If you're looking to sneak peeks at our subway tile backsplash, brass accents, cheeky doormat or metallic bar cart with gold and pink accents, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place. We're sorry for the disappointment.
I’m not a professional blogger, vlogger, YouTuber or Instagrammer. Nor am I trying to be. So please don’t criticize this website or our family’s online presence as if we’re lame people striving to be famous but failing miserably with laughable attempts. Yes, our attempts our laughable … but probably because we know how ridiculous we look trying to re-enact ideas that my daughter has seen her favorite YouTubers pull off with the ease and grace exhibited only by 20-something millennials who make careers out of social media. We’re not them!
In fact, here’s a list of things we are not, along with things we don’t have. We’ll save you the trouble by stating them here so you don’t have to leave comments pointing out our lame behaviors, the absence of clothes from Urban Outfitters and Lulu Lemon, or our lack of arrow-themed home accessories.
“I’m not a millennial. I’m a proud Gen-X’er. So, you won’t see any photos of my manicured hands gripping a retro coffee mug filled with a latte-looking substance, a stylishly shabby over-sized, oatmeal-colored, cable-knit sweater extending over my wrists and stopping at JUST the right point so you can admire my trendy nail polish with the perfect little artistic embellishment on one “accent nail.” Nope. You won’t see me doing that … but you might see my 7-year-old trying to set up that shot. Hence the laughter at our lame attempts to be “Insta-influencers!”
(Is that a word? Also, I drink only black coffee, with an occasional splash of flavored, chemical-laced ACTUAL dairy creamer.)
Pinterest would be ashamed of us ...
I don’t wear eyeglasses as an accessory. You won’t catch me with trendy/nerdy, over-sized chunky black frames, my clean hair piled artfully on my head in a seemingly effortless messy bun that actually took 30 minutes to do. I wear contact lenses, and if my eyes are giving me trouble, then I bust out my eight-year-old glasses with an extremely outdated prescription. They’re not fashionable, trust me. But did my daughter take my old eyeglasses from college, pop out the lenses, and make them a staple in her accessories stash? You betcha. Does she try to pull off the messy bun? Yup. Again, a lame (albeit adorable) attempt at what can be seen all over social media.
The home-decorating gene missed me. I don’t have a house decorated in a way that beautifully ties together super-expensive coastal, shabby-chic furniture, gold (but NOT tacky) accents, ironically artsy posters and wall art, and muted earth tones with perfect “pops” of bold color. I don’t have throw pillows that are seemingly mismatched but somehow compliment each other perfectly. I don’t have granite countertops or a shiplap accent wall or a subway tile backsplash or a perfectly organized mudroom that boasts linen baskets, Pottery Barn storage benches, hall trees, or family schedules written in colored-chalk calligraphy on chalkboards fastened to the wall with ribbons or twine.
So, you’re probably wondering, what does this family have? Well, we have each other and we prioritize our budget so we can enjoy a fair amount of travel together, whether that’s spring break girls-only camping trips or Disney cruises to the Bahamas … long road trips to see family in the Midwest or extended weekends spent exploring regional cities such as Charleston, Atlanta and Jacksonville. We have a house that’s plenty big enough for our small family but nothing too fancy. We have reliable transportation. We have a sweet, hyper-active black lab named Violet. We have plenty of clothes from Old Navy, Target and, of course, Justice. We have a decent number of electronic devices. We have a daughter who does a zillion somewhat costly extra-curriculars – two dance classes, soccer, Girl Scouts, an acro class … OK, so maybe it’s just four activities, but let me assure you they happily nab a few hundred bucks per month out of my checking account! I also save time by not cooking and instead order a fair amount of ready-made healthy meals from Clean Eatz – a luxury for sure. Oh, and these days, we have a brand new HVAC unit, a new washer and dryer, a new water heater and a partial new roof (thanks to Hurricane Irma)! Aaaaand I might have a bit of an Amazon habit.
So, in short, we have what we need. And I’m proud of that. If you want to come over and gawk at my carpet (yes, carpet!) or judge my white appliances covered with kids’ drawings and stickers (no stainless steel here, friends!), well, that’s cool. We don’t really mind.
However, this is a bit of a struggle with Reese when she comes home from a play date and asks why we don’t have (insert whatever cool or costly thing her friend’s family has here). Or (my favorite!), when her friends come to OUR house and ask why we don't have (insert cool thing here). I try to remind Reese that we like people for their personalities and what’s inside their hearts – not for what they look like or what they have. It’s tough for a 7-year-old to fully wrap her head around that, but I hope my message is hitting home. But please help me ensure it gets there by holding your comments about any lameness you may spot in our videos!
Signed,
Not the LaBrant Family
(Google them if you have to; I'm only in the know because of my kid.)
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