Things I Can't Say

Tips and Tales from an Introverted Mom

Just a Reminder as You Browse Pinterest…

Oh, all the pretty things.

Pinterest is just so damn pretty, isn’t it?

From the outfits and crafts to the food and home decorating ideas. All shiny and perfect.

I’ve been planning my Thanksgiving dinner, browsing Pinterest for new Thanksgiving recipes, only being sure that we’d have turkey and my sweet potato casserole, but that everything else on the menu is negotiable.

And there are so many good ideas on Pinterest. Some I’m even going to try.

But then I started to feel overwhelmed.

Because does every single dish I cook have to be something fancy, with a complicated recipe, and of course a picture perfect result? Am I a slacker if one of my dishes is simply “corn” and not “best ever creamy corn casserole?”

It’s not even the holidays that do it. A simple “what’s for dinner?” question on facebook, and all these responses where people share the pins to the fancy meals that they are making. Sometimes, I attempt those. But other times, my dinner doesn’t need a recipe- it’s grilled chicken, baked potatoes, and green beans. Or pasta with jarred spaghetti sauce.

And that’s okay. I’m still getting my family fed, even if what I’m making isn’t worthy of a pin.

pinterest

Pinterest can be inspiring: it’s full of amazing ideas. But don’t let it make you feel bad. It’s not showing the full picture.

Related: Don’t let social media make you feel like a bad mom.

Comments

  1. Amen! I think so many people get caught up in the picture of perfection on Pinterest. It is easy to feel like dinner isn’t good enough, or your house isn’t decorated enough (that’s the one that gets me). I think it is so much better to look at PInterest as a bunch of good ideas you may or may not use!

    • Girl, we’ve been here for 6 months and my walls are still blank!!!

      I do love pinterest, but only when I realize that life doesn’t have to be like that all the time!

  2. It’s all photography, and lighting, we don’t see what’s cropped out 🙂
    As long as the food tastes good, who cares who it looks? (just don’t tweet it out like Martha Stewart did, hah!)

  3. “don’t let SM make you feel like a bad mom”
    truer words were NEVER spoken or typed. This is brilliant, because it’s TRUE. WE used to parent and date and dress and cook without Pinterest (and as much as I like it …I do!) and we’ll continue to do so.

    I hate thinking of one more way that we as moms are trying to outdo each other instead of being cheerleaders for each other..for helping, encouraging and even high fiving the lazy among us (like me) who spend a lot less time on SM because it gets so overwhelming to keep up.

    I love the TOOL of Pinterest , but it will never be the do or die. 🙂

    THANK YOU for this. I loved it.

    • YES! It was much simpler when my kids were younger and I didn’t see what other people were doing courtesy of social media!

    • GMTA! 😉

      I love the ideas that come from pinterest, but I’ve had to realize that I can’t do them all!

  5. This is one of the many reasons why I don’t even have a Pinterest account.
    (This, and I’m lazy.)

    On the other hand, I tried the apples, sausage and sweet potato recipe you posted recently and my family LOVED it so much I’ve made it twice – including once for my in-laws.

    You KNOW when you’re willing to serve your mother-in-law something it’s a hit.
    So thank you. Very much.

    • I do love pinterest as a tool- I mostly use it to keep track of recipes. But it’s easy to get lost in it.

      I’m so glad you liked that recipe! I think it smells so incredibly good. And you can’t beat it for an easy recipe!

  6. I do love Pinterest even though it sometimes makes me feel bad. For Thanksgiving I never try anything new that day. I will make a dish ahead of time so I know it will come out right. I’ve been burned too many times by Pinterest fails to attempt something for the first time on Thanksgiving. I’m making almost everything the day or two before so I can enjoy the day. Happy Thanksgiving! 

    • I’m making almost everything ahead of time, too. The only experiment I’m trying is a new kind of pecan pie. But, we’ll also have pumpkin in case it turns into a fail!

    • Ha! For Thanksgiving, Piggly Wiggly is making my meal, except for my sweet potato casserole, mac & cheese, and a pecan pie.

  8. Great post! I enjoy pictures that look real….and not something right out of a magazine….but the pressure is on as a blogger for perfect pictures for pinterest..

    • Oh, for sure! Though there’s a difference between a pic for a blog post and every day life. 😉

  10. Amen! Amen! Amen! I have moments when I love to surf Pinterest and then I have to walk away because I get overwhelmed with all the things I SHOULD be doing. I need to remember that my kids are happy and well-taken care of even if I didn’t arrange their breakfast or lunch into zoo animals. 🙂

  11. I did a blog post once that had all the detailed pictures of the ingredients, each step of the method, the cooking, the final presentation. It was lovely.
    the most important word there is “once”.
    my word – longest blog post preparation of my life. I am not a recipe blogger. I’ll stick with what I know.
    coffee and sarcasm. 🙂

    • Yeah, I’m not either. I don’t mind sharing an easy recipe here and there but I don’t get fancy.

  12. Thanks for that reminder! I for sure appreciate it! I certainly can’t do what’s IN the photos, but even more, I can’t make my PHOTOs look that good. lol We’re going out of town for Thanksgiving so no Pinterest competition for me!

  13. Pinterest is fun and great for inspiration but over here in real life I simply don’t have the time or the energy to actually make one of those amazing pinned dinners.

  15. I have a pinterest account. I pin things. But I gotta make a confession: I don’t really use it the way others do. I got back to my pins, yes, but I don’t browse pinterest looking for things. I also don’t have a craft or DIY board. Sometimes I think I’m doing it wrong. But then, I’m using it how I want to use it, so what does it matter?

    • I don’t think there’s a wrong way to use pinterest (unless you pin 50,000 cat pictures in a row in 5 minutes. Or 50,000 of anything right- that gets annoying!)

      I usually only pin things I want to be able to find again. For me, that’s mostly recipes or tutorials. I also have a “recipes that rocked” board so I can easily find the recipes I’ve tried and actually liked.

  17. I LOVE Pinterest and am probably what many would call a Pinterest addict, but also completely agree with this. As newlyweds, my husband and I don’t have a whole lot of money, especially for decorating so the DIY items on Pinterest are nice in that regard, but sometimes I also feel like Pinterest has a way of making me want things that I would have never even knew existed had I not seen them on Pinterest. Not to mention, as soon as I get one project or recipe finished I want to try another one. It’s like it’s never enough haha! 

  18. YES! I try to remember that social media shows only what people want you to see, which is often the best. The other day one of my friends posted a baking disaster on Facebook, and I applauded her for posting a moment of realness admist a constant feed of seemingly perfect people and lives. Pinterest can be a great resource but also a dangerous mindgame if you let it.