Instagram "life"

I love Instagram. I love using it especially for keeping up with dear friends who live far away. I love seeing pictures of what my friends in Alberta, BC and Utah are up to. High school friends from my home town use it frequently. I used to work at a private school that had borders from all over the world, and a few of them I got really close too, and I love having Instagram to see what's going on in Japan, Bahamas, Spain, Germany and Mexico.

All that being said, I try and keep it "real". Here on the blog and facebook, I try and project an honest portrayal of life. Not ever focusing on the negative, but also not trying to create an illusion of "perfect mom" or "perfect family" I feel is so prevalent in the social media world.

Then I was looking through my own Instagram photos at the end of the day. I had a shot of my sweet boy and his new Chipmunk dolls Daddy bought him in Florida, one of Chlo and Carter's amazing fort they built  (just using ribbon and blankets) and a shot of a yummy cheesecake I made. It felt good to reflect on the nice moments of the day.

I failed to capture many other moments that day. I didn't whip out my IPhone as a police officer wrote up my first speeding ticket. I didn't get a shot of my PMS infused fight with my husband that day.
There was no record of the chaotic morning of gymnastics and swimming registration that had me near tears. And although the cheesecake was a hit, my beef stroganoff was an epic fail.

Should I dwell on the negative? Of course not. A quick look at those 3 shots had me feeling better about the whole day. I just thought about how someone looking at my account may have been under the illusion that things were smooth sailing, and how it can be dangerous for us to compare ourselves when we may not see the whole "picture"