Ugly Truth: #BehindTheFeed

We've all seen it in our Instagram news feed - The perfect, all organic meal on a trendy glass plate, white lace background with a little flower in the corner that scream's "Fresh Picked This Morning!" Complete with the hashtags that are all too familar ; #healthyeating, #onmytable, #onlythebest

It's easy to see scenes like this and think that the person behind the photo must have everything all together (especially for a mom) based on this one picture. it's an inevitable conclusion if the entire feed is that way-spotless, white background, designer labels, and trendy staples.

But here's the ugly truth: I don't care who you are, no one has a spotless, perfect life. We all might want one, but no one really has one.

Social media has made this illusion stronger than ever before. What was once just little tidbits heard at playdates and parks, now can be seen through the feeds, with links to favorite coffee houses that can make those awesome little foam animals that, if you're like most moms, usually melt before you get a sip because, you know, kids. I admit, I use those same hashtags and I take pictures of my coffee treats. I do try to show the best photos I have. But, I do let a few unsightly ones slip through that show the true chaos within most homes. And that's what #behindthefeed is about.

Alexie Flook, Blogger of AlwaysAlexie, came up with the idea to celebrate our imperfections as well as our perfect moments, with the  hashtag "#behindthefeed" and challenged other bloggers to join in with 2 weeks of showcasing the messy, blurry, uncoordinated truth behind those awesome Instagram posts. I loved this idea-because it's true!

Behind each white background of flowers in a pretty vase, there's 20 pictures of blur and toddler hands grabbing at petals that didn't make the cut. Behind every flawless selfie, there's 10 more that show the avocado stain on your neckline. And behind each family picture, there's at least 5 of your husband and kids making an un-photogenic face. People just don't see these! Thus, the illusion can sometimes work on those of us (including me!) that see these kinds of pictures within our feed, and look around the messy living room and wilting flowers from Mother's Day we still haven't thrown away, and wonder "How do they find the time?"

Kicking off June 8th, 2016, stay tuned to see the silly side, the messy side, the blurs and chaos, that is #behindthefeed, and check out AlwaysAlexie for the complete (and growing!) list of participating bloggers! And Thank YOU Alexie for allowing me to join in on the fun!