Mom’s Speak – What’s in a blog, anyway?

Breastfeeding advice? Tips for a cleaner house? Recipes? Relationship advice? Wisdom for disciplining your children? Friendship? Humor?

The variety of content and blogs out there is endless. And I really do mean endless. What’s a gal to do? – how is she to make her blog stand out amongst the masses? How is her blog to seem original where there really aren’t many topics that are left uncovered? How does she carve her niche when others have done it – and done it better?

One of my favorite quotes about anything is by C.S Lewis and his views on originality. His motto? Tell the truth. And by telling the truth, you’ll have your own individual identity without ever having to try.

It’s true.

Originality and honesty. They kind of go hand in hand.

We are living in what I like to call the ‘celebrity culture‘ now a days. Where as it might not have been 20 or 30 years ago, it is completely permissible and passe for them to promote products or services – so this really gives new life to the term “celebs are everywhere.” Even at the grocery store. And every time a celebrity gets married or has a baby, the interest and publicity that follows is another chance for exposure. Read: Jessica Simpson and Kim Kardashian.

And while I’m not saying that those aren’t major milestones for anyone and that there aren’t regular people who like to share with others what’s going on, what I am saying is that I sometimes think the portrayal done by these celebs lack integrity and a cohesive image of reality.

For instance, how many celebrity marriages last? And how many of us regular moms can afford $400 strollers and the $250 breast pump? Not very many for both answers, right? Exactly.

When a celebrity is on the cover of the latest magazine talking about their baby, they are marketing themselves. Even seemingly open and self-deprecating statements about themselves are part of a carefully crafted image that they have created for their brand and sometimes, is a far fetch from the reality of who they really might be when the cameras are turned off. And if that weren’t the case, then places that specialize in celebrity gossip fodder wouldn’t exist.

We see what they WANT us to see. And I fall guilty of caring too much myself – I’m curious as to where Kate Middleton will give birth. Gag.

More important than our interest in the stars is how this interest affects our own lives.

We want to look like we have it all together. We want to appear a certain way just the same as they do, when in reality the house is a mess, the hair on our head unbrushed, the dinner in the oven is a crappy frozen pizza and the children are in nothing but a diaper or underwear. But we operate with love in our hearts, wit in our brain and with the knowledge that tomorrow is another day. That is motherhood. Facades not included but often invented.

We are a society that doesn’t like to deal in the real. And Lord help the person that fails – they become conversation fodder, ripe for speculation. I think that this pressure tends to fall on women and mother’s especially. Have you ever snapped at your children in front of other people? Have you ever been that frazzled mother at the grocery store whose kids are out of control? Oh, the looks that you get. How quick are you to apologize for the things that are perfectly natural and out of your control? Because you want your child to pull things off of the shelf at the store?

Few times have moms been portrayed and viewed with complete honestly, with all the respect, grit, frustration and joy that comes (or should come) with being a mother. Sometimes, I think if you want the truth about motherhood, you ask the mothers themselves. You hop on Google and you find a blog, written by a mom, who may only have 34 followers but she’s been awake all night, nursing a baby going through a growth spurt. If you want honesty, you don’t buy People Magazine. You ask your friend who has been a mother for five years how she does it all.

My goal in writing at my blog has always been to be honest and true to both what I experience as a mom and to what I think most moms feel based on my own observations. You won’t find me talking about the wonders of having seared tuna every night because WE CAN’T AFFORD SEARED TUNA EVERY NIGHT. You won’t catch me always singing the praises of my children because SOMETIMES THEY COLOR ON THE WALLS.

All of this talk of Kim Kardashian, grocery stores and motherhood lead to my next point…(I realize I keep doing that, my bad.)

I’ve been thinking about how to open new doors here on my blog and truly have been seeking to get others involved and to get them to see the value in themselves, even when they don’t have it all together. So I’m launching (and by “launching” I mean hitting the “publish” button after typing a whole lot of words) a new endeavor that I’m hoping a lot of moms will use.

It’s called “Mom’s Speak.”

It’s relatively a simple concept. I pose the topic/question and you wonderful women answer it honestly. This is a chance to share joys and anxieties with others and I’m really looking forward to it. And I’d really like it if you all would come and ‘speak’ and share whats on your mind and in your heart. My hope is that this would be a place of wisdom, encouragement and honesty.

I’d like to share our first Mom’s Speak post tomorrow morning and I’m really hoping that you all will come back and join me. If not, it’s ok, I’m really good at talking to myself anyway.

Happy Monday, everyone!