WHAT IS THE “BEHIND THE SCENES” LINK UP?
Social media and online relationships can make us feel like everyone else has it all together. We’re edited, proof-read, Pinterest-perfect versions of ourselves (or so some might think!) when – in reality? There is an unfinished pile of laundry around the corner. That cute toddler smiling for the camera just had a massive meltdown seconds ago. That yummy breakfast-for-dinner you just showed us on Instagram? It’s because the cat licked the chicken that was supposed to be for dinner.
“Behind the Scenes” is a fun link up where we show those photos – but tell the real story behind them. The sneak peek behind the scenes, a look past the edges of the photo to the real life behind it.
The Photo:
The Story:
There is a 6 foot tall cardboard castle in our living room. A “Christmas in June” present that I planned to keep in the garage, or outside for painting, but instead it sits smack in the middle of the floor. “Easy assembly” the box said. I suppose it would be easy to connect two GIANT pieces of cardboard by eight teeny tiny little tabs if you were some kind of yoga magician with 4 arms and no small toddler running around screeching in excitement.
So why, you ask, did the mommy cave and put the huge play castle, complete with turrets, two doors, and two windows ( not to mention walls you can color! oh the joy! the fun! ) in our living room? Easy.
Hubs was away and mommy needed something to keep the kiddo happy. It is very rare that I have a solo parenting day, and the band my husband plays in had a show on the other side of the state. It was a girls day! To be fair, Madi was a champ and took a great nap and had a lot of fun with me. Or at least not many meltdowns, which to me is a sign of sure success. The dreaded post-naptime but pre-dinner time arrived and I was desperate for something to keep her entertained.
{light bulb}
So up went the cardboard castle o’fun, with only minor muscle pulls, internal heated sighs, and much impressive use of my new Zumba muscles. She loved it. She played happily by herself inside, content to peek at mommy through the little window. She played with crayons, read books, took every stuffed animal and baby doll inside the castle. There were pillows, blankies, play dough, playing cards, snacks, juice and at one point a small table. We put on princess dresses, tutus, and played with fake swords.
Is it ideal to have this monstrosity in our living room? Not really. But sometimes the things in life that seem to be most in our way, the things we view as the “elephant in the room” can really turn out to be a great blessing. In my eyes, it’s a mess. In her eyes? It’s a castle full of joy and imagination and awesome memories with mommy.
I think we’ll leave it up a little longer 🙂
Alright friends! It’s your turn to link up. Now, remember the number one rule of linkys- make sure you visit the person who linked up before you & leave them a little love on their post! (even if you just say “hey! great photo – stopping over from Crystal Stine’s blog!…it’s ok..you can copy/paste that. I won’t tell.)
I love that castle. I want to live in it with my Snuggie 😉
As long as the kid is happy right? :))
Yes, although in the moment, it feels like forever. lol.
I’m learning to let the real life congregate on my kitchen table or smack dab in the middle of the living room. It’s hard sometimes for me to let go like you did putting up a big castle, but it’s always worth it! So fun!
Ha! I love the cardboard castle! But I have to admit one of my first thoughts was that my husband would not allow the kids to keep it in our living room (but I would!). He’s the Felix to my Oscar. 🙂
hey! great photo – stopping over from Crystal Stine’s blog!
Oh wait… I’m on your blog! 🙂 Such a cute castle picture… and Yes, sometimes the monstrosoties are worth the peace they bring with them!! 🙂
I’m so glad you love it! I have such fun reading the stories 🙂
lol I love that …. we do what we need to do to survive the day, don’t we?
I’m pretty sure I’ll be coloring it during the week while she’s at daycare 😉 It’s therapeutic!
It’s so true, it’s for such a short season, isn’t it?
Oh she loves this ALMOST as much as the cardboard box it came in 😉
lol my daughter has a princess castle tent that hangs from the ceiling in her playroom. Once she’s older I have a feeling she’ll be having sleepovers in it 😉
Come over any time, friend! There’s room in the castle for one more 🙂
How totally F.U.N.!! Girls are so different that boys…I never got to do castles and dolls, but I love this.
I love it…the castles and the princess playing, the pink, purple, glitter-covered memories…it’s so fun to be mama to a little girl, isn’t it?! 🙂 I made the mistake of buying Mae one of those princess pop-up tents at a rummage sale last summer. I pulled it out last fall, thinking she’d play with it for a few days. Nope. It’s STILL sitting in the middle of her room. 🙂 Sweet memories…blessings, friend! Have a wonderful week!
Very cool. We did this after Christmas one year, but instead of a cool looking castle like yours it was a fort my husband made out of the box the slide came in 🙂 That lived in our living room for almost a month 😉 Keep up the good work mama!
I can so identity with this. My boys are constantly building cities with multiple car rugs, miles of train tracks, and every car we own. Of course, they worked so hard to build it, they don’t want to put it all away at pick up time. To me, it’s a huge mess in my living room (and sometimes it spills into other rooms). But to them… it’s an expression of who they are. And one day, there will be no messes. They’ll move on to other projects in life outside of my house. 🙂
I love that you gave in to what you knew would make your little sweetie happy instead of what is expected. I remember those ‘solo’ parent days where I just wanted to make it through with the least amount of meltdowns as possible. I can’t wait to see the castle all colored.
With four year old twins, I’ve had my share of tent castles up and down in our living room. I say, “Whatever works when daddy is away is okay!” She is so cute!
But sometimes the things in life that seem to be most in our way, the things we view as the “elephant in the room” can really turn out to be a great blessing.
I love this! We are at a point in our lives that there are a couple “elephants” and thanks for this reminder that they can be turned into blessings! Love this link up and it is making me organize my photos!