what i want you to see.

last night, papa was gone for Thursday night practice.  like he is every Thursday.  I was making dinner.  tiny was sleeping.  big, little and I were in the kitchen dancing (and just to be completely honest, little was laughing at my singing).  it was a moment that I felt that, 'this is the kind of mom I pictured myself being. dancing in the kitchen while I make dinner.;
my mind quickly reminded me of all of the things I was falling short on in that moment.  my house was a wreck.  books covered the floor of the dining room.  toys all over in the den and kitchen floor.  dirty clothes on the bathroom floor.  dishes all over the counter.  both the kitchen and dining room table needed washed.  there were  multiple piles of papers in both rooms as well.  and to top it all off, my kids were going to be eating cheesy noodles (box mix macaroni and cheese, which I validate because I buy the high end organic stuff) for the fourth time this week.
later I found myself sitting on the closed toilet, nursing tiny, while little went potty, and big was swinging on her indoor swing that hangs in the bathroom doorway. 
little was doing acrobatics and signing 'let it go' in between, while big was standing on the swing and talking at me about her birthday party (that isn't for another six months) and all the things that would be happening. I was truly not taking in anything big was saying, which was causing her great frustration when she would ask a question and then have to repeat herself. also as was bound to happen, little fell off of her toilet, it flipped upside down and, hooray, she had gone potty.
it struck me that if I were to share these moments with others via some sort of social networking sight, I had two ways of presenting it.  one made me look really good.  the other made me look not so great.  neither would be a lie.
they were both true.  I was doing great.  there were things I could do better.  there was lots of fun.  there was lots of chaos. I love being a mom.  I want a break from my kids. 
there are those people who only share one half of these stories all the time.  those moms who show their pinterest projects, and smiling kids, and the dancing in the kitchen moments. clearly they have it all together, and parenting is a breeze.
then there are those who share how they can't get their kids to pick up, or eat healthy, or even to sit on the potty, yet alone pee in it and spill it everywhere.  clearly they are failing, and parenting is really hard.

i hope that my children remember and drink in the memories of dancing in the kitchen.  i also hope they remember that our house wasn't always neat.  we have fun.  we laugh.  we get frustrated and raise our voices a few levels higher than we want to.  we say sorry.  we forgive each other.  and, we do it all over the next day.  parenting is great. and hard. and great.  it's because it's full of interactions between humans.  and, if i can do anything well, it will be to teach them to give themselves grace for the moments that i might not want you to see on facebook.