Home is wherever I'm with you (but it's nice if sometimes you are not here too

Beau just took AB to Mom's Morning Out. Do you know what this means? I am sitting in my own house BY MYSELF!!! I don't know what to do first: run around naked, take a nap, blast some music, meditate? 

Truthfully I only have about 45 minutes before I have to be out the door and on to the next activity but I had to sit here and churn out a quick blog to celebrate this time.

Parents you understand the euphoria that comes from an empty home especially if, like Beau and I, you live far from family. There is no grandma that lives around the corner that can whisk my daughter away for the afternoon or evening. And rightfully so a babysitter would be weirded out if I suggested dropping AB off at her house to spend the day.

So these moments are few, far between and highly cherished. I love my family desperately but there is something to be said for a few moments of solitude in your own home.

Give me life, give me real life

Dear moms and dads of Social Media,

Can you do me a favor, please? Can you stop posting pictures of glamour and start posting pictures of real life?

This is not to say I don't want to see vacation picture from you, that I don't want to see you and your spouse dressed up for a big night out.  In fact, I love to see you those moments but I want to see them as they are scattered amongst your real life, few and far between like they should be. 

I love you and your family! That is why I follow you on social media. I want to see your children messy and surrounded by a pile of toilet paper. I want to see your son or daughter with peanut butter covering their face (and half your furniture). I want to see the laundry you haven't had time to fold because you've been snuggling all morning. These are the moments! 

And if we are being truthful with one another, don't you want me to want to see those real elements of your life? If I only like the dressed up, sophisticated, spic and span you; do I even know, even like the real you? I know for me, the answer is no, you don't know me but I want you to.

I want to know my friends like all of me even the dirty, sink full of dishes me.so give me life, give me your real life. And I will give you mine.

Your real, true friend,

Jolie

P.S. Just to let you know I will keep my promise to be your friend even when life isn't characteristically pretty and your kiddo's face isn't clean, here are some pics of my real life.