What You Don’t See
Not everything you see here on Peas and Thank You is exactly what goes on behind-the-scenes.
I don’t whip up vegan cookies everyday, and the happenstance hodgepodge of ingredients doesn’t always just turn out to be the best thing I’ve ever tasted. I don’t throw together chickpeas, kale, shitaki mushrooms and dulse and have my children and husband licking their plates and pounding the table shouting, “More! More! More!” And I’m not above letting Pea Daddy pick up a pizza for dinner because I have other responsibilities to take care of.
Behold dinner:
The best part of getting take-and-bake pizza is when Gigi throws up her arms, tilts back her head and belts out, “Figaros!” in her best Luciano Pavaraotti imitation.
Behold breakfast:
A strawberry, almond milk, rice protein smoothie slurped down…while making lunch. I don’t waste any time.
Behold lunch:
A whole wheat tortilla, hummus, bbq sauce, tempeh bacon, lettuce, cucumber and pickle wrap,
along with a slew of sides,
all packed to go.
Because spending the day at the water park with my girlfriend and her daughter was just one of those “other responsibilities” I had to take care of.
The pictures end here because what you don’t see is that a water spout shot up, hit Lulu directly in the face and I spent the rest of the afternoon with a soggy, traumatized toddler in my lap. Something tells me a trip to Yellowstone in the near future would be ill-advised.
The rest of my day’s responsibilities brings us again to what you don’t see on Peas and Thank You. I had a meeting with the professional photographer (who is practically my sister-in-law) who will be shooting some candid interior shots for the book. We’re having the shoot in a couple weeks, but the primary goal of last night was to go over the 1,000 or so shots that I’ve taken over the past few months and pick which to use.
You will not see that we spent several hours hunched over my laptop analyzing salads, soups and brownies that needed cropped, edited and some just flat out deleted. You will not see that I didn’t leave Portland until 11 pm, only to get stuck in road construction for 45 minutes. You certainly won’t see the very disheveled, very cranky, very eye makeup still on, but smeared all over her face Mama Pea that woke up this morning after five hours of sleep. I really need to stop talking in the third person, or rather Mama Pea does.
What you will see, however, are some of the shots that will not make the book.
Shots where maybe the sampling didn’t go quite as well as planned.
Shots with poor acting,
poor photo quality (Hi, Anthony Bourdain!),
and downright poor food choices.
Then there were some shots that didn’t tell the story, didn’t seem relevant, or just didn’t make sense at all.
(Hi, Poppy!)
Clearly, we did some drastic narrowing down.
Now it’s time for the posed shots. Lord help us. As I was talking to my mom this morning, worrying about the photo shoots, what to wear, how to color-coordinate our family, curly or straight hair, etc. etc. etc. Mimi set me straight. “Muffin,” she explained, “that’s not what people care about or even want from you! They don’t want to see stylized clothes, professional makeup or overdone hair. They expect to see the girls in their new nighties!”
And she’s right. The truth of the matter is, I don’t have any desire to have myself, my food or my family to look like anything that we’re not. I’m not ashamed to admit, we’re pretty darn great just the way we are. Plus, we have leftover pizza for dinner…and some new nighties to show off.
What you see is what you get.
Aww your family is awesome just the way it is. I’ll take the nighties any day of some air-brushed shoot. You go Mama!!!
I am all about keepin’ it real on the blog, in books, you name it, Real is my middle name! I love that you’re not going for the overly staged look. In fact, I don’t even read too many blogs with overly perfect food photography because I always wonder, if it took them that long to crop, edit, stage, capture and choose a picture for their blog..I probably can’t relate to them anyway since I’ve got chaos erupting over here like missing dolly clothes, a hungry kid, the phone’s ringing, etc..no time to be “that perfect”. Good for you for keeping it real!
First time commenter, so hello there!
Love the new nighties. Maybe I’ve been out of my nannying days for far too long, because there’s a Princess there I don’t recognize…anyone? Who is she, front and center?
Tiana! From Princess and the Frog. Gigi shakes her head in disbelief.
I agree with your mom, real life is so much more interesting than staged productions. Your picture quality is excellent, and of course the content is great. You should be the photographer. As if you don’t have enough responsibilities, lol.
I love tempeh fakin’ bacon, that looks soo good. As soon as I’m off of this raw diet, I’m going to devour a package of it.
Jenn
Muffin =)
That will never get old… (to them)
=)
That’s why we all come back – because you do keep it real
And I’ll take one of those tempeh bacon wraps to go.
Haha I love your posts! They always bring some humor into my life
I love your posts on a daily basis Mama P and CAN’T WAIT for the book (or my t-shirt)
I am SO glad you wrote this post! I was starting to think you had one of those ‘perfect lives’ filled with baking and photos all day – it’s a relief to see you’re real too!!
Can’t wait for the book
This only makes me that much more excited for your book! I love that you gave us kind of a “behind the scenes/what you don’t see” look into your life, too. I love it just as much as all of your other posts and photos!
Love seeing the pics that won’t make it – especially the one of you.
Very pretty, no matter what kind of goofy face you’re making!
Your honesty and openness are exactly what I look forward to! And I think you would look awesome in a potato sack, so I just know your shoot is going to go fabulous!
You make it always look like you have it all together! I think the secret to this is to mostly show the good times and to occasionally post the hard times, just to keep everything in balance and to let others know that you are only human. You always do such an amazing job at this!
AMEN to keeping it real! That’s what makes your blog so wonderful, fun, and interesting.
I can’t even imagine writing a cookbook–or any book for that matter. One thing I do love about your blog is that you’re real with people. I think if that’s what your cookbook is going to be like, it will be fabulous! I’m not even vegan or vegetarian and I would buy it just becuase I like your style
Mimi is right! We come here because we love you guys just the way you are. Don’t go changin’ to try to please us (or something).
and that’s one of the things i love most about this awesome blog…what i see here is hilarious and fun because it’s REAL
keep up the great work mama pea 
In my world, getting my husband to pick up a pizza for dinner would be an accomplishment in itself. haha.
If you tried to make the shots and the book something that you weren’t, you would only be disappointed in the end. Keep it real, sister friend, as that’s what makes you Mama Pea.
I definitely love the candid shots over anything posed or coordinated– that’s what I love so much about your blog!!
Poor Lulu with that water
How did Lule know I’ve been craving Arby’s beef ‘n cheddars like mad?
You know I love the Pea family as is, candid shots and all. Wouldn’t know what I would do without my dose of adorable tutus and nighties…although I am missing the crack wrap. Hm, perhaps I’ll have one for breakfast since Arby’s isn’t serving lunch yet.
*Lulu
I think Lulu and I could be friends, she looks like she would be a funny little girl!
The book is going to be fabulous, I can’t wait. And I LOVE that “monkey face” photo of you. I see a greeting card in your future
youre making the monkey face and you’re still one of the most beautiful women i’ve ever seen. keep on keepin’ it real. it’s why i (and we) love you.
Haha! Those pictures that didn’t make the cut are quite hilarious! I love how honest and sincere you are in each and every post!! <3 ya Mama Pea!!
I Love that you keep it real, always! ts one reason I love your blog.
I like the ice cream cones , always good on a summer day!~
hahaha…lulu has the best facial expressions. i can’t wait to meet her in a few months!!!
and i agree, what else would i want to see other than the pea family at their most natural and finest!
You never fail to surprise me, Mama Pea!
In a good way, of course
Oh MP! This is why I love your blog so much!! Your family is so real… not every day is picture perfect (love pea daddy’s bed head! lol) Not every day is filled with new recipes… Not every recipe turns out they way you thought it would…. Not everyday has a story book ending… It honestly makes me love this blog even more when you eat take home and bake pizza’s sometimes because you were outside having fun with the girls. Yes people, even Mamma Pea ‘lets’ her family eat pre made food sometimes ;D
Hi there!! I love reading your blog but never commented before. Your family is adorable! Those candids are definitely so much better than posed shots. And your lunch wrap looks delicious by the way
LOVE IT. You need to put the picture of the girls popping their heads through the cut outs- that’s TOO CUTE.
This post made my day! I bought my nieces those same pink princess nighties. Target, I think?
Love! And LIKE and whatever else I can do/say to show that I support this post!
I love your blog. Cracks me up! I will buy your book. When is it coming out? What stores will carry it?
I love so many of the cut-out pictures, they’re so honest and endearing! I can just imagine Gigi shouting out “Figaros!” and I haven’t even met them. That’s good writing
Well this is a rather profound response to a funny post, but I think your blog strikes a very nice balance between giving us a sense of the rhythms of your family life, and also not obsessively documenting every diaper change or case of stomach flu. It’s perfect!
I think you need an OUTTAKE section for the book!!! Because these photos are perfection
The honesty is what keeps me coming back and trying your recipes and loving that you are so terrific as a mother. It’s life and I love that it isn’t made out to be perfect. Keep it up
you looka here mama pea, don’t you go changing on us now (shaking my finger at you … in love of course). the pea family is indeed great as you are, but of course, you know this already. hehehe
EVERYONE WHO HAS A BLOG SHOULD HAVE A POST LIKE THIS. life is not perfect, and that is the way it is supposed to be. all hail nighties, silly photos and yummy food
What a fab post – thanks for keeping it real! Love the pics that didn’t make it into the book. You have such a gorgeous family!
Great post! Looking forward to the book.
So I’ve determined that you have genius taste-buds. Hummus? Tempeh bacon? BBQ? Pickle? All in the same bite? Glorious.
I made the cherry chocolate cookies today. Yum! Thanks for the recipe.
i would like a nightie like that… think they have it in my size? it would be fun to freak the pilot out a little hahah
thank you for always keeping it REAL
and for inspiring me everyday – got two rejection letters today but gotta keep trucking along
hope you and your lovely pea fam have a great weekend
xoxo
Sometimes ice cream, though a poor choice, is the only thing to make girlies happy!
I just stumbled upon your blog via HEAB and I have to say that your kiddos are adorable! This was a great first post to read, I think keeping it real is so important when blogging. Can’t wait to pour through the archives
Hilarious. Absolutely positively cannot WAIT to buy your book.
Natural, lived-in and honest is the way to go, for sure. I think we, as Americans (and especially as women) definitely need to see the beauty in the everyday and even in the quasi-chaotic. The vulnerability exercised in letting a stranger have a glimpse into your everyday life in the truest light possible is very brave (and culturally necessary!)
Your family is perfect just they way you are…never change!! I love everything about your family….the honestly, humor, love…especially love the new Disney princess nighties.
Yes, I care to see the Peas in all their Pea-fection. Okay, the Arby’s coupon shot was priceless, but at least you let us see it in the blog…
No matter which pics you include, i’ll be in line for my copy of the book!
Hang in there, it will be awesome!!!