Real Kids, Real Cookies, Real Life


Sometimes people accuse bloggers of airbrushing real life out off their posts, focusing only on the beautiful, sparkly, aspirational parts of their day to day.

I think this is true. A lot of bloggers want their spaces to be about beauty, to represent the happiest moments, to share only the best memories with the world. Lovely things get lovely compliments. It’s nice to hear approval and admiration from other people, even if it doesn’t actually mean anything. Who doesn’t want to hear “You have a beautiful home” “Your children are adorable” or “Wow, that looks delicious”. Blogs are today’s magazines, and no one subscribes to an ugly magazine.

The problem is when everything looks TOO effortless and TOO perfect. When I read Martha Stewart Living, I know those homes and recipes and children have been styled and arranged and glossed within an inch of their life. When I read blogs I assume I’m getting a real, un-glossed story – or at least one one that is more true than false. Maybe you really do look like a model, have an all white living room and eat every meal in restaurants by candlelight. In that case I am very jealous of your life and won’t say a word about the authenticity of your blog. Congrats on being awesome.

But for the rest of you? Go ahead and show me your messy house or your yoga pants or your dirty children sometimes. Tell me the story of how you planned an idyllic picnic in a meadow but a dog ran off with your roasted chicken and your kids fell in a creek. By all means be beautiful, but be honest too. I’ve never shared a moment of weakness or truth and had someone walk away disgusted. Whether it’s through photos, words, or funny misspelled kitten pictures, let’s be real friends.

Because real friends tell you they let their kids watch 11 episodes of The Backyardigans yesterday AND eat cookies for dinner. They admit that they prepped all the cookie ingredients  like a sous chef on a cooking show so she could take fifty pictures without worrying about a pound of sugar ending up on the floor. A real friend will admit that she chooses and edits her photos because she wants to show off her kids being adorable but also because she enjoys taking and choosing and editing photos. A real friend will admit she ate five six seven cookies while doing all that editing.

A real friend would also share her cookies with you, but you better hurry over since these are going to be gone really soon.

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cookies-9 cookies two photos 1 cookies-11

cookies-10 cookies two photos 2 cookies-16

cookies-18 cookies two photos 5 cookies-20

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Besides the prep and a little help spooning out the dough, these cookies were totally ginger-made. I couldn’t be more proud of my tiny bakers.

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11 Responses to “Real Kids, Real Cookies, Real Life”

  1. raincheckmom says:

    Did they only get to eat TWO? Or was that just for the photos?

    Warm chocolate chip cookies from the oven…think I’ll go check my baking supplies….

  2. 1.) I *totally* stage things for the blog.
    2.) I’m tempted to polish off the remaining Chips Ahoy in the pantry.

  3. Rebecca says:

    You have a beautiful house!

    Your kids are adorable!

    Wow! That looks delicious!

    ; )

  4. Alena says:

    I want a cookie.

  5. Sarah says:

    I gotta say, your blog is such a breath of fresh air! I love the “dirty” pics of your kids (I have a bunch of my own), and your honesty in daily life as a parent. Some days you make and craft and discover all day, and other days you watch way too much Dora & Diego. It’s a balancing act. ;o)

  6. Stinkin’ adorable. I tried to let Noah help with baking bread Sunday, but we didn’t get past dumping flour into the stand mixer before he was trying to throw things. So I set him down on a towel, on the floor, with multiple measuring spoons/cups and a little container of flour. He got flour EVERYWHERE, but it kept him out of my hair until my dough was ready to rise.

  7. I thank you for this post. I have been thinking the same things in my head and worndering if I was the only person with my small blog atmosphere that lets their kid be very un-perfect for photos there and on Instagram. It simply is what it is with us. Tutorials turn out good, great and horrible…but I share it b/c it’s what I got. The memories that were made! And, I agree with Sarah…your blog is a breath of fresh air. I love reading it. Your children are beautiful too! <3

  8. Fionnuala says:

    We do a ton of baking, and I always say “they are Olivia made.” She didn’t turn on the oven, grease the pan, sift the flour etc… etc.. but she knows she made the baked good. And she did. No explanation needed. The gingers made cookies. Every baker has a good sous chef.

  9. Jayme says:

    This is going to sound weird, but one of the things I like most about your blog and IG feed is how messy Carolyn is half the time. Because there are days that I am convinced that my child will never be fully clean, and that her hair will forever stick up in odd places because of all the crap she rubs in it. I actually found a half eaten strawberry in her sock today. Nice to know my kid isn’t the only one who doesn’t sparkle while sitting still on a white ottoman eating something nutritious with a fork.

    Thanks, man.

  10. Sarah says:

    I really, really want a cookie. Also? Stop by my blog for a whopping dose of imperfection ANY time.

  11. Sometimes I feel like I talk so much about my flops that maybe no one ever knows I do good stuff. VERY occasionally. ;)

    Recently my kids were playing TOGETHER DOING A BIBLE PUZZLE. I made my husband take a video so I can post it and be like, “They’re totally like this all the time! I swear!”

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