Sunday, October 11, 2009

Secrets Rot the Soul

Yesterday I heard something that I liked: Secrets rot the soul. I had to agree; then I realized that no one knew some of my secrets....that I had four loads of laundry sitting in a basket for over a week. Or that I generally take pictures like this because I swear the left side of my face is better than the right side....
...or how some days as I put Larry down to bed I wonder, "Did I even play with you today???"
...or how lately Lennon takes three showers a day even though I know it's a waste of water. This is a battle I just don't fight even though I should.
...or that Lennon is getting old enough where he doesn't always want his mom's kisses...

...or that we're probably the only family on the planet with Flaming Hot Cheetos because Lennon put them in the cart when no one was looking so now they're in our pantry. Or what about the chocolate syrup that spilled along the back wall of our fridge and it stayed there for months because neither of us wanted to scrub it off....my sister finally took care of it when I was in the hospital having Larry (I can think of about three people right now who are dying over this story. Sorry, Megan....).

...or that I worry about TV all the time. Is he watching too much? How much does everyone else watch? Should I do a puzzle with him instead? Am I being lazy? Will he be socially irresponsible or unable to communicate effectively in the real world someday? My mom says relax so I try but my secret is that for sure he watches TV every night while I attempt to make dinner.

...or secret #456543: I let my child eat chicken that has been processed and shaped into dinosaurs. While this is something I would never eat myself, I believe it's okay to let him eat it everyday.

...or how about that Lennon cannot eat a meal without it going EVERYWHERE and that he thinks cereal should be eaten by the fist, not the spoonful. So sometimes we both eat our cereal in our backyard so I can just hose off the mess. Just a change of pace.

...or that every time I put Lennon in his carseat there is almost always a little snack waiting for him there...from our last trip in the car. And he eats it as I strap him in and I am grateful for it every single time.

Oh, there are so many more. Here's one more -- blogs annoy me some days. Don't worry, not yours.


Blogs are so funny; we get to shed light on selective parts of our lives and publish them for an audience. We don't have to show the messy closet or the garage disaster (that is probably my worst secret of all) or the thoughtless things we say to our kids everyday. Sometimes I start wondering what life is REALLY like behind all the !!!!!!!!!! of people's happy blogs.....Does that couple argue? Are those kids ALWAYS clean? Is her hair always washed? Are there crumbs on the floor of her car? Have they ever bounced a check? Who knows. So this weekend I decided to share some secrets. And trust me, there are many many more. And don't you think we'd all feel a little better if we felt like other people had these secrets, too?


I'd like to know some of yours.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, it is on. I'm so going to do this.

Sarah said...

I am totally with you on the annoyance of reading people's blogs. I actually had to stop for a while becuase I was comparing my "normal" life to all of the vacations, activities, new things, happiness and !!!!!! of others and was feeling like my life was crappy. So, Amen to you.

As for the quote from the beginning...Perhaps was that Chris Rock on Oprah on Friday? I'm just throwing a random guess out there.

kklowell said...

I think I'm going to pass and let my soul rot.

Jek said...

Let's just say that your secrets are EXACTLY TO A T my secrets. OH SO THE SAME. No wonder i like you! I FEEL much better now. I think we are all the same, except those who would never have mess like the chocolate sryup. I so totally have that stuff constantly! How about sour milk on the banister that was spilled? Big yellow puddle dried there for life. oh well.

mandy* said...

We are totally one of those families that only blogs the happy stuff...like I'm going to share all of my non-awesomeness to everyone on the internet. Like the fact that Cohen watches WAY too much tv - I'm sure way more than Lennon. Or that sometimes I don't vacuum the house for a month and still let Cohen eat off the floor when he finds a cheerio that has probably been there for several days. Or that some days I'm in a bad mood for no reason and all I do is watch shows while Cohen is napping. There are plenty more...

Unknown said...

I've already confessed that I've been to TWO star trek conventions as a kid. That's my worst secret of all. Lay off me.
By the way, Katie & I agree that Larry is the cutest kid... ever. Right up there with Lennon.

Loriann Jensen said...

Confession: When our kids ask us "why" they have to go to bed we tell them it's because we want to play with all their toys and eat lots and lots of candy and ice cream. So mean.

Carolee said...

Secret #1: I let the boys (a 2 yr old and a 4 yr old_watch You-tube so I can stuff done upstairs (our computer is upstairs).

Secret #2: I try to limit Drew's chicken nuggets and french fries quota to once...okay like twice a week; somehow by setting limits I feel less guilty.

Secret #3: I haven't made my bed in over 2 years :) It really could be closer to 3 years. Bottom-line: I can't remember the last time I made my bed!

Secret #4: I too, had to stop reading blogs for awhile because everyone seemed so skinny, with perfect little kids, who went on vacation every month and whose husband came home at 5pm every night for dinner with a dozen roses!!!!!!!

B said...

I love this, I read Amy's blog and she had a link to this post. Makes me laugh, in a good way, that we all put our perfect faces on when we blog about our lives. I love the honesty... it's good, LJ always wonders why every month or so (seriously usually when I'm on my period) I find it necessary to have a complete emotional meltdown on my blog and share it with the world. I think it's because it's who I REALLY am. I really am insecure and have to have myself a good rant about it to make myself feel better. So cheers to you for making us all take a look at our lives and see how much we DON'T blog about!

Elder Larkin said...

Holly all I really have to say is read this...
http://cindergirlnonsense.blogspot.com/2009/09/bad-manors.html

Actually almost every post from Septmember or Oct. would interest you if you're looking for something candid.

LOVE this post!

Carol said...

I LOVE YOUR BLOG HOLLY. So many things you mention are exactly the things I went thru raising my 6 kids...except we didn't have chicken dinasaurs in those days. Not only have I had choc.syrup spilled in the frig...how about jam/jelly??? It hardens you know.
You are a GREAT mom to my "cute as buttons" grandsons. I miss 'em so!

Elder Larkin said...

Or this one!
Classic!

http://cindergirlnonsense.blogspot.com/2009/09/i-am-on-one.html

Have a good laugh on me.

Wilder Family said...

ha! I love this post. Heres a few of my secrets...how about that I eat candy/brownies/cookies on a regular basis in the morning for breakfast or that I attempted to grow a garden this year (ok, actually 2 pots-tomatoes and peppers) and I COMPLETELY failed. Both died, I did not produce ONE vegetable. I think we all have the same concerns about TV. There is a particular blog that for some reason I continue to read and all it does is enrage me every time. Its full of all her arts and crafts and organic homeade EVERYTHING, and look how cute my Anthropologie outfit is and we are so in love family...BLEH. A picture is taken of every themed dinner and dessert, I could seriously go on and on..I just need to stop. I am a firm believer that people with blogs that are full of JUST that stuff are the ones compensating for other things...I'm just sayin. :)

kristi said...

what song were you singing?

Unknown said...

Genius. I get so sick of blogs sometime. My favorite is the shower one. Anytime Monet wants to take a bath, even if she has had one, I'm all over it because I know I can go and sit in front of the computer or just watch tv (where I can see/hear her of course...) :) ha.

Jon and Ali said...

Jon will gladly eat those fire-cheetos for you guys!!

ericareynolds said...

Oh, I love it! Great post. When I get over my lazy phase and finally after two years clean my son's high chair, I'm going to do a soul-cleansing confession--public style.

Katie Ross said...

Hi Holly! After reading Amy's secrets I saw where she got the idea... I love it! When I make public all of my secrets it will have to be a very long post! Great idea! There's some blogs I can't even read any more because they sound too perfect.

kelgrandy said...

I have to tell you that I TOTALLY love your blog. I access it from my sister's blog (Leah) and have LOVED every post that I've read. Maybe b/c I relate all too well. Or maybe b/c you are just super funny. I'd much rather follow your blog than all the others. You are yourself and that is such a breath of fresh air.