“Ideal” vs “Real” – The struggle is real….

As a wife & mother I struggle with my imperfection. I see friends on social media with gorgeous post baby bodies, perfectly organized homes straight out of a magazine, crazy big birthday parties, huge gardens, tremendous meals made from scratch..... the list goes on. None of those things are what you would call strengths of mine. At all. Today alone, I've cleaned our living room 3 times. Yet, as I type this there are cars strewn about and a piece of wood leaning against my couch that is commonly used as a race car ramp for my 3 year old's imagination. Then, one day it hit me. What if THIS is my little piece of perfection? What if instead of worrying about living up to some unrealistic ideal, I just revel in the blessings of today. Yeah, my house isn't perfect, but there are some amazing things happening in it!! This is when the idea of my creative project was planted in my heart.... "everyday AWESOME". I started to think about how my kids would, one day, describe their childhood. Would they describe a Momma who was stressed and constantly cleaning, organizing, and trying to make food from scratch out of her immense garden (Just to be clear I have a brown thumb & that garden thing would not work for me... actually, I have developed quite the knack for killing plants). Or, would they describe a Momma who not only allowed them to play and get messy, but would join in the fun with them. I want Shae to remember how much fun we have outside catching fire flies. I want Dawson to remember how we played with all 300 of his cars... at once. Don't get me wrong. I'm not knocking anyone with a rockin' body, who has an organized house, a prize winning garden, or the drool worthy birthday bashes. If that's you, then go on with your bad self. Also, swing by to help me organize & bring me some of those garden fresh veggies!! What I'm trying to talk about is our skewed perception of what "ideal" looks like. Everyone has strengths & weaknesses. Lets stop pretending that things are perfect. Instead, let's find joy in our every day. Lets rejoice in what is right now. This begs the question... What do you want to fill your walls with? The pictures of the park you've never been to, wearing the new outfit that you're scared the kids will ruin before pictures (and may never wear again), grouped together trying to get everyone to look & smile simultaneously all the while trying not to look as uncomfortable as you feel OR the pictures in your house, the place where you are most comfortable, wearing your favorite outfit (If its yoga pants... ROCK THOSE YOGA PANTS) doing what your family loves to do together? It is simply the "ideal" versus the "real". Because if we're being honest, in 15 years I won't remember that park. But, I will remember how every morning my family snuggles, and sometimes (ok a lot of times) my kids jump on the bed. So, why doesn't that fill my walls? It should. Those are the little "gems" that my kids will want to show their kids and future spouses. Not only do I want to choose a life of joy, I want my walls to reflect that choice. I want to find the beauty in every day. It is with this revelation in mind that I feel I need to introduce myself to you. My name is Reneê. I am a portrait photographer whose artwork is the beauty found in imperfection. I capture joy. I photograph connection. I revel in "real". Join me & fill your walls with the gems of today. This is Jenna & her sweet babies. This is exactly what everyday AWESOME looks like... a celebration of motherhood and the mornings she spends with Russell & Jolie.

Lawrenceville Lifestyle Photographer | Landis Family

Lifestyle Documentary Photographer | Truly Sweet Photography

Lawrenceville Lifestyle Photographer | Landis Family

Lifestyle documentary photography in Lawrenceville, GA | Truly Sweet Photography

Lawrenceville Lifestyle Photographer | Landis Family

alexis says:

June 17, 2015 at 11:40 pm

LoVe this!! We all needed to be reminded of this very day. P.s. You ARE perfect because you are my best friend!!

Elissa says:

June 18, 2015 at 12:52 pm

ABSOLUTELY Love this. For the written portion: I’m slowly but surely converting my brown thumb into a green one! I’m a terrible housekeeper and I’m not even really picking up after kids yet, it’s just always been a weakness of mine. There are always piles of laundry, dishes to be done, and stuff to be put away. A lot of the time, because I’m aware of this “fault” I worry that my spouse thinks I’m not a good wife because I’m not on top of all of these things, like I feel like I should be. I have a crafty knack only if it’s easy and fast. If it takes too long, I won’t complete it. I have a love/hate relationship with my face, my torso, and my legs, some days they feel slender and nice and other days, not so much. When you complain about these things, the people that love you don’t understand why because they see the beauty in you easier than you see it in yourself. For example, Renee, I’ve always thought you were gorgeous and fearless, but not the kind of fearless that knocks people over on her way to get to her goal. The kind of fearless that also makes sure along the way she is being caring, thoughtful, and kind to those around her. It’s why I have and still admire and look up to you! For the photos: I LOVE these everyday AWESOME pics! I would seriously love for you to come to my house to do this! Legit. I want to schedule now 🙂

|everyday AWESOME| Have you found yours? says:

June 18, 2015 at 11:26 pm

[…] #teamBritt. If you haven’t read about my project, you really should, here’s the link: ideal vs real You see, this is where the sweet memories are made. I wish I had pictures of when I was about 5 and […]

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“Ideal” vs “Real” – The struggle is real….

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