Keepin' it Real

I'm turning 33 this month, and I think it's time I shared another reality check. Seriously, I'm getting too old for loose ends and pretenses.

Ahem.

So as I've stated in this space before, it is a noticeable trend to anyone reading blogs (like mine) that the focus 99% of the time is on the niceties of life: perfectly executed projects, sibling harmony, balanced meals, all-natural homemade coconut oil hygiene products... you get the idea.

I know I do it too, but honestly my blog wouldn't be much fun for me if it was an equal balance of flops and fantastic. I focus on the good stuff on purpose so I can get a boost every now-and-then looking back through the archives. It's not that hard for me to remember the other stuff on my own, without visual aids.

But every now and again there are a few loose ends that would seem to be tied up neatly into packages with bows on top... if all you knew was what I wrote in this space. Yes, I capture sweet moments with my kiddos and shots with nice light sometimes, and yes, I usually only share the best ones here... but here's a little follow-up to some of all that goodness that needs to happen:

1. My moment 'Learning About Natural Yeast': yeah, it sounded good and wholesome and accomplished, didn't it? I read books, I ordered wild yeast, I worked up a few batches... and all of them flopped. They came out like bricks. I then watched YouTube videos, read more books, consulted some go-to blogs high on my natural foods resources list, and then I gave up. I just can't conquer the Natural Yeast Bread Brick Syndrome. Maybe another time I'll give it another shot... but for now, behind the scenes of this blog, I'm baking with conventional factory-made rapid-rise yeast. I'm sure we'll be fine.

2. My years using the 'Oil Cleansing Method': so I washed my face with various combinations of oils for, like, three years, and for probably two of those three years it worked wonders for me. Unfortunately weird things happen when you age, and last year my skin type shifted and I actually developed what I later learned was "late-onset adult acne." Lovely, right? Now, in defense of this cleansing method, what happened to me was hormone-related, not due to washing my face with oils. But for almost a year now I've been using conventional cleaners plus medicated treatments to clear up my face, and all my expensive oils have been remixed and are now relegated to foot and back massages... and beside my sink sits a bar of Clearasil. How "granola" is that?

3. My food confession: despite what I preach when it comes to whole foods, nutrition, and diet, I subscribe to the 80/20 rule and it should be known that I still buy frozen tater tots, crackers, canned beans, and white flour. Those things will never loose their spots in the 20% of our pantry that slips under the health-food radar.

And lastly, something I never thought I'd ever say and mean it:

4. We are all looking forward to school starting again. All of us. This summer has been great, watching my Littles play together like BFFs every day has been wonderful, and not having the pressures of that early morning routine has been a relief... but yeah. School.

OK whew. Glad to have that all off my chest.

Now back to my perfectly clean house, sweet sleepy babies, and from-scratch breakfast offerings.

Ahem.