How Instagram Has Changed My Life #iPPP

Welcome to #iPPP! We want to see your funny, your yummy, your heartfelt, your favorite phone photos of the week. All you need is a blog post containing at least one photo from any phone camera. We are making a big change around here…Mama Mash will explain it all to you when you head over to her place. I’m sad to see her go, but we are going to keep right on trucking. Please help me welcome Sarah of The Sunday Spill to the iPPP team! Link up below!

If you follow me on Twitter, or Facebook, or have ever seen on of my Project 365 posts, or have read this blog from the web and not just an email (so you could see the pictures in my sidebar), you know that I am hopelessly addicted to Instagram

I’m not ashamed. I could go on and on about why I love it and sing its praises, but I won’t. Not today.

Today I’m going to tell you how Instagram has changed my life: my parenting, my days, my relationships. I get to see glimpses of other people’s lives. We all share snippets of our days, our moments. We allow a glimpse into our parenting skills (or maybe sometimes, lack thereof), or guilty pleasures, how we wind down or start our days. It has made me see the world a bit differently, through these filters.

I mentioned that we went to my mom’s birthday party this past weekend. While we were managing the chaos (ie getting ready to load up and go), Ivy came into the living room where I was, wearing a princess dress over the clothes I had just given her to put on.

Before Instagram: No, you can’t wear that! That’s for dress up. It might get torn or something.

After Instagram: Hey, that’ll be festive! It IS a birthday party. Why don’t you find your little sister one?

party dresses

I create art out of food. Or at least, take joy out of making other people salivate by pretending to be a food blogger and staging pictures. Yes, it’s pointless. And yes, I am a stay at home mom that talks to two toddlers all day long.

Before Instagram: This coffee is pretty good. I can not start my day without it. I bet there are other moms barely awake right now.

After Instagram: Who wouldn’t be impressed with this foam? To. Die. For. I bet I can start a conversation about it.latte

I ask for (or agree to) pictures with new (or cherished) friends and show the blogging (or regular) world that I am, in fact, a real person, and that other people do, in fact, like to hang out with me.

Before Instagram: Hey, let me take a picture of us so I can tweet it out for two people to see and probably not say anything about. Then let’s move on.

After Instagram: We have to take a picture! Then I can make us look even prettier than we already are and share it on at least two different social media sites and make everyone wish they were having lunch with us, too! And also keep it for when I need a smile.

goofy goobers

I pick up messes faster and rearrange furniture (or buy new) because now, instead of rare visits from family or friends and the prerequisite intense cleaning that my house and I go through, lots of people see my house every day. I’ve learned to take pictures at better angles, so as not to show the aforementioned princess dresses on the floor, or fix things that need to be taken care of sooner rather than later.

Before Instagram: Yeah, those TV cords are totally unsightly hanging across the wall but they’re not dangerous to the kids and no one ever comes over and I can distract from them with balloons at all of the birthday parties.

After Instagram: Those cords are driving me crazy! I can’t even take a picture of this precious moment that is happening, because all you see is fifteen cords across the wall.

tv stand

I now get real time fashion advice. 

Before Instagram: Me: How does this look? Hubs: Looks good, mama.

After Instagram: YOU GUYS. I’m going to see the one and only MADONNA and I have no idea what to wear! HELP!

madonna

Are you addicted to Instagram, too? Has it changed your life, or am I the only phone photo nerd?

GFunkified
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62 Responses to How Instagram Has Changed My Life #iPPP

  1. Alison says:

    Yes, I totally agree – Instagram is absolutely awesome and life changing!

    Hello Sarah, so happy to see you onboard with #IPPP!

  2. mamamash says:

    Haha, that's one addiction I've kicked. :) Glad to see you are still enjoying it. Best of luck with the linkup in the future!

  3. Elaine says:

    Well, I think you know my answer to the "addicted" question. ;) And I LOOOOVE the photo of you and my girl, Erin. Can't wait to see both of you girls in a couple of months! Now off to visit Sarah!

  4. Ducky says:

    Sigh….you've nearly convinced me I need Instagram. I do so love Princess dresses for every day activities and especially parties!!

  5. Mama Pants says:

    I am regretting my knee-jerk "down with intagram" response a few months back. if I had only waited a few days for them to change their minds on content!! Sigh…. also I am still jealous of your visit wit THE Erin Margolin. Your girls are lovely and that Madonna outfit is hot :)

  6. Soooo funny! And true! I was just took a shower and was THIS CLOSE to instagramming my shower loufa. And then I was even closer to instagramming the bruise on my leg. Like I had the filter on it and everything.

  7. Audrey says:

    I LOVE instagram! I love peeking into people's lives, seeing what they are doing during the day and showing off things we are doing during the day! It's so fun!

  8. bocafrau says:

    Greta, I'm with you every step of the way (hence my PicturePerfectWeekly link-up) and thanks for linking to my blog!!! :)

    • gretafunk says:

      Of course! You know I have not gone one day without making a frothy hot drink (or three) since that first day. Another thing I'm hopelessly addicted to now!

  9. lilwhale says:

    Dude, you know I love IG. I totally am aware of angles and what Im including vs. what I'm cropping out. part of the beauty of it all. I've shoved crap out of the way plenty of times. OH! and that one of you and Erin! So cool. I haven't met many bloggers in real life. yeah, I'm jealous :) THANKS for letting me be a part of this link. I love it so much already!

    • gretafunk says:

      There is SO MUCH CRAP to get out of the way when you have four children, amIright?! I hope you'll get to go to a conference sometime (one that I'm at, preferably), and meet some bloggers!

  10. oh for goodness sake! lilwhale is ME! wordpress had me automatically logged in and i forgot. oops.

  11. [...] visit all the other lovely bloggers linking up to iPPP with Greta and Julie at G*Funk*ified!  It’s such a fun time of [...]

  12. Yes! :> Love Instagram. And ironically, it's Instagram that introduced me to Sarah!

  13. Kerry B says:

    I think I am the last person alive not using instagram! LOSER. (side bar- I love your friends scarf- you should do a giveaway on that)! haha this post has made me realize I need to get on board!

  14. Natalie says:

    I just bought an iPhone and have thought about making the jump onto instagram. Maybe this is the last push I need :)

  15. Mamaintheburbs says:

    I think we met on Instagram and I'm so grateful! I love seeing your pictures of your kids and sharing conversations with you. You are not alone as I'm addicted too. I just need to take more pictures each day!

  16. Kerstin says:

    Instagram makes me want an iphone. But I love my BlackBerry so much. But I want Instagram.
    I know, first world problems… :)
    I'll just look at all your Instagram pics!

  17. SkyWaitress says:

    Oh my goodness this is so true. Instagram has totally changed me in so many of the same ways. I'm glad for it though, I take so many more pictures now and looking back through my stream makes me unreasonably happy. So many memories, even if they are slightly staged sometimes.

    • gretafunk says:

      I know! I was just looking back through my Project 365 posts from last year, and I don't think that would've been possible without IG. I definitely don't bring my big camera everywhere, and I can make my phone pics look so much better. I love looking back through, too!

  18. euregirlsandboys says:

    I do love Instagram. I've slacked off a bit (I know, how could I let my Instagramming slide??) and I think I need to get back to steady Instagramming and commenting because it's awesome. (Also, my husband apparently thinks Instagram is not a verb, but I disagree – it can be so many things.) I always love all your Instagram pictures, whether I see them on Instagram or facebook. And I totally agree with everything you said here – except I still don't take many pictures of myself :)

  19. [...] thank you to Greta & Julie for hosting the grooviest linkup in town. Interested? Go read Greta’s post today and just join. It’s about as easy as you can get and the group of bloggers that participate [...]

  20. Farrah says:

    I am still trying to figure out what (if anything changed?) IG has been so great for us allowing family and friends to peek into our world. As far as I can see- for now I will remain on board. I enjoy the peeks you mention way too much!!

    • gretafunk says:

      Nah, I don't think anything changed. So many people in real life (friends and family) say they love seeing my pictures, and I love that. It's so much easier to share things that way.

  21. I am very new to Instagram – but already I can identify with so much of this, Greta! It makes me aware of the liitle moments more during the day – and yes, the mess on the floor, too. :)

    • gretafunk says:

      Exactly! If I didn't want to share everything, I wouldn't bother taking a picture, and I would forget all about those little moments. I'm grateful for it!

  22. Leighann says:

    Love instagram! LOVE! And I can relate to everything you said… it's all about staging, getting the right angles, and everything has become a photo-op!

    • gretafunk says:

      Yes! And capturing those moments that are so much fun to look back on, and sharing them with friends and family (and yeah, some strangers). :)

  23. Mission accomplished because I immediately felt jealous of your meeting with Erin :)

    Otherwise, I completely agree. Would I be nail polishing and styling and taking pics of food nearly as much without IG? No. Now for the big question…if somebody takes a selfie without Instagram, does it make a sound? :)

  24. Jackie says:

    I love Instagram too! Then again who doesn't???

    I have taken pics and then decided that I can't share that with everyone! And then I retake it to cut out the messy stuff or get better light or making sure I don't look silly!

  25. emmymom2 says:

    It is so so true! It really has changed how people share things and the way I take pictures with my phone. I love love it

  26. Tara says:

    Can I laugh about this? I just wrote a blurb on why I had to have it back!. :) I do love your pictures though, and that coffee does look yummy.

    • gretafunk says:

      You can absolutely laugh about it, Tara! I try not to take myself too seriously, especially when it has to do with a guilty pleasure/silly addiction!

  27. I wish I had a fun phone to take pics with!! you always rock this. thanks for sharing that funny one of us, I love it!! xoxoxox

  28. Julia says:

    This is too funny and so true. I sometimes take pictures of the outlandish things that happen around here that would have otherwise annoyed me and by taking the moment and snapping the picture I get a bit of perspective, like hey this moment won't be forever. Ya know?

  29. I just got an iPhone and haven't set up Instagram yet. Mainly I haven't b/c I feel like it will be yet one more thing that I'm addicted, too! I totally do the staging around the junk/clutter in my house though for pictures. I took one this morning on put it on FB and thought to myself how amazingly clean that (one, tiny) part of the house looked in the background!

  30. Sarah says:

    I might just be the ONLY PERSON LEFT ON THE PLANET who does not have Instagram! So by all means…keep your instagram account linked to your twitter account. At least I tweet :D .

  31. Poppy says:

    Your pictures are some of my favorites in my Instagram feed!

  32. [...] think I’d be able to pull it off and keep up with it. But, I did (thanks in big part to my Instagram addiction) and I’m so glad I did. I just ordered the book of all the P365 posts, like I had always [...]

  33. Phil says:

    You're right about that foam, there's something mesmerizing about it. It gives me an idea for a post – Thanks iphonephotophun neighbor.