Perfection Pending

By Meredith Ethington

  • My Books
    • The Mother Load
    • Mom Life: Perfection Pending – The Book
    • Free eBook: Sometimes Motherhood Sucks
    • How To Grow Your FB Following
  • Motherhood
    • Inspiration
    • Encouragement
    • Childhood
    • Humor
    • Parenting Memes
    • Friendship
    • Marriage
  • Kid Ideas
    • Recipes
    • Practical Tips
    • Babies & Toddlers
    • teens and tweens
    • The Elementary School Years
  • Mental Health
    • Mental Health
    • Anxiety
  • About
    • Favorite Posts
    • My Portfolio
    • Privacy & Disclosures

Humor In the Motherhood Motherhood Parenting Perfection Uncategorized

10 Things You’d See if This Mom’s Phone Got Hacked

  • Share
  • Tweet

When I first heard about the celebrity phone hacking scandal, I immediately rolled my eyes.

Do that many people take naked pictures of themselves?

I mean, haven’t they learned? The average relationship in Hollywood lasts about 2.5 seconds and yet they are apparently swapping nude photos with each other as often as my eight year old daughter cranks out those rainbow loom bracelets.

But, they have rights too, I guess. Even though they are uber rich and pretty and famous. They are still HUMAN. I have my doubts when they do things like write books full of their own “failed” attempts at selfies. But, since I do care about human rights I guess I will admit that it was super wrong of those creepy hacker people to steal their photos. Shame on them. But, shame on the celebrities too, no?

You might not believe it, but I recently decided to join the world of people addicted to their smart phones. Yep. I got my VERY FIRST EVER smart phone about two months ago and I finally learned which notification sounds mean what this very day. Like today, I realized the difference between the text notification and the FB one. That’s progress people.

So, I started thinking about my phone. And, started worrying about getting hacked. What would they steal? My photos? My identity? What!?

Then I realized I’m a 37 year old mom to 3 and nobody cares about hacking into my phone. But if they did, they might find some interesting things. Here are the top 10 things you’d see if this mom’s phone got hacked.

1. Kid selfies. Self-explanatory really, but why not share some evidence anyway.

Kid selfie

2. REAL failed selfie attempts. Like the one where I suddenly surprise myself when I go to camera mode and it’s pointed directly at my double chin nasal shot. Glamorous. Then I hit the button actually taking a picture while trying to turn the camera around. Perfect.

surprised selfiechildren were cropped out to protect the innocent. As usual, please refer to the about me page for how normal I really look.

3. Pictures no one can identify. Sometimes, I can figure it out. If I try really hard, I can see that the two year old took a picture of my armpit at some point that I can’t remember, or the kitchen floor, or my hairy leg. No, I will not be posting a picture of that.

4. The should-I-take-this-kid-to-the-emergency-room picture I send to my husband in the middle of the day.

Swollen Eye

5. The pictures I send to my sister in a dressing room asking something like, “Does my butt look big?” or “Can I really pull off skinny jeans?” or “Does this color make my skin look pasty?” She already knows that she must delete immediately after viewing. But, if you’re lucky, I may have forgotten to delete one or two of those.

6.  There are lots of, I-hope-I-never-forget-this-moment pictures.

Snow cones in summerDon’t mind the plant that’s dying a slow and painful death. 

7. Unread emails from the PTA.

8. Missed calls from people I won’t name.

9. Lists of notes I’ve taken so I can try to remember something simple, like you know, the first day of school.

10. And last but not least, lots of texts between my husband and I. But, they don’t ever include nudity. They look something more like this.

Husband and Wife text

So, hackers, have at it. I’d love to see how you use all of the valuable information I have on my phone. If it’s interesting enough to sell to People, I’ll split the profits with you.

What would I find on YOUR phone? Tell me. I want to know!


31 Comments

« Conversations with a Two Year Old
5 Tricks to Feeding Picky Toddlers »

Comments

  1. Rivki Silver says

    September 5, 2014 at 5:47 am

    Haha, welcome to the work of smartphones! I was a latecomer as well, and now look at me, typing this comment FROM MY PHONE.

    I’d have about the same collection of photos and stuff, except no texts from my husband. He still has a flip phone.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      September 5, 2014 at 7:08 am

      I tried to avoid getting one for so long. He’ll come around eventually.

      Reply
  2. Susan Maccarelli says

    September 5, 2014 at 6:02 am

    Brilliant!! I love this! I don’t have a smart phone (I know, I know), but if I did, I’m sure it would contain much of the same. This is so hilarious!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      September 5, 2014 at 8:10 am

      You are SO nice to share for me in the bloppy thread this morning. I woke up with a moment of panic thinking…did I really just post that horrible photo of myself on the internet?? Then I saw you shared it before I could delete. Ha! Kidding. I like embarrassing myself from time to time. And, the smart phone is fun, but it ages you quickly. 😉

      Reply
  3. Chris Carter says

    September 5, 2014 at 6:39 am

    LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!! I think my phone has the same stuff!!!

    And oh, that pic of your kiddos. It caught my heart off guard! Just precious.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      September 5, 2014 at 8:10 am

      Thanks Chris! You’re so sweet.

      Reply
  4. Sandy Ramsey says

    September 5, 2014 at 6:47 am

    It’s an awful thing…this whole naked picture scandal. Lots of opinions on it too. My phone photos are pretty boring too. Kids and butterflies. Actually, to me, that’s not boring at all but I doubt hackers are standing in line to have a look! Great post. A lot of fun and some great pics, too!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      September 5, 2014 at 7:09 am

      Thanks!

      Reply
  5. Kim says

    September 5, 2014 at 7:43 am

    My phone… You’d find lots of pictures of my kids, blurry pictures taken by my kids, and a few self-incriminating photos of me trying on some ridiculously oversized clothing. Yeah, I’m living the wild life. 😛

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      September 5, 2014 at 8:23 am

      You and me both, friend. 😉

      Reply
  6. Rabia @TheLiebers says

    September 5, 2014 at 8:00 am

    Well, until yesterday when I finally deleted a bunch of stuff to find more space, you would have found 37 pictures my four-year old took of the sheets on my bed. 37!?! He said, “Look, Mommy! I took pictures of your bed!”

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      September 5, 2014 at 8:23 am

      hahaha! Awesome. Yes, I have to do a lot of deleting around here too.

      Reply
  7. Brittany says

    September 5, 2014 at 8:19 am

    Oh my goodness, I laughed so hard at this! I haven’t joined the world of smart phones yet (holding out as long as I can! *fingers crossed*) so there really isn’t that much interesting on my phone. A few uninteresting text messages (“on my way” “still watching the kids tonight?” or “does 6:40 work?”), a couple to-do lists… that’s really it.

    Which I guess is good because baby loses my phone allllll the time.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      September 5, 2014 at 8:24 am

      Yes. I got the steel case and insurance with mine. You know, because….kids.

      Reply
  8. Emily Bates says

    September 5, 2014 at 8:21 am

    I just updated my phone, too–to one of those phones that has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. I’m riding the edge of technology here. But hey, no hacking worries!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      September 5, 2014 at 8:24 am

      haha! That’s what I had before. So funny.

      Reply
  9. jennifer groeber says

    September 5, 2014 at 8:28 am

    HA. This is exactly what I end up thinking. “Wanna hack my phone? Knock yourself out. Maybe you can reply to my husband what you want to do for dinner…” A friend had tape over the “eye” on his ipad… it’s the camera next to the screen. Because he said people can hack into your ipad and see through that. So some weird guy in a basement can see me put my mouthguard in while wearing pajamas and squinting at my ipad screen to set my ocean sounds at midnight? Seriously. You’re welcome for that, hacker. Enjoy.
    (Great post! Loved the picture on the steps!)

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      September 5, 2014 at 8:34 am

      HAHA! Jen. You’re hilarious. Best comment ever.

      Reply
  10. Lindsey says

    September 5, 2014 at 8:42 am

    Awesome. I think I like the conversation between you and hubbie best.

    Reply
  11. Liv says

    September 5, 2014 at 8:59 pm

    Yep. That’s my phone too. Right down to the laundry comment.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      September 5, 2014 at 11:23 pm

      Glad I’m not alone!

      Reply
  12. Michele says

    September 5, 2014 at 10:29 pm

    This made me giggle! On my phone you’d also find about 263 photos of my son’s Lego creations- side views, aerial views, how they look on the carpet, how they look on that box I brought home from Costco two weeks ago (still hasn’t made it to the recycling bin), and how they look flying through the air.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      September 5, 2014 at 11:24 pm

      Ha! Love it.

      Reply
  13. Tarana says

    September 8, 2014 at 7:32 am

    I can relate, especially with the non-identifiable photos that my toddler took! I make notes for tons of things, but still forget.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      September 8, 2014 at 9:18 am

      Me too! The mommy brain is rough. 🙂

      Reply
  14. Jhanis says

    September 8, 2014 at 8:48 am

    I just deleted a ton of photos AND videos that my 3 year old took. Most are unflattering images of me doing all sorts of housework OR sleeping. Pssshhh.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      September 8, 2014 at 9:17 am

      Ha. Yes, they would all be pictures of me doing housework too.

      Reply
  15. Kristi Campbell says

    September 8, 2014 at 3:25 pm

    Love it! HAHA! Yeah, that’s about what you’d find on my phone as well, along with all of the bad art projects that I finally made myself throw away but the mommy guilt has me snapping photos of them anyway! Pinned your text with your hubby – too funny!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      September 8, 2014 at 3:26 pm

      Thanks Kristi!! I like the ideas of taking pictures of the art. SO smart.

      Reply
  16. Lisa @ The Golden Spoons says

    September 8, 2014 at 6:03 pm

    HA! There would be a lot of that on my phone, too, but definitely not any naked photos!!~! 🙂

    Reply
  17. Denise says

    September 9, 2014 at 12:55 pm

    My phone had a gazillion selfies from the kid on it when it was new…

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Welcome! I’m Meredith.

Mom. Writer. Diet Coke connoisseur. Born and raised Texan. Lover of real talk and laughter with a hint of sarcasm mixed in.

The Mother Load

Perfection Pending on Instagram

Meredith Ethington

perfectpending

Mom • Author • Mental Health Therapist In Training
Grab my new book, The Mother Load, available now. 👇👇

Night night! 😤 Night night! 😤
If you missed my last post about how raising teens If you missed my last post about how raising teens can wreck you mentally….wellll this is part of the reason why. So lonely! But we are in this together somehow. 😂 Make sure to check out my latest substack and grab a copy of my book —- The Mother Load!
NEW ---> "When there are problems in these big kid NEW ---> "When there are problems in these big kid years, it’s no longer really acceptable to call a friend and air the annoyances of the situation. At least not the specifics.

Sure, you can commiserate with a fellow parent about teenagers being the worst.

But, to be honest - they’re not the worst. They’re kind of amazing. But their problems make me tired to my core." 

Read the latest on my substack. I promise you'll relate. ❤️
So sweet. ❤️ Follow me @perfectpending and bet So sweet. ❤️
Follow me @perfectpending and better yet buy my book or subscribe to my substack to support me.
"I don’t know about you, but I don’t really wa "I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want same-ness anymore. I want messy. I want admissions that shit is hard and we don’t have it all together. I want to have a makeup free, messy bun in my sweats run in with a mom friend and not feel worried she’s checking out my un-groomed eyebrows.

I don’t want to try to give off this illusion that I’m control of my life any better than the next person. It’s a shitshow for all of us, and we continue to hide it for fear of what? Being human?"

Read the rest on my Substack. Link in profile.
WHAT IF THIS IS THE HAPPIEST I’LL EVER BE AND I WHAT IF THIS IS THE HAPPIEST I’LL EVER BE AND I MISS IT? What if I miss the best time of my life. What if it’s right this second?
What if it’s right now while I’m in finals week of grad school, and have a kid that’s sick? 
I already miss so much. The gummy smiles of babes without any teeth. The squeaky voices of 2 year olds. The babbling of a baby that’s just trying so hard to say mama. The grammar mistakes my kids make when they’re talking that I don’t have the heart to correct because I love it too much. 

I miss a lot about those younger years that have already slipped away. My youngest is sick, much like in this picture, but he is too big to snuggle in my arms now when he’s running a fever. 

Today I had the thought, what if this is it? What if this IS the happiest I’ll ever be?
For a moment, I lingered in that thought as I stood over my sink and did the dishes. I started to cry.
Am I missing it? AM I? I felt a tug that maybe I was. Maybe I wasn’t relishing enough, and enjoying enough, and being present enough.
But, then I realized, it will never be ENOUGH. 

Read the rest in my substack ❤️
New year, same me. 😂 #mentalhealth #anxiety #de New year, same me. 😂
#mentalhealth #anxiety #depression
"I don't care" as I literally care about every sin "I don't care" as I literally care about every single thing.
I’ve got to admit - I’m kind of over all of th I’ve got to admit - I’m kind of over all of this. *sweeps arm generally at planet earth*

Look, I’ve never been a half glass full kind of gal. I can ALWAYS find the negative in every situation. 

But, right now it’s easy to say that I’m over it. It being.....

The state of our economy. Social media. People being unemployed. People being racist and homophobic. The debate over politics. People judging people. ALLLLLL of it. 

Everything is crap right now. We joke about it a lot. We have to in order to survive. 

It’s the one millionth day of January but Spring feels so far away. 

I’m over these four damn walls that we call home. 

Yeah, I know. Even as I’m typing this it all sounds like a bunch of ungrateful whiney BS. I hear it. I don’t need you to point it out, Karen. 

But, my guess is you’re reading this right now and realizing you’re over it too. Whatever “it” is in your life.

Some days the world feels like total crap. Everything is a mess. Everything costs too much. For E-V-E-R-Y-B-O-D-Y. 

Yes, even for you Karen. ➡️➡️ to keep reading.
Yes. Boundaries are healthy and good. And they mea Yes. Boundaries are healthy and good. And they mean someone loves you that much to communicate them! Love this wisdom from @wittyidiot
NEW POST ----> "This is not a post about loss of a NEW POST ----> "This is not a post about loss of a loved one. Or loss of a child. Those things are real, and they’re heart wrenching. And, this post is certainly not to compare that loss with the one I’m going to talk about.

But, the loss of yourself in motherhood is real. And It’s not talked about enough." 

Do you feel like you lost yourself in motherhood? How? I really want to know. 

Psss - I am in grad school to become a therapist, and am not ashamed to ask that you subscribe to my paid substack. I just lowered the cost to $36/year! That's like $4/month and you'll have access to all my previous posts, and some new weekly short posts to give you ideas to help with balancing motherhood and your own mental health. I'm learning a lot in school, and will only continue to do so, so subscribe and we'll support each other. ❤️
This memory made me laugh this morning. 🤣 This memory made me laugh this morning. 🤣
Saaaame. @womenwhorunwiththemoon Saaaame. @womenwhorunwiththemoon
I’m sorry are you really wearing doc martens and I’m sorry are you really wearing doc martens and a dress with spaghetti straps and a Tshirt under it while you’re telling me I’m doing it wrong? 🤣 Life is wild. Teenagers are fun.
Found in my pediatricians office. 🤣 What’s th Found in my pediatricians office. 🤣 What’s the moral of the story friends? If you think your household is always sick - it’s because they probably are. Kids make everything more germ-y
Here’s what I do know 👇 No one knows what th Here’s what I do know 👇

No one knows what they’re doing. 
We all feel like imposters. 
Our kids love us anyway. 
We’re all going to be OK. 
You’ve got this (as much as any of us do) 😘

#momspiration #momlife #funnymoms #memtalhealth #parentinglife #parentingquotes
"By trying to be perfect, we're actually trying to "By trying to be perfect, we're actually trying to avoid being human." 

Do you struggle with perfectionism? Parenthood has helped me quite a bit, but It's something I've battled my whole life. I still struggle occasionally, although it's gotten better. But, let's stop trying to avoid being human and instead embrace ourselves an in turn embrace the entire human race. ❤️ I'd love to hear how you embrace being imperfect. 

#perfecționism #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #anxiety #imperfect #perfectpending #themotherload #thementalload
Mood. Mood.
Some of you wanted sources on my last reel where I Some of you wanted sources on my last reel where I said we only need to be getting it right 30% of the time for our kids to have secure attachments. Well I wrote a bit more about the concept of being the “good enough mother” a term coined in the 50’s by a researcher and pediatrician. Check it all out in my newest post. Link in profile.
It’s true! Researchers have found that as long a It’s true! Researchers have found that as long as you’re doing the repair after mistakes the other times - then 30% is enough! Sometimes I worry I’m not doing it right but I definitely know I’m doing it right 30% of the time! 
Probably a whole lot more to be honest. I bet you are too. #momlife #encouragement #momspiration
Load More Follow on Instagram

You might also like

The Greatest Gift Is To Watch Your Child Leave You

Mom holding baby in nursery and yawning

When Does Parenting Get Less Exhausting? Newsflash – Never.

Dad holding tired girl after trick or treating during Halloween in the 80's

Halloween in The 80’s Was the Best Ever

mom forcing a smile with fingers and blue background

Stop Complaining About Motherhood. Here Are 21 Reasons You Shouldn’t

Here’s How to Deal With Hating Being a Parent

Copyright © 2025 · Perfection Pending · Designed by Krizzy Designs

Copyright © 2025 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in