have to add you to my blogroll!
This is what I’ve been thinking for SO long (pretty much since the day I first saw Pinterest) but I feel like the ONE nerdy outcast of a woman for not adoring it as, the “crack” so many profess it is to them. For some reason your blog post helped me realize I don’t have to have a pinterest account to be normal and I went and hit the “delete my account” button, quite happily. So, thanks. I’m happy living in reality again.
Playroom?
Hello, this is the Martha Stewart magazine subscription office calling. We’d like to know if Scarry Mommy would like to renew her subscription?
Pinterest (hello, my name is Lollie and I’m a Pinterest addict) and Martha both seem to have the same opposing affect on people — love or hate, inspire or demean.
The one reason I love pinning, but won’t ever renew my MS magazine subscription…no back issues, with one or two ideas I’ll never actually do, collecting dust on my bookshelf (which leaves a spot open for a certain, soon-to-be-release Scarry tome!).
Lollie (The Fortuitous Housewife) recently posted..Bathroom Pin-spiration
I have to admit that I am tempted to write really snide or negative comments on a lot of those pins but feel like it’s all to ‘nice’ for that. It won’t be long before it’s overtaken by all the corporate marketers anyway.
Rose recently posted..20 Questions
Ha! I only heard about this site today…
I like how u have used Hipstamic photos, always makes. everythIng look better!
Were you in my house?! Those second pictures look like my house… only neater!
Ludicrous Mama recently posted..EasyLunchBoxes GIVEAWAY!- These Bento Lunch Boxes Aren’t JUST for Packing School Lunches!
I wish you’d give us a hint as to which photos are yours. We’re not mind readers, you know.
Marinka recently posted..Boring
Oh I am so PLEASED I am not alone! I joined, spent about 20 minutes depressing myself and haven’t been back! I apparently have plenty of followers, though, as the emails indicate. I hope they aren’t let-down, cause I was over it as soon as I found it!
This
I think I love you.
Your “pins” made me laugh and made me look around my house with a glowing appreciation.
Admittedly, I did also spend much of today blowing my annual fun money on IKEA products…
Eccentricess recently posted..Total Boob
I think I just peed myself a little. If we all did a comparison, that would be awesome…we could call it sucktrest…real life, the way it’s supposed to be!
Rebecca @ Unexplained X2 recently posted..Terrible Tuesday
I DO feel better! Thank you! My house looks much like yours, and worse in some areas! you should see my desk. :/
LOL. You totally snuck into my house for that playroom pic! :) And the art supply bin is identical to mine, too! As for those Ikea shelves in the “ideal” playroom, I even own those, but they didn’t come with the Good Housekeeping staff to line everything up like that, so they look a lot like the playroom floor right now! I can’t give up on Pinterest just yet. I use it for a lot of things. I think of it more like ripping pages out of magazines. I know no “real” home looks like those in magazines (or Pinterest), but it is fun to imagine! As for people claiming their houses look like that on a regular basis, we all know that’s BS!! :)
I’m not on Pinterest, but I do have a secret stash of pictures of perfectly organized laundry rooms. Every once in a while I will open the folder gaze upon the perfection and then return to the reality that is my cave. Sad but true.
Tinne from Tantrums and Tomatoes recently posted..Two-tone lasagna, inspired by David Lebovitz
I totally agree, my ‘craft room’ looks exactly like yours. I just joined and sometime I feel jealous that my house doesn’t look like what’s pinned. Then I get kind of inspired to maybe try something new. I also like getting new recipes ideas. Anyway, yes I do feel better about myself. Thanks.
I just post pictures of chickens and wine bottles on pinterest…
I absolutely love me some Pinterest! But I don’t think its how people really live, either.
Oh, I love this so much. I could have the ideal Pinterest home if I wanted to devote my life to it but the kids would destroy it in 3.7 seconds so why bother. ;)
Barbara recently posted..Capturing The Moment
Thank goddess your house looks like mine. :) I did sign up for Pinterest recently, but when asked have been saying that I’m not sure how useful it will be to me. I’m not crafty AT ALL, I don’t have the money to redecorate or remodel, etc. I do cook and that is the only thing I think I will use it for…recipes. But I have a feeling that overall I’m not going to use it much. Oh well.
HA! THIS has totally made my DAY! Thank you for giving us the REAL deal :) I heart you Jill!! ;)
Vanessa
Vanessa Jubis recently posted..Performing For No Applause: A Competing Play
Oh, man. I know! But, to me, is kind of like thumbing through a magazine. Sure, I’ll dog-ear the pages, but I’ll forget about it in a few days and move onto something else. I have found good ideas for my kids, though, on the more practical side, and for someone still sleep-deprived with no real time to browse or think, it all works out.
Stephanie recently posted..Confession: I Don’t Know How to Order Starbucks
I have a whole board with baking pins so I can make myself feel like shit every time I screw up a recipe.
I feel the same way. I was quite into it for about a month. I didn’t have an account, but I’d browse the most recent pins and see all kinds of fab ideas and saved many of them for later ideas. When… I suddenly realized I DON’T HAVE TIME for that crap. I am not Miss Suzy Homemaker, nor am I another Martha Stewart. Even if I had all day long to bake and frost the most beautiful cupcakes, I can’t. I’d have to do laundry, dishes, vacuum, and take out the trash while attempting to not burn the cupcakes and hopefully remember to frost them.
So, I haven’t been back to that site in a couple weeks.
Dawn recently posted..The true test of a relationship is in the handling of the baggage.
maybe I should add the board of clothes i want to one day fit into that I think about every time I grab a snack out of the pantry. that always makes me feel good.
omg thats exactly what my house looks like! like to a t.
Mine too!
bcIMthemommy recently posted..10 Little Known Facts
I can one up you on the child’s bed, I routinely wake up to find my 4 year-old son’s room in total disarray. Not only are the 3 comforters all over the floor (yes he MUST have all three), his vast collection of crocheted “baby” blankets all over the floor, books are everywhere (he apparently wakes up and reads to “baby” blankie in the night), I have walked in to find his mattress off the frame and the cute little white plastic toddler bed up on end most likely used as a ladder at some point, and the rocking chair turned over to make a cave…..
I give up, as long as he’s not hurting himself or doing any real damage to the furniture, it’s his room.
You are my kind of “pinner”!
As someone who is totally anti-Pinterest, this just makes me love you even more. How do people even have time for Pinterest? I’m too busy trying to organize my REAL life.
Mary recently posted..Mama Got Herself a Job!
–>I think that’s why I stick to the photography links and recipes on Pinterest.
WebSavvyMom recently posted..Catching Up on Things
I love you. That is all.
Jess recently posted..Home.
F*ck Pinterest. How many “new and different” ways can people find to misuse their time??? Besides, with the time I dont have to not clean my own house, and not make artisan breakfasts for my own family, I find that Facebook & Twitter suffice just fine if i ever get the urge to be completely and totally f*cking useless!
Lindsey recently posted..By The Way
They toy room picture you posted is EXACTLY what mine looks like, I agree on the food. I HATE that all my friends are like “OHH and this is the fancy pants shit I’m making how about you!?” and 10 friends are sharing their Pinterest dinners as well.
I may excel in arts and crafts, but everything else… just like you.
JCat
JCat McGack recently posted..The worst chore
It would be hard to overstate how much better these pictures make me feel! Except my clothes “storage” features a falling-apart dresser (Ikea, I’m sure–the house came furnished and everything is of an uncertain provenance) with drawers whose bottoms cannot support the weight of, well, *clothes.* Does Pinterest have a category for Homes of People Living In the Real World?
PREACH IT.
I’m not too overly agitated by what I see on Pinterest. You have to keep a real perspective. If I can find a way to better organize my house, that works for me!, its there. I just know it is! LOL
I love it!
In a word, YES =)
lsg1378 recently posted..My Mantra for the year!!! Keep Calm =)
I LOVE you. I love Pinterest, but I love you more.
Kate recently posted..I Wish Someone Had Told Me (Writing Prompt 1/20)
You just made my day!!!!!! My house looks exactly the same way!!!
I love Pinterest. It is like looking through a magazine that I did not have to pay for. It relaxes me. I will never have the beautiful kitchens or homes that I pin, nor will I be able to afford the clothes and bags I pin, but that is ok. my girls rooms are a mess, and I have a months worth of my laundry to do. That is ok too.
Seriously Sassy Mama recently posted..Random 365 #25
Bwahahaha! The best thing I’ve found on pinterest, so far, is this little pink plaque that reads: “pin-ter-est (n): A fun reminder of the clothes I will never afford/fit into, the home decor I will never afford/fit into our small home, the recipes and crafts I am too lazy to ever make, the sayings I wasn’t clever enough to think of on my own, the photos I wish I had taken but didn’t.”
But I do check pinterest everyday, if for no other reason than the yummy pics of Rob Pattinson that some chick posts :)
Jennifer recently posted..Ready Player One
Oh, THANK YOU. Your pics are so much more realistic. I’ve started getting into pinterest lately, though my boards are things like “recipes to try” with simple recipes- just so I can have them all in one place. Though I do want a “presents for me” board just in case someone wants to send a gift. LOL
All the style boards make me laugh- pinning outfits that I could never afford- no, I don’t see the point in that!
Shell recently posted..My Kid Irritates Me Because…
Bless you for reminding me that I’m human. Your home looks exactly like mine. I love this post!
Marie recently posted..Four Is Not Fun At Four A.M.
I think the only thing I’ve ever done with my Pinterest page that was somewhat useful is I used it to collect pictures that helped me with the novel I was writing for NaNoWriMo. To collect pictures of places, people I thought my characters looked like and stuff was just to help me keep a visual of what I was writing. Everything else is just fluff & I tried yesterday to pin stuff, boring. Then it was updating on my facebook and I had to delete that because no one wants to be spammed with Pins.
Megan recently posted..Rutherford B. Hayes
Apparently there are no actual children living in the pinterest pictures…
OMG – so true! My house and yours both.
That tower of EMPTY laundry baskets? Can’t find a one around here. They are full all the time!
Agreed with your point, but I would never pin any of those things. I pin lots of nail polish, paint colors, smart-ass sayings, pit bulls, and things that crack me up. I’m probably the opposite of most pinners. I get irritated by exercise posts, “thinspiration” posts, and jesus-y posts and avoid them at all costs.
I’m going to pin this post when I get home. ROFLMAO
mommytanya recently posted..From My Mad Pinning Skills Comes – The Pinterest Tutorial
I think your photos look like my house! It’s called reality! You shouldn’t feel bad about yourself, no one can live up to those magazine quality standards….well, no one that doesn’t have a maid, nanny, butler, stylist, decorator, etc. etc. etc.
Damn. Your kid’s bed has a sheet?
Yeah if good old Martha wasn’t enough to make you feel inadequate as a homemaker, wife and mother organizationally and craft wise – now we have a medium where anyone can.
I feel the same way about Pinterest as I do about beauty magazines; after reading Vogue or Cosmo, I feel ugly and fat.
After being on Pinterest for an hour, I feel disorganized and uncreative.
But I still love both. Shrug.
Ryan (The Woven Moments) recently posted..January #ShowYourWork
I purposefully put the messiest child in the bedroom farthest from the rest of the house around the corner at the end of the hall for that exact reason. Her room is a disaster area, it has been declared so by the governor!
Of course in the midst of a sewing project my office isn’t much better. I have to admit though I love Pinterest for finding inspiring ideas and keeping boards for reminding me of things I forget. I do that a lot, if it isn’t written down it isn’t remembered.
Pinterest doesn’t really appeal to me either. Some of it is cool, like the travel photos, artwork etc., but I am not interested in a lot of it for the same kind of reasons. I’m not organized, not terribly creative and have zero time for much of anything. So yeah, PIN. THIS. is right.
Rebeccah recently posted..Y’all Gon’ Make Me Lose My Mind…(up in here, up in here)
That’s what I like to see!!! REAL SHIT!! HA HA!! LOVE IT!! I wanna see toys scattered, beds unmade, NORMAL childrens bedrooms and laundry piled to the damned sky, because that is REAL LIFE!! THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH for doing this!! I no longer feel like a failure. :)
yup. that is all.
I love Pinterest, but I keep it to things that are attainable. There are plenty of other places to go to feel inadequate, both on and offline. It’s also really useful to keep recipes in one place.
You just reinforce my admiration for you with each blog/post. Who actually has time to do that shit?
You know…most of this is not that difficult or expensive. you are just lazy and pathetic because you do not try. stop complaining just because you can’t put a few peices of wood together. TROLL
phew! So my house looks normal then. Our toy room has shelves in a closet for toys, but every toy, lego, and barbie shoe is on the floor.
i totally agree with loser sorry your lazy most of these things can take some time but with a little planning they can be done in a day you people are lazy! and i have kids and a job this is not un-attainable! guess you people sit on ur ass every free moment you get bc you think you deserve it or your “too” tired well im tired too but i know i can rest when im dead! or when i retire and befor you judge i am NOT rich and my husband doesnt make a ton of money!
I’m not too lazy to spell. Just sayin’.
(Notice my mad use of homonyms in that first sentence.)
good for you but guess spelling sure does hinder your ability to do simple task….
Or use grammar correctly…
Lighten up ‘Loser’; it’s a funny post. It’s not about being lazy but rather acknowledging that we all have our Martha Stewart moments and our Roseanne Barr moments. Support each other mommas, not tear each other down.
Also, since you put down that you are a troll, kudos to you for starting an inflammatory conversation. Peace.
should have put my reply here instead of a separate post, but you are so right Karma!
Love this! It’s exactly how I feel when I look at Pinterest. Which is why I haven’t signed up.
And your photos, would be my photos.
Brandy @ Insane Mamacita recently posted..Minimize Monday: Baby Clothes
So glad there is another such as I.
It’s like we live in the same house! I’m right there with you. It’s like those interior decorating magazines that put white sofas in the Family Room – REALLY?
And this is exactly why I love and adore you! I tried Pintrest, and immediately quit. Too much “keeping up w/ the proverbial Joneses,” and even more humiliating than the “perfect” photo scenes from Facebook. xo
this is hilarious. thanks for making me laugh out loud and for reminding all of us to be okay with our own realities instead of trying to compare ourselves to the perfect pictures.
Love it! Thanks for writing this…it put a smile on my face and made me remember that my kiddo is going to remember all the fun times we had together more than how perfect our house was.
Awesome! I love it!
Oh my gosh. I adore this post and I’m pretty crafty too!
So happy to know there are people out there that also feel like an epic fail after looking at Pinterest.
Looks like my house….except my kid’s bed is currently a pile of blankets and pillows on the floor beside my bed. Because that’s where she wants to sleep for some reason.
I do like Pinterest for recipes though. But I’ve noticed most of my recipes are million-calorie-easy-to-make-shit-from-boxes.
My house looks like all of your photos.
But I do love Pinterest. I don’t let other people’s make believe perfection bother me.
Jennifer recently posted..I’m an asshole, Part 2
OH GOD I was just thinking the same thing. I went there. ONCE. Never returned. Bite me Pinterest.
Pamela recently posted..Guest Posting Today! Enjoy!
Oh, I love you, Jill. My reality looks very much like yours. Multiplied by a few kids, that is. :) However, Pinterest has gotten me cooking again. And for that, my husband is singing its praises.
Lolli @ Better in Bulk recently posted..The Best Laundry Tip Ever – Never Lose Another Sock
Pinterest is cool, but I’m not pinning that perfect stuff. Perfect can kiss my ass.
Just Jennifer recently posted..My Husband is Enough
Love this! And, oh so true…in our home. Would love to be perfectly organized but, at the end of the day, the kids and I LIVE in our home, not just organize it! ;) Thanks for reality!
Meghan recently posted..Humbled During a Snow Storm
I guess some folks don’t get the purpose of (P)interest. all of us have different talents and INTERESTS and what u see are those images of what folks love! sorry if u feel inadequate. but post those things u love and interest u and you may find more posts u like by opening the door for others to do same!
This was the best post EVER, I was laughing all the way to bed last night. I even had to share the post with my husband. I just recently found pinterest I must admit I like it but I am not there all day long pinning things. I have gotten good ideas from there but honestly my things will never look as good as they make their pictures look. Plus I do not know to use photoshop to make them look that nice either. But some of the things that I pin are more of a wish list than anything else. My dream home board is just that a dream
Shirley recently posted..29 Day Organizational Challenge
I like Pinterest, but mostly for pinning things I already like. The only truly aspirational board I have is about travel. So many places I’d like to go. So little interest in creating House Beautiful.
Tragic Sandwich recently posted..Weekend Music
When did you sneak into my house to take those pictures?? ;) I agree – I am the LEAST crafty person you will ever meet, nor can I cook, so Pinterest definitely laughs in my face. My poor daughter – how will she ever survive on the cereal I pour and the meager pile of books we provide? Surely she’s missing out since we don’t have a color-coded art studio in her extended playroom. Oh wait, she doesn’t have an extended playroom either. Damn.
Jocelyn | ScooterMarie recently posted..I fought the bottle (of milk)… and I won!
Those pics must be OCD Martha wanna-be’s that will have knife wielding serial killers for kids who will be on a reality TV show about ‘My Mom was to blame for my life of crime’. Go enjoy your happy kids and your blessed home and forget those pinners! :)
Love it!! Be you, be real . Looks like this web site is a sample of what my sister and I like to call “the perfectica syndrome” Guess what……doesn’t really work like that in real life
Thank you for posting this! It completely made me crack up. I like to think of myself as a fairly crafty person, but I’ve decided Pinterest is not the REAL world of crafting. For instance, when crafting with a 7 yr old and a 3 yr old…not going to come out looking like that.
LOL! I’m glad to see we have similar decorating tastes. And my Arts and Crafts center looks just like yours. We even use the same stinking box.
I have dreams of a neatly organized A&C center but I know my children and I’d probably turn into a crazy person chasing them around the house screaming “NO! The RED markers go in the RED MARKER BOX!!!!!”
And damn, therapy is expensive.
@Karma: I was thinking the same thing! Geez, I AM crafty, I sew, knit, needlepoint, quilt and cook. But I’m not insane about it! This site just made me feel, I don’t know, crappy? and to hear someone who calls themself “loser” respond in such an inflammatory way made me want to crawl through the computer and slap her silly.
The hell its NOT expensive, Loser! I did a decopauged a table and chair set for my daughter. It more than doubled the price of the table and chairs (which weren’t cheap even on sale).
Loser, I sincerely hope you were being sarcastic, because if you weren’t this is SO NOT the site for you!
Karma, thanks for pointing out how inflammatory her comments are, I love this site BECAUSE we can be honest, tongue-in-cheek, and sarcastic (and the reverse) about stuff like this…I saw no one posting nasty remarks about those who say they like “pinning!”
LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!!! I am pmp after looking at these…SO TRUE!!!!! your pics look good to what mine would be…
Is it wrong that I’m so obsessed I went and repinned your beautiful aspirationish pictures? It’s like looking at a super model and knowing you just.cant.be.like.that.bitch. Ahhhh..freakin’ pinterest.
I laughed so hard I cried! I think even some of your pictures looks better than what happens at my house. Love it!
Love this post!!! Just a reminder that balance is the key to a happy life :) Thanks for a good laugh this morning!
Can you believe that I have NEVER ONCE even clicked on the site?! I know myself. And I would, much like you, feel like I’m inferior. Which I’m not! Nor are you! We are, what you would call, uh….NORMAL.
Sarahviz recently posted..He’s Going Back to Afghanistan
I did, only by accident though…it was mentioned on another FB post and someone responded with her pinterest site, so I clicked on it. 10 seconds later I knew it wasn’t going to be one of my “happy places!” :-)
love this even if i do love pinterest.
Anna recently posted..How to Make Heart Fried Potatoes in 22 Minutes
Thanks for the reminder that I am making the right choice when picking time with my kids over a neat freak house.
Suz recently posted..Stretchy Suz
Too funny but very true! Love it. Your house looks better than mine but Pinterest does motivate me a bit. Like once a year!
SERIOUSLY!!!!
bea. recently posted..no one said it would be easy
That’s hysterical and so very true. Kind of like FB profile pictures!! Everyone only posts the gorgeous, ( photo shopped ) ones!!
Still love PINTEREST though. Great piece. Will share the link!
LOL I was slow to get on the Pinterest bandwagon, but I pin stuff that makes me feel good ;)
For instance–the art organization–that is my dream for my craft room, and it might give me some neat ideas on how to store something. I wouldn’t do something like that for my kids, but for my business, yeah!
I might see something that makes me think, yeah I want to make that–but for me it’s all for fun, color, ideas, inspiration. Kindof like a pinup bucket list.
Sometimes I forward the recipes to my husband or daughter since they are the ones who cook/bake. Or my son likes to look at the chameleon pix I just pinned.
Sorry it was making you feel “less than” cuz you know you rock the world in my book (and hey I pinned your book!!)
Headacheslayer recently posted..Welcome to The Crafty Angel!
Pinterest is like the evil spawn of Martha Stewart and Dwell (or any other “home perfect” magazine!
LOVE! You ‘pinned’ the nail on the head.
No, I feel like double big shit now…cause I can’t believe that’s all the laundry you have. I have 10 bins full in my laundry room. And btw, even though that laundry organziation may look pretty and great in theory (had me drooling), I for one realize that my baskets would be so heavy they would never slide in and out properly.
Julie Bouf recently posted..Last Chance: Miranda Cosgrove & Greyson Chance at the Mann 4-pack Concert Ticket Giveaway
I want to copy this. Like I SO do. Can we make it a “meme” please? I can just about imagine how many of us would link up!!!!!!!
Hell yeah! I use it as a replacement of bookmarks, but if I did anymore repinning for anything else I would go insane. Looks like my house! :)
I love pinterest for the clothes and the shoes. I ignore the crafty stuff.
jodifur recently posted..Bits and Pieces
Oh that I love REALITY don’t you?????
thank you for making me feel SO MUCH better about myself and my Pin Boards. ;)
Kir recently posted..RemembeRED: For Lisa & For Noelle
I thoroughly enjoy Pinterest not only to organize things I find online and want to reference later, but to check out what other people have found saving me the trouble to scan through piles of magazines for one specific idea. Its efficient and organized so that I don’t have to be.
You got one one me… Our crayons are shoved into empty Teddy Grahams Go-Paks containers. At least I’m recycling right?
Katie recently posted..Same Sh*t… Different Year
I don’t have kids (yet) but my Better Homes and Gardens subscription makes me feel so inadequate that I’ve decided to let it lapse.
I’m now struck (metaphorically, that is, in case I wasn’t clear) with the notion that we (as in English-speaking people, that is, not specifically you and me) should start using “pin this” as an everyday exclamation. I just can’t decide what inflection to use. I might have to go about my day trying different variations and then report back.
Megan (Best of Fates) recently posted..Awkwardly Project Life, Week Two
Your laundry room is still neater than mine!
Love this!!! Thank-you! Thank-you! Thank-you!!! You made my day!
I wonder if that playroom is ever visited by any actual, living, breathing children. Or, as I like to call them ‘tiny destruction machines.’
Amen, Sister! You might enjoy pinning the disgustingly adorable graphic I made last week for precisely the reasons you cite:
5 Ways Pinterest Makes Me Feel Inadequate.
http://blogs.babble.com/babble-voices/baby-squared/2012/01/20/5-ways-pinterest-makes-me-feel-inadequate/
Seriously when did you move into my house? I continue to Pin only because it has become a great shopping list for my husband when he is atoning for something or it’s my birthday.
Shannonannon recently posted..Thirteen Days
Hi Jill -
You about summed it up for all of us. Very funny post.
Diane@InMyOwnStyle recently posted..In Detailed Order: Organizing My Desk Drawer
I can dream can’t I?
These people seriously need to get a life. I’m willing to bet our kids are having WAY better childhoods not worrying about us having ” Mommy Dearest” moments because the crayons accidentally got placed in the marker basket!
this is hilarious. but my wife does make things look amazing and pinterest-worthy in our house and she never has mommy dearest moments. don’t judge her for bein’ wonderful. :)
I love it! I do like Pintrest…but will never be able to post anything there…I live in reality :)
I kind of love you in a non-creepy-thank-goodness-I’m-not-the-only-one-who-feels-this-way kind of way.
I love this! I’m currently planning my wedding, and I found a pin the other day that said “I hope my real wedding is half as nice as my pinterest wedding.” So, so true.
pinterest is the equivalent to photoshoping anorexic models….
That was a lot of fun, but I still love pinterest. It really helps me keep ideas that I can use later.
Thank you….that needed to be said! lol I feel the same way…I would much rather live a real life. And, I have time to live a real life since I’m not busy “pinning” everything in sight!
Terri recently posted..Just a reminder…
…to answer your question: yes.
Want. To. Pin. This. To. Pinterest. Srsly.
Love your comment! I would pin it but I don’t have an account and will not be getting one!
Well, “Doreen (Another)” – i’m seriously considering ‘pinning’ that pic of your baked bread!!! O.M.G.! Total #nomnom! :)
Uber easy recipe, set up the night before and completely baked and cooling by 7:00 a.m. before leaving for work! Flavor: FANTASTIC!!!!
Doreen (another) recently posted..Another day at the pharmacy…
LOL…..had me chuckling. Most of YOUR photos look like my house as well!!! *smile* Thanks for the read!
Kristi recently posted.."Whew" Oh my stars!
Yes, yes, yes :)))
anneyazar recently posted..Happy New Year !
You crack me up!!! Love this.
Sabrina recently posted..OWFI Low Contest Entries
oh my g*d, I love you. I adore you. You are my Angel !
Thanks for this ! I am so happy to have read it
This post really made me laugh and cry at the same time lol…I never thought of pinterest as making me feel bad but now that you put it that way I do! hahahaha
Jen @ After The Alter recently posted..Baby’s First Haircut
I do love me some Pinterest, but you’re right. I pin a bunch of crap I know I’ll never attempt to replicate. The pretty pictures make me happy though. They look nice, hung about in my fantasy world. :)
Thanks for keeping it real, Jill. As always. ;)
Liz recently posted..Overwhelmed
Thank you for this post!!! I just started using Pinterest and am feeling the exact same way!
This is hilarious & I definately PINNED IT! LOL
thank you. i love you. this is solid gold.
hannah singer recently posted..i’ve got a crush on treasury list makin’
Oh I love Pinterest! perfect way to delude myself :D
You are super hilarious though.
Gayletrini recently posted..A few things…
Hilarious! That’s the reality of it. I think I like Pinterest so much because it lets me dream of what it “could” be like but probably won’t ever be haha.
This is why you’re my hero.
I stopped reading Pottery Barn magazine 10 years ago because it only depressed me. Family Fun Magazine was another failure at our house–who wants to get mailed reminders of all the fun you’re not having? By the time Pinterest came along, I already knew I didn’t want to join. I love your pictures! Thanks for the laugh!
Ha! Love it. I have tried to like Pinterest but I just don’t get it!
Thank you for this, I just had a good laugh!
Kerstin recently posted..WIP Wednesday: Scrap Attack
Okay…my closets used to look like that before kids!
Lynn from For Love or Funny recently posted..Even dogs have bad hair days…
Hilarious! And yes, I DO feel better about myself now. Thank you so much for the laugh, it was sorely needed today!
I think I fall inbetween.
And for the record – you can use canned frosting to make the designs pictured. I do all the time!
Allison recently posted..What I Learned at Disney
I love your posts. I am still giggling over this one. My house looks more like yours as well. Real moms unite!
Theresa recently posted..Lots of Love Giveaway
Thank you. That’s all I have to say.
Love it! Especially the bedroom stuff.
Your post was amusing to say the least! I do think some of things on pinterest are a little over the top – but the pictures make me smile and dream and give me inspiration to do things I have seen there. I have made some of the recipes and created some of things and found some great organizing ideas . I never feel inadequate though because I am who I am and pictures cannot change that.
I think I love you.
My wife is addicted to Pinterest. Our house looks like yours, but she does whip up the occasional cute cupcake from an idea she found on Pinterest. I’m the guy who’s responsible for the household duties and believe me, I’ll never have any output worthy of Pinterest.
Odd Dad recently posted..Down time
I’m totally addicted to Pinterest but yeah it does leave me feeling less than adequate.
I feel completely comforted looking at your pics. Makes me feel normal.
Helene recently posted..Pouring My Heart Out…Parenting Has Turned Me Into a Social Hermit
This was great. So true too.
Vanessa
Vanessa Jubis recently posted..My Scary Monster
Oh I love you! You and reality are the same in my life too. Pinterest is a fairyland where I go to dream.
Regina recently posted..Crockpot Chicken & Mushroom
Laughing so hard. I love pinterest, but more as an organizational tool. Having a super old computer, I don’t want to stress it with all my bookmarks. I could see how it could make me feel inadequate, but then I just don’t get on.
By the way, your house looks so much like mine that I am a little worried that you snuck in and took pictures when I wasn’t looking! ;0)
Amen, sister!
Motherhood on the Rocks recently posted..AND THE WINNER IS…
I love the reality pictures. I can identify with them way more than the Pintrest pics. Inspiring as it is, its a little like a fashion magazine. You know that they’re all sucking in their collective guts, and then going thru the photoshop of the century!
kisha recently posted..The Problem of Time
Oh my hell. I don’t have pinterest, but I feel you. In fact, I feel like you took those pictures *inside my house*. Thank you!
You’re totally and completely awesome.
Oh Jill I love you so much but you just knew when I read this I would totally know I trumped the Ikea kitchen hack because I built that pottery barn one from scratch with my bare hands and yep – that baby gets pinned!
I adore Pinterest for the ideas and the inspiration even when my house falls short. Also I am building a travel bucket list to knock my husbands socks off and throw our children’s college funds to the wind. Fun times!
You had me laughing the whole way here. Thanks!
Brittany recently posted..How Some Shit Turns to Sunshine
ROFLMA!! Hilarious. And true … though I still love Pinterest. I’m just not that hard on myself because, honestly, my life looks much more like yours than all that beauty on Pinterest. Sooooo funny! Thanks for the laugh.
LOVE your post!!! I love Pinterest, but nothing in my house looks “pinteresting.” Good for you to know what works and what doesn’t work for you!!!
Cool you put photos of my house up – they arent the ones on pin interest. Clothing organisation – at least your clothing is in a drawer. Both of my DD’s have floordrobes
Loved it! Thanks for the laugh. Mine tends to look more like your versions, too. Especially the playroom! Can you imagine sorting all those toys EVERY DAY?! Crazy bananas.
Haha, my house is a slightly messier version of yours and very far from being pinterest worthy. But I did join the website just this morning, it’s fun to dream :-P
The World In A Pot recently posted..Serenity Hot Chocolate (dairy-free and sugar-free)
LOL, you make me laugh. But then again, so does pinterest. It’s not all bad, doesn’t hurt to dream, hey. Seriously, I don’t buy magazines (can’t really justify the cost) but pinterest, in my opinion, is pretty much the same. It has the same negatives and positives associated with glossy mags, but its free.. and you gotta love that. Oh, and remember “Comparison is the thief of happiness”… (I got that from pinterest, LOL)
Bless you.
But also… who has the time? I see a daily avalanche of web imagery these days, much of it beautiful. But bookmarking it on Pinterest is pointless. I know better than to think I’ll have time to come back to anything I see out there. Better to let it roll past me like a fancy car I’ll never glimpse again: ooh! aaah! bye bye!
Julia’s Child / Sarah P. recently posted..Publication Day & Book Tour Info
Your post made me laugh so hard I cried. Thank you for helping me avoid Pinterest and the inevitable counseling it would require.
Funny stuff! I’m a 66-year-old grandmother and those pictures remind me very much of what my “house” and “life” looked like 40 some years ago. Great post!
Oh Jill, so so so true. I totally feel terrible–especially about my house–after I spend some time on Pinterest. I do think many of the pictures are magazine type shots you see in Better Homes and Garden, etc. It doesn’t seem like they can be real. At least that’s what I tell myself.
Another issue: I think I’ve gained five pounds since joining Pinterest last week. I find myself snacking the entire time I’m on there. The food pictures are amazing.
Nina recently posted..The Art of a Good Story
OMG! THANK YOU! I feee so much better now! I am right there with you!
Hehe, I was CRA-CKING UP reading this last night and made my husband look at it. Too funny and so true!
Kate@zMOMbie recently posted..Red Solo Cup
Thank you for making me laugh so much! My house is definitely like yours, and I always try to Martha-Stewartize my house and endeavors with colossal failures (Reference: Birthday Cake 2008, looked like a pile of diarrhea!). I think I would rather put pictures of magazines up in my house than try to attempt to recreate!!
Best of luck to you, and may you get closer to embracing reality as I am trying to,
~Beth
I’ve been wondering lately what that Pinterest is everyone is talking about. Now I know I prefer your world. It’s more comfortable and more me! Thanks for warning me ahead of time.
Talkative Taurus recently posted..Whose reality is this?
Can we create an anti-pinterest, or something, where we all post realistic pictures of our lives? Because my life looks MUCH more like yours than the ones shared on pinterest.
Colleen – @amadisonmom recently posted..My View – #FebPhotoADay
I keep getting messages from “friends” who are trying to get me into this nonsense but Pinterest seems to be a place that I can’t get into without cutting off my “pal” and taking shots of estrogen.
More importantly I have a rule that says I cannot be on more than 4 “social media platforms.” Who has the time.
Jack@TheJackB recently posted..Blogging Should Be Like Great Sex- Fun!
I’m getting more & more addicted to Pinterest. I’m going to get some of this products in my house real soon.
Thanks for sharing those lovely pictures.
-Foster
Foster Johansen recently posted..how to get a girl to like you
LMAO. Love this post, now I feel normal again!
I have those same blue-handled scissors!
Thank you! Enough said. :)
Sharon {Grumpy, Sleepy, and Bashful} recently posted..Our New Favorite Snack: Kettle Corn! {And A Tasty Giveaway}
I am so buried in my chaos filled life, that I cannot fathom how anyone has the energy, time, or creativity to do any of those crazy/perfect pictures above! Yes, I do feel better about myself and my REAL home! Thanks!
thank you, thank you, thank you! I bow to your post. I’ve always much enjoyed coming here with a glass o’wine (or Brandy) then wallowing in the shadow of the perfect pinterest life.
I could not agree more!!! I deleted my account this afternoon. I kept getting emails that people were following me… i felt inadequate AND stalked!!!
I have a love-hate relationship with Pinterest. It makes me feel worthless about as often as it makes me feel far superior to some of the shit people pin.
Oh you make me giggle. My house looks like your house. I like pinterest because I like to dream that my house could look like that. I know deep down it’s not true. And actually, it’s the food that keeps me coming back.
Stacey recently posted..Mathblaster review and giveaway
I like pinterest for the same reason…a girl can dream!
I used to keep cut out pictures from magazines of things I liked in a photo album, now with Pinterest I can keep them all organized on my computer. One LESS thing sitting around cluttering my house!
Pamela D Hart recently posted..The A-B-C’s Of My Purse
You are so real! Thank you! Actually Pinterest has inspired me to become more organized and made me realize I’ve become a slacker because blogging took over my life. I’ve gotten some cute craft ideas for the grandchildren, new recipes, much needed decorating tips. It’s been a good kick in the pants. But I can dream, and laugh at the silly sayings & be reminded by words of wisdom.
Cindi @ Moomettes Magnificents recently posted..Bodum French Press Coffee Maker Review | How to Use a French Press | Brazil French Press
Ha! Thank you for this! Feeling better about my laundry…
You’ve hit the pin on the head. (Ha. Sorry.) Seriously, those gorgeous pictures are from Martha Stewart and her like minded minions and are a total fantasy, which is the appeal behind Pinterest. You’ve probably noticed that women pin pix of Johnny Depp, Matthew McConaughey, and Clooney, not their husbands. Fantasy!
Anne-Marie @ This Mama Cooks! recently posted..Healthy Super Bowl snacks: Black Bean-Avocado Salsa with Home-Baked Tortilla Chips
Giant sigh of relief! Thank you woman!
Thank you for this insight into the down-falls of being a member on this crafty page. I just “requested” to be a part of their Stepford wives-ish website and your comments are making me re-think it. But it may be important for us “normal” people to stick with it to represent real life. Hmmm….
abnormalmommy recently posted..The Luminous (not bright) Side
You wrote an interesting article but the more I think about it the more I disagree with it. Pinterest is a great tool but it’s how it’s used that will either make you feel inadequate as you say or make you feel you can achieve something.
Personally I only use Pinterest to pin things I like and which will be of use to me one way or another. I pin a lot of crafts tutorials but I only Pin those I think I can actually make or teach me something I didn’t know.
I see a lot of beautiful pictures on Pinterest and by following the links I discovered they belonged to people who are either interior decorators hence the dream houses, all nice and tidy, professional photographers hence the amazing pictures or people whose business very much depends on the quality of the images they produce. Then I started looking at the the boards people have created and I see Style boards showing skinny celebrities in glamorous outfits, idyllic places people say they’d like to go to or live forgetting that would only be possible if they had millions in the bank and the list goes on and on. If you surround yourself with images of things you know you can’t have or achieve I’m not surpised you end up feeling inaquate. It’s good to have dreams but a certain dose of realism is needed too.
Paula recently posted..# 178 January photo scavenger hunt
You just Pinned the nail on the head. My house looks more like yours most days but I do love to live in my Pinterest house in my head. It’s a lovely, perfectly organized, beautifully decorated house with toys but no signs of playing children. Mostly because they’re sitting on a couch in white gloves reading Anne Of Green Gables to one another. Ahhhhh, see, Pinterest CAN be a good thing.
Thanks for your hilarious post!
mydirtca recently posted..3 Pillars
Pinterest and I are definitely love-hate. I love seeing all the ideas, and I do use some to help make my life easier… but mostly, I just laugh and wonder how much time they spent setting up that perfect shot just for Pinterest while I snuggled with my 4 year old or cooked dinner with my husband beside me and our daughter seated on the counter.
What does that little quote say? Good moms have dirty kitchens and happy children.
Tiffany Barry recently posted..My Perfect Keepsake Blossoms
The second pics look like my house for sure! : )
The first pics are very cool, but let’s get realistic…. LOL
AMEN sister!
That was very funny and yes, it made me feel better! But I still love Pinterest! Just pinning it makes me feel that some day I could make it happpen. And sometimes pinning is enough! Then I can let it go.
Great post (I really did LOL and I confess that I’ve pinned 2 of the pictures in recent weeks.) Now I’m going to Pin this ;-)
Hey, not fair! You keep all your crayons in a box! ;o)
Nuts about food recently posted..Buttery Greek Ravani with coconut and orange syrup
LOVE. OMG, so true. While I love Pinterest, these pics closely mirror my house!!!
I am the 2nd photo every time… Reality is so beautiful! Thank you for sharing :)
Knowing that the vast majority of people live in the real world makes looking at the drool worthy pictures on pinterest tolerable.
Thanks for the smile.
I can’t even get an invitation to pinterest, so yeah- you’re doing better than I am!
Maria recently posted..If Oprah can’t be fat and happy, is there hope for the rest of us?
I feel the same way about Facebook. It bums me out looking at pictures of people I know having fabulous lives.Pictures of their amazing vacation in France. Pictures of their perfectly well coordinated families. My life is pretty mundane.
I think all social media is here to ruin us! Don’t get me wrong, I love it! But other than blogs that you can choose what to read/not read, it’s all there to make you feel like crap.
Cassie recently posted..Open-Mouthed Kisses
Thank you thank you muah muah! I cannot do Pinterest for the same reason. I always say, an empty TP roll goes in the trash can.
Cindy recently posted..Future social worker anyone?
Oh my gosh… seriously laughing out loud.
I can totally relate to the reality photos.
But I still am in love w Pinterest. I love looking at the photos and imagining (or lying to myself) that I’ll do it all one day.
Susan (5 Minutes for Mom) recently posted..Day 2 Day Printing: Review and Giveaway
Your photos could have been taken at my house. Glad to know I’m not the only one who has a house with that “lived in” feel!
Now i dont feel so bad about not being “perfect”. I can totally relate to your photos. Thanks for sharing!!
BEST.POST.EVER.
IN.ALL.THE.LAND.OF.THE.INTERNET.I.HAVE.EVER.READ.
EVER.
Me AND my husband are dying here.
Love it.
Wait … in Pinspeak I believe I should say
“Yes Please!”
Beyond awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!! And my life is like YOURS! :)
Janice (5 Minutes for Mom) recently posted..Pin It Friday – Pinterest, Be Mine
Laughing, laughing, laughing! Now I don’t feel so evil about dissing Picasso on my blog. See? http://maverickquilts.wordpress.com/2011/07/31/mavis-quinn-picassos-garage-sale/
PS – I went to my Pintrest site all of once. Thought about recommending it to my friend but didn’t want to torture her. It’s like Martha Stewart – makes you feel like a colossal underachiever.
You better get back on Pinterest and pin those up at once, I would follow you in a heartbeat! I use Pinterest to keep stuff I want to find on the Internet that I don’t want to download, some of it *your* graphics from Scary Mommy btw…
Love this! I always say our house is a home not a museum. :)
Nope, I don’t feel better. You have no idea. Don’t drop in for coffee or a glass of wine without at least a 2 or 3 day warning. Weeks would be better. Seriously.
I feel your pain…I’ve got company coming NEXT month, and I started cleaning last month!! Haven’t gotten very far, though…
Thank you. Just thank you.
I love this! Martha Stewart used to make me feel like a failure…now Pinterest makes me feel like a COSMIC LOSER! I look at all the pictures and think “If only I had the maid, the butler, the cook, and the nanny I was supposed to have, my house could look like this too. Of course after I won the lottery”!
Thanks for letting me know that I’m not the only one that feels like a bowl of cereal and milk is a nutritious breakfast! :)
Too funny!
I feel like I should pin YOUR pictures on a board called “Reality”.
Katie recently posted..Posts that Make Me Go BOOM {6}
Thanks for a great post. My children are all grown and gone now, but as I go through Pinterest and all the great blogs out there I feel like I really was a bit of a failure. At least I think we all have our failings and even if our homes don’t look like the wonderful ones on Pinterest, we still love our children. Now I am into spoiling grandchildren and that is a bit easier.
Holy shit, Pinterest is an awesome escape and inspiration, but apart from the recipes, the crafty stuff is just wishful thinking and mental masturbation. I love it, but that arts and crafts station is frightening!!! Who DOES this shit? Anyone? Or is it all a conspiracy to keep us Slacker Moms guilt tripping? LOL
Jessica Hollis-Brown recently posted..Here We Are!
Listen to me… those pictures are NOT normal! My house looks exactly like yours. Don’t feel bad!
Nicole recently posted..A toddler’s vocabulary
Well put!
Im glad im not the only one who felt this way!
Hah! I love the clothes organization most of all, because having clothes actually IN drawers, instead of in a pile of clean laundry bigger than my children is a huge accomplishment here. I dont care if they’re folded, or even in the right child’s dresser, just get them off my floor & into a drawer!!!
This is an awesome post, so refreshing, made me laugh out loud! I’m new to your site, but I will be back! Thanks for sharing!
I am totally pinning this post in my Must Reads. This is hysterical. I don’t even have kids at home any more and my house looks more like yours than anything on Pinterest.
Candy recently posted..Resurrection
I have to pin this. Have. To.:)
Well geez. Pinterest motivates me. I see it, I pin it, I do it. Ive found so many fun things to do with kids and recipes to use and even DIY laundry soap that has literally changed my world (no more eczema on me or my kids). So I’m a full blown pinterest fan. Lol
Also…funny today is the first time I’ve felt motivated to comment on one of your posts..I just reblogged someone’s excerpt of your Motherhood Manifesto.. (with a link back to the publisher, of course)
Lolo recently posted..The Motherhood Manifesto
I try stuff on Pinterest. if it works out yay. If not I don’t care.
It might be eatable anyway!
Life is too short to compare yourself to those on the internet.
I heart you. That is all.
- From a fellow Pinterest hater
I love you!! You make my day nuff said! :D
Love it! Shouldn’t laugh so hard at work :) It’s got me thinkin . . . I may have some new pics to pin from my own collection!
Dr. Momsie recently posted..Wordless Wednesday – The Fate of a Bully
Thank you God…I have an account, and I never use it for fear of feeling even more inadequate as a mother and homemaker
Heidi Bryan recently posted..My Mommy has boobies!!!
This is great and too true! (I pinned it) :D
Awesome. I love this post. I love your photos. I am so with you. Do kids want aesthetic perfection? No. They want love and participation and happiness and laughter. Awesome post.
Thank you! you made my day!
Love this. I love Pinterest, but my life will never look like my Pinterest boards. :)
Off Duty Mom recently posted..A Happy Day
Thank you so much for this! I seriously come home at the end of a day and go ohh my I cant invite people over here.. its horrendous Im embarressed to host! ( living in a townhouse till our home 4 hours away sells) But now that I see my house is NORMAL and my kids play room is normal..lol I sure dont feel bad at all! THANKS!
OMG! I love it! I am so glad I am not the only one whose house is NOT neat and organized! Thank you for making me laugh and allowing me to realize that I AM NORMAL!
This is one funny fucking post. I am still laughing. Thanks!
Awesome!
Becky @ Sowing Little Seeds recently posted..Bullying and What Should Be Done About It
I’m a little late to this party, but this post made me laugh like a madwoman! I am afraid of pinterest…between blogging, triberr, facebook, and twitter I already neglect my kids enough. If I added pinterest, someone would call social services for sure.
Molly recently posted..You Like Me, You Really Like Me!
Awesome. I can’t stop laughing. You made my day.
Thank you for this blog post. Now I know I’m not the only one!
I love this, stumbled onto this while googling something completely unrelated. Glad I’m not alone in not being able to keep up with my kids’ wake of destrution visited on my home every day. Thanks for the Pintrest heads-up, I was getting curious, as an adult living under a rock with young kids, trends are some of the last things I know about.
I think it was just that you didn’t use the flash when you took your pictures…yeah, that’s it. No flash.
I love that your home is exactly like mine, all the way down to the basketball goal knocked over in the basement! I had to chuckle at that! That is my house to a T! I have all those pictures on Pinterest as well. With 2 teenagers (they aren’t bad), a 5 year old, 2 year old, and they daycare that I run….Oh, who am I kidding, my house would look this way no matter what! I say, I’d rather have a messy house and happy kids anyday!
I’m so glad I’m not alone! I was feeling completely inadequate and wondering why I even go on here if I’m going to feel bad about myself when I saw your post. Thank you!
If it makes you feel inadequate, why make a post obsessing about pinterest even more? Why not just delete your account? Leave it to those of us who enjoy it!
I love this so much. I dreamt I joined Pinerest one night. It was so sad and scary.
Alex@LateEnough recently posted..A Holiday Help Update and Ways You Can Help Newtown
heh heh heh- I don’t know who you are, but I LOVE you!!
I all the time emailed this website post page
to all my contacts, as if like to read it afterward my friends will too.
health related news articles recently posted..health related news articles
I’ve been browsing on-line more than three hours nowadays, yet I by no means discovered any fascinating article like yours. It’s beautiful worth enough for me. Personally, if all website owners and bloggers made excellent content material as you did, the internet will likely be a lot more helpful than ever before.
دانلود فیلم recently posted..1