To the moms just trying to get it all done every single day, I see you.
I have two little girls who are straight up firecrackers. They fill my heart while simultaneously wearing me down. I work from home as a full-time writer, and I feel like I’m just trying to get through each day the best I can and start the whole process over again. I’m exhausted and crave massive amounts of sleep but haven’t really had a good night’s sleep in 10 years.
Just like you, the camera roll on my phone is brimming with photos of my kids and endless screenshots of random stuff meant to serve as reminders for things I’ll probably never actually do. I’m always BEHIND the camera unless I’m doing professional work-related shots or family holiday photos.
And when I do take those types of photos, I am decked out in full hair and makeup. It takes a lot of hours and money and produces polished photos of a woman who looks like she always has her shit together.
But just like you, I most certainly do NOT always have my shit together.
I’m running a household, tending to the well-being of three other people and two animals (three, if you count the fish on its last fin) and conquering egregious amounts of laundry. Work-wise, I am up against deadlines on a regular basis. My kids are constantly demanding my attention and come equipped with their own social calendars. My husband works hard all day and comes in the door starving and equally as tired. There are toys everywhere as well as other random household items my toddler has gotten a hold of. My house regularly looks like it has been ransacked by the FBI no matter how much I straighten up.
I’m tired but fulfilled, and there is never a dull moment. So when Shelby Fawcett of Shelby Truly Photography, a documentary family photographer, reached out and wanted to capture THAT part of my life – the behind the scenes as I call it, I was intrigued. Her Day in the Life sessions show the realness of what goes on in your home, the nitty gritty, the trenches. She spent four hours following me around just shooting the minutia of my day. I did not straighten up. I did not have hair and makeup done. I was folding laundry, cooking dinner, bathing my kids and helping with homework. The stuff we ALL do but never think about as being photo-worthy.
I did not know what to expect. But when she sent me the photos, I couldn’t help but smile. She caught so many little moments that I live every single day, but never really see. Things every mother experiences and feels throughout her day but can’t possibly see what they look like to an outsider.
Things like…
What it’s REALLY like to work from home with a clingy toddler.
What it’s REALLY like to engage with a sassy 10-yr-old, fresh out of the car from school.
What it’s REALLY like to coax someone out of their favorite hiding spot for a diaper change.
What it’s REALLY like to try and get a meal on the table during a meltdown.
What it looks like when someone asks to go pee pee on the potty 35 times during a bath (but never really goes).
What it’s REALLY like to just try and fold laundry.
What it’s REALLY like to try and help with fourth grade math homework when you can barely do it yourself.
What it’s REALLY like to catch sisters bonding.
What it’s REALLY like to see teamwork in action.
What it’s REALLY like to take a few minutes to sit with your kids while they eat the two different meals you had to cook because nobody eats the same thing ever.
What it’s REALLY like when your spouse finally walks in the door from work and you are no longer alone on crazy island.
What it’s REALLY like when the natives start getting restless as you are in the thick of that witching hour.
What it’s REALLY like when your attempts to calm everyone down to get into bedtime mode are more like an exercise in futility.
What it’s REALLY like to enjoy that you are all finally under one roof, even amid the chaos.
What it’s REALLY like when your first baby still needs to feel like your baby.
What it’s REALLY like to be thankful of this messy, crazy, perfect life.
I see you, mama. I see the life you built and work hard to maintain every second of every day.
I see your laughter when your kids fill your heart, and your tears when they break you down.
I see how much you love your family even when you feel like you are going to lose your mind at any given moment.
I see the love. The all-encompassing love that is palpable and makes you the mother that you are.
I see you and the amazing job you are doing, even when it doesn’t feel like it.
I see you, mama. I am you and you are me and we are in this together.
Curious about what a day in YOUR life looks like on film? Shelby is offering Whine and Cheez-its readers 50% off her Day In The Life Sessions! When you contact her, just mention me and she will hook it up!