Mom Creates Custom Chalkboard Art for Her Kids and We Can't Wait To See What's Next

These days, we often communicate with people—including children—via text messages or social media. When we think others need a laugh, we post a meme.

One mom is going old school and using a chalkboard to leave her kids funny, handwritten messages. A popular Instagram account picked up on it, and now it's gone viral.

Here's the deal.

Based on some amateur Internet sleuthing, it appears that Samantha, a blogger and mother who goes by @samanthaslife80 on Instagram, began posting chalkboard photos at the beginning of the pandemic.

She drew a S'more and wrote "Laugh S'more, worry less" on the chalkboard. The caption read, in part, "Thanks to so many of you for making me smile, laugh or laugh along with me. I'll continue to keep it light and fun here because that's just my personality."

And she has kept it light and fun. Over the last 21 months, the chalk talk has had a more humorous twist.

"I know you aren't new kids on the block. So quit playing games with my heart, and please put your dirty dishes NSYNC, or it's gonna be me who does it AGAIN," read one.

We see what she did there, and we are so here for it. More of her relatable greatest hits include:

"We made it to the last month of the year! Hallelujah! Where's the Tylenol?!"

"Me: Yelling at my kid for the 200^th time to stop wasting shampoo, soap, and shaving cream. My kid: 'Back off, man, I'm a scientist.'"

Sometimes, a good sense of humor is essential to keeping your sanity. Apparently, author and father Chris Illuminati could totally relate. He posted several of his favorite notes to his Instagram account, @messagewithabottle, which has more than 65K followers, and his fans are also loving it. The post has received nearly 3K likes and numerous comments in the last 24 hours.

"[This] one resonates. I have a tween who mixes everything. [It] drives me insane—body soap and conditioner do NOT go together," said one commenter, referring to the "shampoo-soap-shaving cream" post.

"Thank you for sharing her brilliance with a larger audience," said another.

"I love her drawings. They are always hilarious and spot-on," replied someone else.

Some parents are actually logging off social media for the holidays—and there are good reasons. A 2017 Priory Group survey found parents felt depressed after scrolling by "happy family pictures" on Instagram. And the holiday blues can only make mental health challenges more difficult to manage.

But some people enjoy using it, and Samantha's posts certainly give people reason to smile through the chaos. If you don't plan to log off social media completely, experts suggest these tips:

• Reduce use. Limiting social media usage to 30 minutes per day can decrease feelings of depression, anxiety, and loneliness.
• Mute and unfollow liberally. You don't have to continue to follow that high school friend whose life seems like a highlight reel. Most channels allow you to mute or snooze someone, and you can also unfollow or unfriend them.
• Say nice things to yourself. As you scroll, it's natural to get FOMO seeing a friend taking an elaborate family vacation. Keep in mind that what you may not know is that her flight got delayed three times or that she had to do eight loads of laundry just to feel good about leaving the house.

Social media can be fun and a way to stay connected and lift one another up. Setting a few simple ground rules and boundaries for yourself can make the holiday season—and any season—a little brighter.