Bloggy Playdate *pictures*

**Pics added at the end**
**Not my finest photography**

Once upon a time last August, I had the good fortune to meet a bloggy friend.
We had such a good time and I know both Giselle and I had intentions of planning another get together.  We just haven't gotten around to it yet!  In truth, I've had a hard time getting together with friends who live 10 minutes or less from me.  I'm not sure what made this summer seem so crazy?

Somehow in the midst of this August, another bloggy friend (who I also went to college with so we've met IRL before) managed to nail down a date to get together.  Aimee was gracious enough to host me and the kids for a playdate.  She lives in the same general direction as Giselle but further north.  So it was about the same travel time for me, approximately an hour and a half.  Not a big deal.

Let me set the scene here...Aimee has six children so with mine that brings a grand total of NINE kids and TWO moms.  And of those nine children, SEVEN of them are age 5 or under...let that sink in.

In theory, it should have been chaos, right?  Sometimes my three alone cause enough chaos to send me screaming into the street.  And I tell you, it was so easy and so smooth.  Even lunch time was a breeze (of course, Aimee did the prep work so maybe if I had been helpful, I wouldn't be saying this?)

Aimee is the picture of a calm, relaxed mom.  I tend to feed off the vibes of others, so I felt very at ease the whole time.  Hanging out with Aimee and her children gave me an inkling about the benefits of having older kids in the mix.  Her two oldest were very helpful with keeping the little ones occupied and engaged.  So awesome!

While Aimee and I were not close friends in college, we definitely knew each other and also lived in the same dorm one year.  Because our college was rather small, it was easy to at least get a sense of many of the students, even those in other classes.  Aimee is a year or two younger than me but our paths still crossed from time to time.  I felt like I had just seen her last week.  From reading her blog, I have an even better sense of who she is as a person.  And it continues to amaze me how much my friends in the bloggy world really just are who they seem to be.  No surprises, at least none for me!

Our kids all played very well together.  Considering none of them have ever met before, it seemed like they all just jumped in, eager to make new friends.  Chloe and "Mopsy" (bloggy name for Aimee's second youngest, who is close in age to Chloe) were the only ones who seemed to need warmup time.  And I think that is par for both of them.

So the kids played and we got to talk.  Aimee had a lovely lunch with every option a kid could possibly want, including a yummy fruit salad and fresh-from-the-dairy chocolate milk.  We brought a dessert of chocolate chip and sugar cookies.  Aimee had a special lunch for the moms...a salad with chicken that I don't know the name of but it is the kind that has ramen noodles broken up in it...I'm not doing it justice, it was YUMMY and I couldn't stop eating it!  I should do more of these bloggy playdates just for the lunch options, as I've been spoiled both times ;)

I had the pleasure and privilege to hold Aimee's youngest, a baby girl, and she is just so sweet and so cuddly.  I could have snuggled up on the sofa with her and had a lovely little nap (not that I would do that on the first visit). 

The time passed quickly. The kids went from one thing to another, spent a little time outside, although it was pretty humid out, so we mostly stayed inside.  Aimee's oldest put together a bouquet of flowers for me to take home.  I have only two regrets from the day:
1. I did not get a picture with Aimee
2. I owe her older son a card game
(oh wait, and I was LATE...shocker...even though I tried to be on time...so that's 3 regrets)

Regrets aside, Aimee's children are just wonderful, very kind, very sweet and so friendly!  I loved chatting with them.  And Aimee herself is awesome as well.  She's really got it together, even though I know there are times she doesn't feel that way.  It was great to make a new friend and I hope that Aimee and her kids enjoyed it as much as we did.

Thanks for a lovely day!!  Hopefully we can do it again some time :)

Aimee has this toy out in her yard... a HUGE hit with my kids.
I'll be searching for one online soon...

Sally, Liam & Chloe
(Aimee uses blog names for her kids- I wasn't smart enough to do that when I started out!!)

Chloe, Sally & Michael

Michael and Fiver hanging out...

The group minus three...two napping and one grumpy!

We all had alot of fun :)

Name Change- revisited

I'm into revisiting things this week.  Can you tell my self-inflicted sleep deprivation is getting the better of me?

Way back in January, I was trying to think of a way to update the name of this blog and still reference the same poem.  Recently, Emily over at Live with David and Katy was contemplating her own name change and conducted a poll.  She got me thinking about this again.

Well, I still don't have a list of good ideas for your consideration so I can't do a poll.  I keep thinking over ways to combine the "little girls are made of" part of the poem with what I currently have.  I haven't come up with anything- I hate to abandon the original title entirely but it might have to happen.

So today I was thinking it over again and I had maybe just a hint of a good idea...Something like having the main title and then a follow-up line of "Two puppy dog tails and a touch of sugar and spice" or "Two puppy dog tails sprinkled with sugar and spice"--something like that.  But I am stuck on the actual title--which could be anything.  This way, I can continue keep the reference but not end up with a super long base title. Or is a long title okay? Am I making sense?

I could do a main title of "Our family is made of" or "Our children are made of"--But I didn't love either of those ideas. 
There is no official poll but if you like, comment and let me know what you think of my train of thought.  I pulled from some ideas left in the comments from that January post so they were definitely helpful--it just takes my brain a while to put it all together. I feel like I am getting close but just not quite there yet.

Or is this really just going no where but I haven't accepted that yet?  In which case I should scrap the first title & start all over.  I've got a few ideas based on how NOISY my house is these days--fun ideas, not gripey ones, I promise!

Oh help bloggy friends!!  I could keep it as is but I think that Chloe deserves more mention--especially since she is basically running this show these days ;)

Meeting Real People

So Giselle beat me to this by posting her impression of our Friday meeting/play date...but that works for me because now I can just sponge off her post & build mine from there ;) Some of this post is indeed feeding off of her comments so you might want to read hers first so you connect some of my references...if you want :)

Friday morning the kids and I packed up the van and headed out to meet Giselle and her kids. Normally, I might be nervous about meeting someone new- hoping that they don't think I am psychotic, worrying that my kids will act up, or any number of mishaps that could occur.

I found myself rather calm...in fact, the only thing that had me in a tizzy that morning was the dye job I had done on my hair the night prior. I should have just left it because it's not as though Giselle would have thrown me and my 1-inch plus roots out of her house. But I had been trying to find the time for over a week & I just couldn't stand myself any longer. My hair should have turned out your basic dark brown...well, it looks alarmingly close to a color I would describe as black. Anyway, I got over myself & could care less about it now but I was so pissed on Friday morning. I felt as though I looked like a witch... I forced myself to avoid wallowing in ridiculous self-pity and to be excited for our adventure to meet new friends.

We left late- because when do I ever manage to do anything on time, even when I put in a great effort- and then I had to stop for gas (of course) but we made pretty good time and Giselle was very gracious about it. It was about an hour and 15 minute drive but mostly highway so very easy.

Having read Giselle's reaction to our meeting, I completely agree with her about how easy it all seemed. I pulled into her driveway & felt like I had been there dozens of times. Of course, our meeting starts with Michael putting the potty chair down in her driveway and peeing in it (we are a class act, you know). I was hoping this didn't phase her and it didn't seem to. We introduced the kids and yes, we did hug hello. Until I read her most recent post, I had no idea she wasn't a hugger by nature & it wasn't an awkward hug at all.

I am totally a "make myself at home" kind of person and I often worry that this might put some people off. Again, I am so glad that Giselle didn't seem to mind this about me. And I'm talking about things like putting Chloe's bottle in her fridge or grabbing a papertowel not things like taking a nap in her bed. I honestly felt just as comfortable as I do at any of my friends' houses that I have been in many times.

The day just kind of rolled along in a very natural way...Giselle fixed lunch for all the kids & it was great. Although she had told me she had this covered in advance, I felt a bit like a mooch but I plan on making up for this next time (should she care to hang out again!). I also was getting Chloe situated with lunch and so I wasn't even much of a help. I know that you are all dying to have me come visit you, right? Because I sound like an awesome guest, right? Anyway, not only did she have a perfect kids' lunch planned, she then COMPLETELY floored me by telling me she had a separate lunch planned for us. And for someone who eats PB & Fluff 5 out of 7 days each week, this almost made me weep with happiness. And I would have been totally happy with the items from the kids' menu! We had delicious spinach ravioli & don't take her word for it on the salad- it was so tasty with little nuts & berries mixed in--I thought it was really good. I felt like I had lunch at a restaurant...at least the Olive Garden if not better (you should know I frickin' love the O.G. so that's a total compliment in my world). And ravioli is in my top 3 favorite foods...how did she know?

So everything just kind of flowed, the kids played- sometimes together, sometimes not- inside, outside and back in again. Liam was kind of persistent to check in with me frequently but then he mellowed out a bit. Giselle's Michael napped and Chloe had a bottle. We had complete conversations and talked about such a range of topics and it was so, so nice to talk to an intelligent, interesting adult while the kids played happily. In keeping with Giselle's post format, here are some things I learned during our visit:

1. Giselle is just a fantastic person and such a sweet mom to her children. I can tell that her kids know just what to expect from her and they clearly respect her every bit as much as they love her. She is so easy going and I felt completely at ease with her. I loved talking with her & having the chance to get to know her better. In a blog, you can ask comment and questions but you don't have the immediate gratification of an answer like you do in a real conversation. I am so glad we decided to meet. Giselle is the real deal- how she presents herself in her blog is truly who she is and I had a blast hanging out with her. I will say that there is one area of misrepresentation: I found her home to be lovely & I didn't observe any dust bunnies or sticky floors. I loved every minute of our visit.

2. And the kids? Such awesome children!! I loved talking with Andrew. It gave me a glimpse into a future of more robust conversations with my own kids. We did indeed talk about his school lunch menu, his loose tooth, his new teacher...and I loved hearing about it. Because those are big deal things in his world right now and I was so happy he shared them with me...after all, I just walked in the door not 30 minutes ago. Lily is a cutie & I did not see any evidence of the bipolar syndrome that Giselle references in her blog. She can spell her name and I think she is so proud of that. Michael is just adorable and I think he might just run his older siblings one day (I feel the same about Chloe). I got a little glimpse into Andrew & Lily's closeness too-- they were sitting on the sofa right next to each other & playing some sort of game (I think)...I couldn't hear what they were saying but they were enjoying each others' company & I thought that was just precious!

3. Giselle's home is great!! Lots of things for the kids to do, inside and out. The new kitchen is beautiful--I loved it. Not that I saw her old one in person but you know, that doesn't matter!

4. I learned what a couple of bloggers looked like in college--people like MoMommy and Midwest Mom. Ah, the college days of flannel and beer...it made me nostalgic for my own college years.

5. While we come from different backgrounds, grew up in different places & have our own life experiences, I venture to say that Giselle and I probably share many of the same core values. I am sure there are things we don't have the same opinion about but that's true of almost all of my friendships.

I could on and on...perhaps I already have? Hopefully, we will hang out again! Because I do have just one regret... During our rather lengthy visit--I hope we did not overstay!--I did not get to play their household's most infamous pretend play game--"Neighbor". I will insist upon it next time ;)

It's Tuesday, March 3rd

There is nothing terribly important about this date, I just couldn't think of another title...

With all of this cold weather and a snow day yesterday, you'd think I could have posted something before now. I am just so UNMOTIVATED! The snow is pretty and the day off was cool but I am DONE with winter. I need warmth ASAP.

On top of that, I also joined Facebook 2 days ago (caved to peer pressure)and am trying to figure out all the bells and whistles that has to offer. While it is cool to reconnect with some people I lost track of, it is also the TIMESUCK I feared it would be...so I am going to make a concerted effort NOT to look at it much. I don't feel that I need to update my status every time I pee--is that what Twitter is like?

Here is what makes Facebook so dangerous-especially in my current slacker mode: Unlike blogging, Facebook doesn't really require any brainpower. When I write a post, I usually put thought into what I am saying & try to have some semblance of organization. Of course, there are always posts that are less cohesive because I am caught up in something. Even then, I proofread what I have written, I use spellcheck most of the time, I try to catch any obvious errors. I am not always 100% successful but the effort is there. Not so with Facebook, you can just make random, useless comments for no reason at all. I find that a bit annoying.

All that aside, I need to get myself back into blogging and sometimes the only way to make something happen is to just do it. I remember a college friend who played basketball had a poster in her room that said something like: "When you're on SHOOT...When you're off, SHOOT till you're ON". Not an athlete myself, but I always found inspiration in that quote.

So bear with me friends, if these upcoming posts aren't all that great. I am a bit confused about my life right now and that confusion has muddled my thoughts. I am going to get back on track with this blog.

Now excuse me, I need to go deal with Michael who is still NOT SLEEPING...How can I get this child to go to sleep?

Oh wait- CHICKEN GAME UPDATE- I have my chicks and two have been placed...I'll let you know when they are found :)

N.B. If you happen to look for me on facebook, I just want to let you know that I plan to keep this blog completely separate from that. Thanks!

Lull, Rut or WTF?

Originally in this post, I was going to say that there has been a lull in my blogging...then I looked up the definition...so then I was going to say that I am in a rut...then- just to check- I looked up the definition. Neither of these words expressed what I am trying to say--at least not according to Merriam Webster.

I still don't have much to say so I will just leave you with these definitions...

Definitions for "rut"
1: an annually recurrent state of sexual excitement in the male deer ; broadly : sexual excitement in a mammal especially when periodic (this is where I said WTF)
2: the period during which rut normally occurs —often used with the
3a: a track worn by a wheel or by habitual passage b: a groove in which something runs, furrow c: a usual or fixed practice
4: to make a rut in :furrow

2 definitions for "lull"
1 : to cause to sleep or rest; soothe
2 : to cause to relax vigilance

**MAYBE definition #1 for LULL because it's entirely possible that this blog is putting YOU to sleep! If only I could use it to help Michael fall asleep**

Sweet dreams my friends :)

New additions

No, I'm not pregnant with multiples- I am talking about 2 new additions to my blog junkie faves list over there to your right (and scroll down a bit).

I have added "The Jason Show" and "Rude Cactus". These are my first two additions that are not written by moms. I have been reading each of them for a while now and today I thought- why aren't they on my list?

In case you didn't know, Rude Cactus is hubby to "so the fish said" (another favorite of mine). And The Jason Show- I found that one in a completely random way and haven't stopped reading since.

I love each blog on my list for the unique perspective, sense of humor and writing style that the author brings to his/her blog (or for the useful tips a la money saving mom). I struggle not to read TOO many blogs regularly because I do have to fit other things (like two kids, husband, job, potty-breaks, laundry, etc.) into my day. But everyone on my list is worth the read so check them out if you haven't already!!

Today we took down our tree and decorations with the exception of the outside lights and some lights/garland on our stairway railing. I thought it would bum me out but I am kind of happy to have a little more space and the sense that we can settle into a bit more of a routine around here. Since I stared work just one month ago, it has been a whirlwind. I sort of welcome the opportunity to have a predictable schedule and fewer obligations to fulfill.

Also, I scheduled my one earned vacation day for this coming Friday so my workweek still isn't technically a full one but we have some things to take care of that could not be done over the holiday break- so Friday has been set aside for that purpose. I may share more about that later.

That about does it for now. I know I haven't posted any holiday pictures, talked about resolutions, reflected on 2008 or any of that...but I'm just not there right now.

*Crickets*

Aside from a few recent posts, that is the sound that can be heard in the bloggy world for the past few days. I am desperate for new posts!! Apparently, I am one of the few people with too much free time on my hands.

Where have all the bloggers gone?

Vicarious Living

Mike has been home with the kids ALOT this week. He is a bit tired but has really enjoyed the extra time with the little men. I was bugging him about not doing much to keep the house tidy (because, you know, I get so much done when I'm home-ha!). And he said he was busy with other things. Which means he has been hanging around online.

A few times this week, he has talked about something blog-related. Well, it turns out he has been reading my blog and yours too! I think he is seriously considering a blog of his own- though he won't say it out loud. Maybe I will let him guest-post, just so he can give it a try.

He has been doing all of this editing to his Facebook page- in a vain attempt to satisfy his true desire to become a blogger. We'll see if he caves in.

We had a nice evening tonight. Dropped some cash at Target- what,s with that store? You go in for a few things and come out with all kinds of stuff. Cool stuff, no doubt but not what you intended to buy. We had to get lunch bags for Michael and Liam. I also picked up some other things that will get me into the groove of packing lunches for them. We stealthily bought both boys a small Thomas the Train set as a Christmas gift. They are both big into Thomas right now. So I just got them both the same thing because I seriously don't feel like listening to the fighting- which will happen anyway but then at least I can return both fighters to their corners with their own stuff. We ate out at a place called Red Robin which is really kid-friendly and I always like their food. It was a nice ending to the week.

Tomorrow, I get to wake up at the butt-crack of dawn and get everyone in the car for BREAKFAST WITH SANTA...yeah! Geez, I should be in bed right now.

Is it weird?

1. That there is only one month until Christmas?

2. That today, of all days, I had a super-long work day and so we did not leave for Connecticut?
(Leaving tomorrow at the butt-crack of dawn)

3. That I think of you as my friends and that I refer to you as though I have met you and spent hours and hours getting to know you?

4. That I get such a sense of support from people I have never actually met in person?

5. That while I expected blogging to be fun, I never expected to gain such a sense of community?

There are many, many things I am thankful for and I will save most of that for a different post.

But right here, right now: I am THANKFUL that I started blogging....that I have "met" so many wonderful moms...that there are so many, many good people in this world!

Safe travels to you and all of your families who may be traveling over the next few days!

The Point

In case you haven't picked up on it, I am a "glass half empty" kind of girl. I sweat the small stuff, focus on the worst possible outcome and worry about things before it's even necessary.

Focusing on the upside, the bright side, the positive, etc. does not come naturally to me--UNLESS it's someone else's dilemma...then I can coach you through it like nobody's business. Empathize till the cows come home. Blow sunshine up your arse all day- real sunshine, not just a stock cliche! You will feel SO much better by the time I am done with you...Why is it so hard for me to apply that to my own life? I just don't know...

This lack of optimism about my own life circumstances (which are pretty darn good) is the main reason why I started to include good thoughts somewhere within each post- no matter how depressing the rest of the post is. It is a reminder to myself that I have an abundance of good in my life and that I need to invest some time in appreciating that stuff...instead of wasting precious time in a pit of despair. My family alone is cause for daily celebration and I want to embrace that a little more often.

This sort of "cognitive therapy" is not something I have ever put much stock in- despite my profession. But I gotta tell you, slowly but surely, it is working some magic on me. I am still going to worry, overreact and feel stressed--Rome wasn't built in a day. But already, those feelings have been dialed down to a more manageable level. And I notice the difference in how I feel...a weight is being lifted off of my shoulders.

Obviously, the daycare/working full-time issue is a big one--and no amount of positive thinking is going to completely eliminate my worry over it. But that's something I consider to be 'normal'... not the senseless, indulgent worrying I am so prone to.

So in case you were wondering, The Point of the positive section in my posts is to make sure that I am taking time to love my life for what it is: the good and the not-so-good. I hope it continues to work for me. I hope you might give it a try if you are feeling the need for a little lift!

Include it in your comment if you want, something good from your day!
There can never be enough goodness (in my humble opinion).

Positive: Starting this blog has opened up a new way for me to think :)

The Bloggy Connections

I am constantly amazed by how small the world can seem...

Some of you probably already know this BUT I just found out that fellow blogger Kate (whose blog I recently read for the first time) is a relation of Giselle (whose blog I have been reading for about 2 months) AND that same Kate is the local children's librarian for Emily (whose blog I have been reading for several months).

Am I the only one who doesn't know everyone in real life?? Am I not in the clique??

So far, my only real-life blog connection is Kristi over at FloridaInk
We went to college together and she is the one who first introduced me to blogging.

It IS a small world afterall...

TMI?

Okay, so I think my last post might have been TMI regarding the PMS stuff? Sorry about that! Maybe I sounded like I was about to go off the deep end?

Since that last post, I have been reflecting on the whole thing and had a bit of an "A-ha" moment--which will sound more like a "Duh" moment but here goes...

We have had some additional stressors going on for a while now, more intense in the past 3-4 months. I think that what I have been attributing to PMS may be more related to stress. I have always experienced what I would call normal-range PMS but I think it has been amplified by stress. It's amazing that I work in mental health and this thought is just now clicking...it's always hardest to see those types of things in yourself I guess.

At any rate, since I have started to account for the stress factor, I actually feel like a weight has been lifted- I feel like I understand what is going on with me. I am still going to keep an eye on the situation, talk to my doc who I am due to see in a month or so anyway and go from there.

I am STILL interested in any natural type remedies but I do feel much better having gained a little insight--this is one reason why blogging is so helpful- you see it in black and white (or the colors of your blog) and it helps your thought process.

NaBloPoMo

Post every DAY for a month (November)? I just learned about this thanks to a friendly reminder at the end of Emily's last post.

I am not worried about finding time to post each day BUT-- I am going to get NOTHING else done because I will be busy reading everyone's blog each and every day!

Anyway, there will be more to report tomorrow AFTER my interview.

Blog-i-quette?

I received some VERY nice comments from Erin and Emily on my last two posts. Thank you ladies- your words are comforting and supportive and I SO appreciate you taking the time to put my mind at ease. I just said to Mike, these people have never even met me and yet they take time out of their busy lives to reassure me...there really are some amazing people in this world.

This brings me to a question...if someone comments on your blog and you would like to respond in some way (to answer a question, to comment further, to thank them for their sweetness, etc.) what is the appropriate method? When it is someone who you don't email, should you:
a) Write a new post about it
b) Comment further under the same post on your own blog
c) Comment on the next post you read on their blog
OR
d) It depends on the topic/situation and any of those options is appropriate

Here are the problems I see with each option:
a) Sometimes your followup comment is brief and does it really warrant a new post?
b)What if they never go back and read other comments on your now old post?
c)What if you annoy/confuse their readers with your out of context comment?

d)Am I a lunatic who has given this far too much thought?

Well, Michael and Liam are sleeping and haven't reported any ghost sitings in over 12 hours so what else can I stress about tonight? LOL!

Found another one!

I am definitely a blog junkie...I may need rehab. I just added "Moments of Sanity" to my fave list. I've been reading for a couple of days and I am hooked! Very humorous, cool perspective. Found this one courtesy of a comment made over on MO Mommy's blog. Thanks Erin and Giselle :)

The main reason I love this blog is because I secretly would love to have a 3rd child sooner rather than later and this blog gives me a realistic look at what that life would be like. It let's me know that -in more ways than one- we are not ready yet. But it also makes me think, I definitely hope to be blessed with #3 before too, too long. In the meantime, I can live vicariously... maybe some day I will again go to bed at a decent hour...

The links are endless...

So I am starting to make connections with other moms that blog and it's really cool to be able to learn from the experiences of others. Don't get me wrong, I am not a hermit- I do have friends who are also parents and I definitely seek out their advice. But it's pretty cool to hear from someone that you really don't know and it's even cooler to have this extra source of support from someone who isn't actually obligated to give you that support- they just do. I have already gained so much practical advice just from reading how other families do their thing!

For the few who have commented here and might be thinking, how did she find MY blog? I will fill you in. It reminds of, what's that phenomenon called? "6 degrees of Kevin Bacon"? It's interesting to see who is connected via this world of blogging. I will use blognames to identify each person. Here is the progression:

A friend of mine from college is a new mom "Florida Ink" and we recently reconnected. She told me about her blog so I started reading.

There is a link on her blog to Midwest Mom so again I started reading... adorable children and I like her perspective and was especially interested to hear what it is like to have a preemie. I made some anonymous comments there before I started a blog of my own.

Various people comment on that blog and Live with David and Katy was one of them so I checked that out. Incidentally, Liam is a chunky baby so David immediately caught my attention because his build reminds me of Liam (so cute!). Katy is a cutie too- I don't want to leave her out!

She has a link to MO Mommy so I linked and once again found myself hooked. 2 beautiful boys, close in age, I see various similarities between our lives.

And from there, some others have cropped up and I check in with them sporadically (including but not limited to: Swistle, Mommy Daisy, Money Saving Mom, So The Fish Said, The Jason Show, Busy Bee)... but those four listed above are the blogs I read religiously. It's like my way to unwind from the day. One night, I spent WAY too much time just linking and linking and linking. I had to put a limit on that for myself- there are just too many blogs out there to keep up with on a regular basis. I mean, I do have to sleep at some point, right?

I just wanted to say thank you for sharing your stories so openly and for the advice you have offered. And a special thanks to Kristi for introducing me to this blog craze.

My wish for you tonight is that your children (and you) are safe, sound and sleeping.

I'm a little bit intimidated...

As soon as I started this blog, I started reading more blogs online- just to see what others write about, etc. You know, I would start out on one blog that I am already familiar with, and then link to others from that blog if something caught my interest. There are some VERY good writers out there. So this is only my second post because I find myself thinking things like:
I'm not a very good writer; I am not that witty/creative/etc.
I don't have anything interesting to write about
No one is going to care about my family's daily ups and downs

And so thanks to my mini-anxiety attack, the thing that was supposed to be a nice little outlet for me and possibly a way to connect with others has become totally intimidating. Ugh!

Then I figured, since I already feel inferior and not "blog worthy", I am just going to post anyway and focus on doing this for me and for the sake of remembering and cherishing the little events of everyday life in our family.

That being said, we had my great-nephew (that's right, I am 34 and have a great-nephew) stay with us overnight on Saturday. My niece and her husband are preparing to move within the next week (unexpectedly) so we offered to watch Ben to give them some uninterrupted packing time. Ben is a great little guy. Ben and Michael are less than 3 months apart and they get along well. Liam managed to hold his own too. This is the second time we had Ben overnight and once again it showed me the very, very critical difference between having 2 children and having 3 children. On a day-to-day basis, I have found ways to get things done, keep the house somewhat together, work part-time and still have a few minutes to myself each day. Mike and I often talk about having a 3rd child but after this past weekend, I think that it might send me over the edge! I suppose it is all in what you are accustomed to but I was COMPLETELY exhausted by the time Ben left on Sunday afternoon. And I had help from my husband and my parents! And Ben is a good kid! How the heck would I manage 3 little ones all the time?

At this point, our strained financial situation is stopping us from even attempting to expand our family but if money wasn't an issue, could we handle it? More specifically, could I handle it? Of course, when you have your own, you go through each phase and the baby doesn't come out a walking/running/chattering 22 month old. But when I think of the crazy newborn schedule, it still seems like it would be a huge adjustment. I know many, many people have larger families but I still wonder if I could handle it. In my heart, I feel like we are meant to have at least one more child but the more practical considerations are holding us back. If we can get our finances on track, then we may take that plunge again!

This is a long post but I am making up for lost time. One idea I recently read was to answer the following "One year ago...one year from now...". Here is my version:

One year ago we were figuring out life with an almost 14 month old and an almost 2 month old. We took our first family vacation with my parents to Ocean City, Maryland. I was trying to figure out what to do about a job. It was hectic and stressful but Michael and Liam made it worth every minute!!

One year from now, I hope that Michael and Liam are as happy as they are today. I hope that Mike's career path becomes clear and that he finds success. I hope that we ready to add to our family (despite my worries!). I hope that our finances are in a better place.

On that note, good night!

There's a first time for everything

Okay, I have finally broken down and started a blog. My husband (Mike) knew I would get sucked in since I have become an avid reader of several "mommy blogs" (see list on left). I don't even know if anyone will read this other than me and possibly family/friends. I am thinking that if nothing else, this will be a good way to keep track of memorable moments for Michael, Liam and our family in general. It's really hard to find time to journal on a regular basis so this could be a good alternative!

This first post is a bit bland but I am just getting my feet wet...