Pressure

It seems that everywhere you turn, there is pressure.  Not necessarily peer pressure, but at the same time, it is.
When I take a quick look at pinterest of any of these "craft sharing blogs" I feel immensely uncreative and overwhelmed. Now, don't get me wrong, I love these sites, but sometimes, I just have to back off all things creative and deal with the reality of the NOW.  This is especially true around the holidays.  Gathering up the amazing ideas of lovely people and putting them into one place is enough to make me want to cry at how cheesy and cheap my little hearts hanging over my dining room door look, at how gauwdy my pictures one my boys Valentine's for their teachers look, and at how imperfect my heart shaped cake is compared to theirs.
This week I've got a lot going on.  I can't be perfect in all of them.  So, I let go the grand-e-ous ideas having a preschool Valentine's Day party for Ethan and his perfectly behaved friends on Valentine's Day morning, and am settling instead for a relaxing play date where I demand each mother bring a sweet to share (and we can exchange them, thus reducing some pressure to make a great dessert for supper on this most holy of days...what?  We are LDS, it's a Hallmark holiday all the way, but a fun one!).  It will be simple.  It will be classic.  It will be PERFECT and PRESSURE free.
I am having a great time preparing for Jackson's class party (yes, same day as morning play date)...I think I've got it organized quite well.  I think for this party, I will not feel pressure, because I've taken care of all the details.  But, I've felt pressured to get the details just right so that the actual event will be as stress free as possible with 30 *yes, my son has THIRTY kids in his kindergarten class* and that is a big deal.  I've seen lots of cute parties for kids Jack's age and loved them.  Heard things other mothers are doing for their kindergarten aged children's classes.  Oh, well, we won't have a cupid coming to take pictures with each child and deliver a box of imported chocolates at our party.  But, we will have homemade cards for their mom or dad, bingo, and "heart attack" (pin the tail on the donkey).  And I bet the kids LOVE it as much as any persnickety party with perfectly matching tags, labels, and water bottles.

Do you ever read those blogs out there and wonder where the moms get the money, time, and energy to do it all?  Take the pressure off...those moms are on crack or stealing their kids ADHD meds and make their husbands work all day and night to earn the money to create those parties and supplies and things they do.  :)  We don't want to be crackhead moms with work-aholic husbands, now do we?

No?

Good, then go enjoy your store bought cookies you bought on the way to my house for my play date and relax.  Just make sure you bought the Loft house cookies, because really, why do they even bake any other kind of cookie to sell?  No pressure, though.


P.S.  It's late, so if this blog post doesn't make sense to me in the a.m., I guess I will delete it.  Oh, the pressure!