Yesterday's Happiness

sunshine.
running.
laughing.
searching for saber tooth tigers.
best friends.
big hills (even if they're called "suicide hill").

The 2011 Bandwagon

What are your hopes for 2011? Here are mine:

1. Work less. Spend more time with my family. Working from home doesn't equate to being able to spend more time with the ones you love. It also means maximizing work time so that it's all done in the most timely fashion. So, less navel-gazing while working & more working = more time with the dudes. Simple enough, right?
2. More time reading & writing. I figure the more I read, the better writer I become. I want to write less "OMG"s and "LOL"s and more things that are meaningful. Once again, simple enough...
3. Cook more meals at home.
   
4. Buy from the farmer's market as much as possible.
5. Go on walks. We live 1 block from a sweet walking trail. It's so easy...
   
6. More time with real folks, less time engaged in cyber-space. I want "My Two Sons" to flourish this year, but I need to spend less time on Facebook. Don't we all? Time suck. Now that we're closer to family & friends, this shouldn't be hard to do. I may need some accountability. I deleted my Twitter last year, but I want to keep Facebook. Perhaps check it once a day? When I post my link to my new blog post?
7. Be a great wife & mom. My patience and kindness took a major hit in 2010. I don't like it. I want to be different. I also think this is related to #6.
   

Tell me what your wishing for this year...

Random Thoughts on a Saturday...

(aka: i haven't posted in a really long time and i really don't know where to even start).

So, my kids are now 2 & 4. I thought 2 & 4 would start out differently. For a while, it was kind of...chaotic. Somehow it's getting un-chaotic. The boys are getting along WELL a majority of the time. There is calm some of the time. Everyone sleeps at night. No one is coughing or throwing up. It is a good time.

Today we sat and did "cravs" for a long time. We hit Hobby Lobby and got some new supplies. We got scissors for Lennon. We got everyone their own gluestick. Ok, I was even on top of things enough that I bought the Easter eggs and baskets and stuff to decorate them for a school party that isn't for three whole weeks. I am mad on top of things. My breathing is easy. My demeanor is calm. I like it in this place.

I want to sit and stay for a while...

I'm planning to start writing here again, because I like it. And I miss it.

I'm also going to start writing over at Disco Fries and Pop. I'm headed over there in a minute to write about the Mod Podge I created today with a People's "Year's Greatest" from 1979. The parallels from that year and today are stunning. Really.

I just posted some new pics of my big boys. Take a peek.

For Anissa

This past week, a fellow blogger and friend to many, Anissa Mayhew, had a major stroke and is currently in the hospital. Anissa is a young wife & mother of three. If you’ve been following #prayersforanissa this week on Twitter, you’ve also noticed that she’s touched many lives far and wide. She is a presence in life and in the blogosphere to be reckoned with, and I’ve seen why as I’ve followed her husband and friends through this trial.

Although I’m not close friends with Anissa, we’ve exchanged tweets and I’ve always found her to be a nice and very funny lady. Little did I know that she is way more than a nice gal. Anissa, I can tell, is the kind of friend that makes you feel like the most important person in the world. She’ll help you to believe you can do anything. She will make you feel stronger when you are at your weakest. I believe the reason Anissa has this way about her is because she’s a survivor. She’s a talented, smart, wickedly funny person that has overcome a previous stroke and her daughter’s fight with cancer.

If you’d like to follow Anissa’s story, please visit hope4peyton.org, follow @aiminglow on Twitter, and follow @anissamayhew as well-she WILL be back, folks. If you’d like to help her family, please go here and find out how you can help. Please keep Anissa and her family in your thoughts as they take this day by day, minute by minute.

Starting on Monday, December 7, a group of bloggers will be working together to promote an event entitled, Blog 4 Good. By hosting a series of auctions, our hope is to raise money on behalf of bloggers who need our support. All proceeds raised during the three day auction will benefit the Liz Logelin Foundation <http://thelizlogelinfoundation.org/>, a non-profit organization working to help families who have lost a spouse, life-partner, or parent, as well as Anissa Mayhew <http://www.hope4peyton.org/>, a 35 year old blogger who recently suffered a stroke.

I’m pleased to tell you that The Space Monkey Shop will be auctioning an archival paper print, and every penny earned will go toward these wonderful causes.

The cool ladies hosting this event are:

Jill from Scary Mommy <http://www.scarymommy.com/>
Kacey and Francesca from Mayhem and Moxie <http://mayhemandmoxie.com/>
Mama Kat from Mama’s Losin It <http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/>
Angie from 7 Clown Circus <http://angiescircus.blogspot.com/>
Jen from Buried with Children <http://www.buriedwithchildren.com/>
Heather from The Extraordinary
Ordinary<http://theextraordinaryordinary.blogspot.com/>

We’ll post more as we have more information on what is sure to be awesome & give hope to many.

Thank you, friends!

Crossposted at MumsTheWurd

The Milestones that Matter

I've been stewing over what I'm going to post for my 10,oooth tweet. As I was showering tonight (don't you always have the best "a-ha!" moments there?), I realized that I was overdramatizing this "milestone" just a bit.

I've spent the better part of 10 years with this man. In 10 years with him, I have come 10,000 miles. Before we met, I was lost. I did not know who I was, or who I wanted to be. He has been my best friend, my biggest cheerleader, my soulmate...the father of my two most precious accomplishments.

For almost two years, I have been his mom.

Four 1/2 years ago, the realization of him made us a family.

For almost 2 years, I have witnessed this brotherhood and friendship blossom and grow. It's buds are still small, but they will one day be a beautiful, even if imperfect, flower.

As much as I love Twitter & the online community, there's nothing that compares to the milestones I've accomplished in this tangible, beautiful life.

Making the Best of an Unfortunate Situation

Sometimes I get wrangled into things I shouldn't...and I always regret it later. Without going into detail, I was involved in a review blog that went sour. What do you do when you've got sour milk? Can you make something with it? I don't know...Can you use it as buttermilk? Well, from this sour milk, I got Anna-my buttermilk. Anna is a fellow mum, and a terrific friend. She would bend over backwards and do cartwheels, flips, and an entire gymnastic routine for you, if you asked her too. She is one of the most giving and loving people that I know.
There are times when I am sure that Anna and I were separated at birth. We both love music, hanging with our families, LOST, cooking, and share a similar sense of humor. She is the real deal. She is awesomesauce.
I've not had the pleasure of meeting Anna and her super-duper family yet, but I see it in our future. Elliott loves all things American history, and the Holler's happen to live in Philadelphia, just a few blocks from the Liberty Bell! The Holler's have also been considering a move to Hawaii, and well, duh, when we have the money to do some traveling, we'll be there with bells on. Bells, whistles, kazoos, and harmonicas-we'll be throwing a parade all the way to the Holler doorstep, where ever that might be.

The Good List

Being a "mom-blogger" is certainly a mixed bag. There are good impressions, and not-so-good impressions left on the rest of the world, blogging or otherwise. Just like any community, there are people you hang with, and people you make sure you give a wide berth. I thought I'd fill you in on some of the neato kids that I meet on the smoking patio (even though I don't think any of us actually smoke...)

This list must start with all of my super-awesome Mums pals, Naomi (@superdumb), Anna (@annaholler), and Amy (@amysphere)(now of ParentSphere), and Lisa (who doesn't work with us anymore, and doesn't blog much, but is still a total stud).

I also love these fine people. When I read their words, I get something from it. None of them are rude or looking for a fight. They are just moms who write & do it well. They are kind, funny, sweet & cool, and I think you should love them all too: The Charlie, Stephanie, Beth, Sarah, Erin, Erin (apparently people named Erin are groovy), Meagan Francis, Diane (who will be a mama one day), Ashlee (who also doesn't blog much, but is "the awesome"), and Erika.

I am sure that I am missing people, but I'm trying to do this in a hurry, because Elliott wants to watch "Moving Target"...uh, help me. :) If I have forgotten you, please call me a jerk & tell me, please!

I hope you'll find these folks as pleasant, readable, and lovable as I do.

Homeschooling: What's the Big Deal?

There are a lot of mixed responses when I tell someone that we plan to home-school our kids. Since both of my kids stay home with Elliott, they are already home-schooled, in an unstructured fashion. We have not decided with 100% certainty that we will take this path, but I’d say we’re 99.99% sure. That being said, I’m not opposed to looking into other avenues, and I, personally, don’t care where you send or plan to send your kids to school. As long as your children feel happy and safe, do what feels right for you.

Both of my kids, while I am quite sure they will be talented in many areas, already seem to show more interest in the arts. We all know that most public schools are sorely lacking in these areas. I also know there are many charter, private, and magnet schools that focus on the arts, and I’m not opposed at all to looking into them, especially as our kids get older and might need more specialized attention in certain areas. But, what I am really curious about is why there is such a guttural reaction when you mention casually, “We are planning to home-school.”

I’ll admit, there was a time when I was not 100% on board, but after lots of talks with my husband, and some input from some good friends, I realized quickly that there are many ways to receive a great education, even if it’s not “traditional”. I went to private school all of my life, and I had mixed experiences. I had great friends, and I received a top-notch education. I would not trade it today. However, life at Catholic, all-girls school came with it’s downside-cattiness & cliques aside, school just didn’t hold a lot of interest for me, especially in areas that I didn’t like or appreciate. Sitting through any math and science class was equal to water-boarding in my 14 year-old mind. ”What’s the point? I’ll never use this!” was a conversation I had many times with my parents, particularly if I brought home an average grade.

I’ve always prided myself on being “unique”, which doesn’t always gel well with other school aged kids. In retrospect, I’m sure I was always considered a weirdo. I did have a great group of friends, but I always felt out of place & awkward, which led me down some self-destructive paths, so that I could feel more confident and self-assured…and I probably came off looking like an even bigger bozo. I know that kids will be kids, in any setting, but I don’t want my kids to ever feel that they have to hide their uniqueness to try and fit in with a group because someone, somewhere decided that kids that turn this age on this date belong with kids that have similar birthdays. I also want them to be able to explore and grow in the areas that they will excel in for the rest of their lives. I want them to have a real chance to succeed in those areas. I believe that through homeschooling and co-ops through homeschooling, this will be better accomplished than if they were in traditional school. As I said, this may be a temporary solution to our situation, and it may not. We would love to, as a family, travel & see the United States and North America. Homeschooling would allow us to do this whenever we choose.

Noel turns 5 in 1 1/2 years, so we have lots of time to research and decide what exactly it is we’re going to do, as far as school is concerned. There are a lot of options, even in the homeschooling world. Thankfully, there are so many resources, groups, books, friends, and parents out there that can help us discover the answers. Our friends at The ZRecs Network just began homeschooling their daughter, and it’s really excited me for our future. Jenni is a walking encyclopedia of information in many arenas, but homeschooling is certainly one of her specialties. Zella will be a great role model as we start our home-school journey.

A couple of years ago, Elliott asked Jenni how she became interested in homeschooling Z, and her answers really struck a cord with me. I’m sharing them with you, just to give you food for thought.

My desire [to home-school] has only grown greater since Zella has been born. She’s a very bright kid but she resists being “taught” things. She likes to discover things on her own and the moment she suspects that you want her to “perform” (she can do x thing but refuses to do so on cue) she shuts down. She can be very engaged in a particular activity and be reluctant to leave it for another one just because - homeschooling is better for that because there isn’t a requirement to get in math, science, social studies, etc, each day - so she can be as involved and go into as much depth as she wants to in any particular subject and will cycle to other things eventually. It just seems that with homeschooling you can follow more natural rhythms of learning that you can’t in school.

Other reasons:

• none of us (including Zella) like to get up very early in the morning
• no wasted time doing “busy-work”
• no wasted time checking roll, finding seats, changing classes, with disruptive students
• learning at her pace instead of faster or slower than other kids (allows for advanced learning in certain areas and/or slower learning in other areas - not an “all gifted classes” or “all normal classes” approach)
• more time with her
• can travel (day trips or longer trips) without having to get “approval” from the school
• more time outdoors
• more time for physical activity or rest as needs change
• more time for art, music, crafts, gardening, and animals
• no selling crap for the school district
• no grades (we try to have learning and/or behavior be because of internal motivation rather than external rewards )see Alfie Kohn)
• less peer pressure

As I already said, I have no qualms with how anyone chooses to educate their children. All I ask, is that the idea of homeschooling quit being met with such disdain and negativity. There are many reasons why some families choose to home-school. More than likely, their children will turn out just fine, just as educated, and just as well rounded as the rest of them…and possibly even more-so…

The Lost Art of Friendship

It used to be that in order to make a friend, you actually had to meet someone face-to-face. Those early meetings probably happened in the school yard, or you got set up with your mom's friend's kid (the way I met my oldest & bestest friend). At the very least, if you wanted to meet someone you'd actually never seen, you had to write Archie Comics and ask for a pen pal. When I was in high school, we had one computer hooked up to the outside world, where, if you used some code or something, you could find other people to talk to through the computer. I tried it a couple of times and didn't really see the appeal. In college, although I had some sort of email account, I had to go through linux or some crazy thing to actually send and receive emails. It was in a DOS program. I had a friend in college that had her very own modem, and would sit in her dorm room for days, chain-smoke, and chat with people. I thought to myself, "Why on Earth are you holed up in this cement room talking to people you don't know when you are at a campus with 20,000 students?" The whole thing seemed insane.
A few years ago, I had a desk job that required about 10 minutes of actual work during the day. I had opened a Yahoo Messenger account so I could talk to my friend, Molly, who was also bored out of her mind at work. One day, she announced that she had started a blog. What? I thought only people who fancied themselves political wrote on such things. Soon, my friend Lisa started her own blog too, and introduced me to some of her friends that were writing on their own blogs. "Wow, they'll give a blog to just about anybody!" I thought. Reading the blog of my friend and her friends, I suddenly realized that should start a blog of my own. I say funny things, so surely, I could write funny things. Soon, I had my own little "blog group", mainly comprised of Lisa's friends and their friends and relatives. All these years, I had laughed at the dorks that met people online...and now...I was meeting friends online.
I started my first blog in 2004, when Facebook was still only for college kids, and Twitter didn't exist. Your group of blog friends was limited...and the best way of finding new blogs was to hit the "Next Blog" button on Blogger. After several years of blogging, my "blog group" blew up. There were still the old standbys that I'd been with from the beginning, but now the list of blogs that I visited on a daily basis had grown by leaps and bounds. So many blogs, so many chats, so little time...and then, on the other side of this screen lies real life. I got married, I bought a house, I had a baby, I got a new job, I had another baby...We are human, and can only spread ourselves so thin.
First and foremost, I want to always "be here now". I want to be in the present for my real life, my family, my heart. I want to be there for my "real life" friends. Those that have known me for almost my entire life. My oldest friend and I have been besties since we were 3 years old. My 2nd oldest friend, I met when we were 8. These relationships were, and continue to be some of the most important in my life. These "real-lifers" have seen me at my best, and at my worst. They have seen me laugh, act like an idiot, ugly cry, act silly, treat people horribly, and pick them up when they have been down. We have actually held each other up, and been there in the best of times, and the worst. In other words, they know exactly who I am, and regardless of the chinks in my armor, they continue to love me.
When we make friends over the internet, regardless of how those people come to be our friend, they see mainly our best side. From behind this screen, we can choose to be whomever we want. We see people who are almost always putting their best foot forward. Until we actually start to dig deeper, we really hardly know each other at all. Some people choose to write about the trials and hardships on their blogs, along with the funny story of their kid barfing on the lady in front of them at the check out line. These honest, real posts are hard, because we know that with them, we risk judgement or scorn, and God-forbid, not everyone might agree with your choices, or not every single person that reads your words will like you!!! AHH! We tend to forget that in real life, we aren't friends with every single person we encounter. We don't agree with everyone, all the time...in fact, sometimes, we are real-life friends, and then we grow apart, or that friendship becomes less necessary and important. And you know what? That's ok. We don't have to be "BFF" with every single solitary person on this planet.
With the advent of Facebook & Twitter, friendship has been reduced to a mere click of your mouse. As my friend Dan put it, some of the most important relationships of our lives have become a verb: I'll "friend" you tomorrow (Dan, by the way, is an internet success story friendship of mine). We "friend" people we barely know, hardly remember from our past, or really don't know at all. An algorithm thinks that we may, in some way, know a particular person. In some cases, these friendship suggestions connect us with a childhood sweetheart, or an old friend we haven't seen since 6th grade. In other cases, it brings together people that have never met, and creates some of the most important relationships that you will ever have. There are good aspects, certainly, but it also makes it very easy to put a lot of faith into one click. I have made great friends though the internet, best friends, even...and I have made friends with people who I'd later deem "cyberpsychos". I'm eternally grateful, in many ways, for the internet, to have the opportunity to meet amazing people, and become close friends with people that I would have otherwise never met. I am also careful to not put too much of my heart & soul into these friendships, until I have really had the opportunity to get to know the real person behind the blog, the Facebook account, or the Twitter @. While I want to befriend and get to know lots of people, I only have so much time to invest in these outlets, and I want to continue to make the most of them.

I WAS NOT AT BLOGHER! and I got Way More Than a Lousy T-Shirt

I think I am the only person alive that wasn't at BlogHer...at least from what I saw on Twitter. My parents were visiting, and we celebrated my 33rd birthday. My parents graciously stayed with the boys while we went out with friends. We stayed out until MIDNIGHT *gasp*! From what I've read, I think I had a way, way, way, WAY better time spending 3 days off with my whole family, and not in Chicago. Although I would have LOVED to go to Chicago to visit many wonderful friends, I feel like I didn't miss much as far as the conference. I've never been to a BlogHer, and I doubt I will ever go, truthfully. I just don't feel like it's my cup of tea. I'd much rather just plan a family trip to visit real life friends and blogging friends. I swear, I'm really fun...but I'm not the kind of person that's going to plan my outfits on my blog. I'll be the person in the Old Navy clothes (cute "little black dress" there for $15, and get the second 1/2 off, by the way...), with my hair up. I may or may not have on any makeup -*even lipstick*. My legs probably won't be shaved, but my pits will. I will encourage everyone to get dessert & use butter. I will act silly & make jokes that might or might not be 100% appropriate. If it's inappropriate, that means I am comfortable with you and we'll probably be friends for life. Don't take me too seriously, because I don't take myself seriously. My motto is "Just be cool, man. Be cool." We're all just trying to get one foot in front of the other, and try to succeed at life. There's a real life going on behind this computer screen, ya know? Let's try to remember that...Be nice. Be cool. It does not matter to me if you're sponsored a brand, or if you've received a major award for being a blogger. I like YOU for YOU.

Does that make sense?

Enough of the serious stuff. Here's what good times we had at my Trader Vic's Birthday Party!

An interesting tidbit about Trader Vic's: When the restaurant closed it's doors in Dallas, they kept EVERYTHING as it was, and when they reopened, they left it just the same. It's FREAKING AWESOME. We sat in the Elvis booth, where he sat when he visited. RAD.

Elliott and one of our Space Monkey comrades, Charlie.
Normally, Sarah is watching the boys while Elliott and I go out. After 3 1/2 years, we finally get to have a childless night out with Sarah again!
A drink with rock candy. Loco.
Good times!

Tomorrow, I'll post a few of the whole fam and our weekend.

Oh, the Heat.

Yesterday, on a 104 degree day, our air conditioner decided it wanted to die.

I can't really blame the air conditioner. It has been a trusty sidekick since we've lived in the house, but it gets cranky in summer, just like me. It doesn't get a break. I can relate to the air conditioner. My husband can too, more-so than I. This summer has been SO HOT and by the end of the day, we are all drained and cranky and tired.

This Friday, we'll be going out without the kids, which is a rarity. We don't trust just anyone with our children. In fact, they've had one babysitter, ever, and she's one of our best friends. I cook her dinner in exchange for her sitting in our house while my kids sleep. Yeah, we don't leave until after they're in bed either. I am sure we'll eventually lighten up about this, but right now that's how we roll, and that's ok.

On Monday, Noel will begin his four week Summer session at Parent's Day Out. If all goes well, Lennon will join him in the Fall (there were no spots for his age in the Summer session). It's 2 days a week, for 5 hours a day.

And we're nervous wrecks about it.

Some might call it being over-protective. I ask those people if there is really such a thing, when you're taking care of two beings that you love more than life itself.

Still, there are times when we, like the mother ****ing, *** ****ed air conditioner, need a break. And that's ok.

For My Friend

I have never met Amy, although she is one of my dearest and closest friends.

Amy was one of my first “blog friends” (I think Charlie was the first). I used to be of the mindset that you couldn’t make good friends over the computer, but I was wrong. I met her at the insistence of her husband, who has a music blog. I commented about what our unborn baby (Noel) had been listening to in-utero, after he’d written a post about their new baby’s favorite songs. He emailed me with her information, and I’m pretty sure by that afternoon, we were on Yahoo IM, chatting about music and babies. We were “insta-friends”. She sent me lists of the baby gear I would need. We would exchange links all day, swooning over companies like Black Wagon, Vincent Shoes, Boon and Zutano. We’d dream about the endless amounts of wonderful things we’d buy for our babies, if only we had a money tree. We talked about music and email each other songs. We talked about our lives, our husbands, our babies, born & unborn.

Amy encouraged me to go to the doctor when my hands and feet started itching uncontrollably toward the end of my pregnancy (and it turned out I had HELLP syndrome). She was there for me when my baby was born 4 ½ weeks premature. She & Eric had been in my shoes with Hailey, who was also premature. Hailey had looked like a turtle when she was born, and Noel looked like a frog. We decided that they would one day get married. Our bond was strong, particularly after having similar pregnancies and births. Once Noel was born, we grew even closer. Our first children were only 4 months apart. We’d become friends when Hailey was just a few weeks old, and I was still pregnant. She was my first “mom friend”. I remember Hailey’s first word (Oliver) and when she learned to walk. I am sure that Amy remembers all of Noel’s milestones too.

When I got pregnant with Lennon, Amy and Eric were trying for another baby too. They waited, and waited…and waited. And yesterday, Teagan was born. Having known for years how much her family has longed for her, I am absolutely filled with joy about her birth.

Almost 4 years later, I can’t believe everything that has changed in our lives. The turtle and frog are now 3 ½, and two of the cutest and funniest little kids you’d ever want to meet (they’ve had a few web-cam dates already). It’s unreal that the first few months of our friendship, we would chat one handed while holding our only babies. We’ve shared joys and heartaches - new pregnancies, miscarriages, death, life, and exciting ventures. We’ve had a lot of laughs, and good times. Still, we’ve never physically met. I can’t wait until we do. I can imagine there will be lots of hugs, and tears, and kids screaming and playing and having fun, and lots of music and mayhem.

Welcome, Teagan!

My friend Amy just had a baby. She twittered it.

Tomorrow, I'm going to tell you about how Amy, although I've never met her, was my first mom friend. She is a great lady, and a cool mama, and I'm so happy for her, Eric, and Hailey.

Welcome to the world, Teagan!

Today Was Good, Today Was Fun. Tomorrow Is Another One. -Dr. Seuss

I really hope this video works.

We went to an instore at the best local record store (yes, there is still one). We saw Gustafer Yellowgold's creators, Morgan & Rachel, perform songs from Gustafer Yellowgold's three albums. You guys...this is good music. I love this stuff. Forget all you know about children's music. It does not apply to Gustafer Yellowgold. CHECK THEM OUT NOW!!!!!

Ok, now let me tell you a little about our day. We have had a tough couple of days, with good reason. So, I was a lot nervous about how this day would go. Well, it really couldn't have gone better. Dallas is about a 45 minute drive, which, some of you know is not an easy haul with a 3 & 1 year old, but we took our chances and went. We had the best afternoon. We got to go see the show, which only lasted about an hour (perfect time for our age group) & go out to dinner. We were in Dallas, pretty much sitting or being in a chair for approximately 5 hours, and our children were complete and total angels. It was unbelievable!!!!!!!!!! Our great friends and partners in Space Monkey surprised us by meeting us at Good Records. The whole afternoon was just really a lot better than I thought it would be, and I love it when that happens. Today was great, and I think tomorrow will be even better. Yay, us.

Noel & Lennon at Good Records watching Gustafer Yellowgold.

You saw it here first. Lennon sat for more than 3 seconds!

The benefits of having a crappy old cell phone: kids can play with them at long dinners!
We got to sit under a tin palm tree at Chuy's.
They are holding hands; they are laughing. This is a perfect day.

One more thing about Gustafer Yellowgold reaaaaaal quickly: they are hosting a camp this week in Irving, TX, which sounds abosolutely amazing. At the end of the week, the campers & Gustafer will present a show, which we are attending!!! I'm so psyched to see what this is like. I'll definitely get video and pictures, because this will be one of a kind. Oh, did I mention, we're going to interview them on Tuesday, at 5:15?? Isn't that COOL!?!

Like My New Banner?

My friend, Charlie, has great design sensibilities. She knows my style, because it's very much like her own (see her groovy Christmas Card). She just made my new banner, literally in about 10 minutes. Isn't she awesome??

My Big, Fat Identity Crisis

I'm having one of those times where I feel busy over my head and have too many things I want to do, and it becomes too much and instead of doing even ONE of those things, I instead want to fall asleep on the couch in peace...ahhh...it feels good to get that out.  I feel overwhelmed, and excited, and busy.  I have never thrived on "busy".  I like to hang out in our house and watch TV, or listen to music, or play, or read.  Sometimes, I feel overwhelmed by the computer.  I think it makes me unnecessarily "busy"...but then there's the part of me that likes my computer life.  It involves my husband, we sort of have a little group we "tweet" with...I don't know...it's all very new and foreign to me.  I'm still trying to accept sometimes that I have a life on the computer, that actually keeps me busy, doing work that I one day hope to make a living from.  Life will take place, as I "work" here, with my living room as my background.  Does anyone else have a difficult time accepting this "lifestyle"-of having a life on the computer?  Surely I am not the only one who has this identity crisis.

Savvy Auntie

Are you savvy? Are you an auntie (or a godmother, or a mom who's an auntie, or a friend of an auntie)? You MUST check out Savvy Auntie! Our gal Melanie has created such an amazing website. You just have to check it out for yourself! Savvy Auntie will help you network with other aunties, find fun things to do with your nieces & nephews, and of course, things to buy them!

Give a shout to Melanie and be a Savvy Auntie!

All Together Now

We spent most of yesterday at our friends' home. They live about 40 minutes from us. I am not too inclined to spend more than 15 minutes in the car after commuting an hour or more each way for 3 + years, but for these people, it's totally worth it. We have very few "couple" friends. In fact, I think Joe & Lisa are our only couple friends, and that's just fine with us. They are the perfect friends for us, because they are us. I mean, who is more suited to be our pals, than people who named their twin daughters after characters in a J.D. Salinger novel?

We spent the day playing with babies and eating hamburgers on their patio. Even though it was a zillion degrees out and we had to trot out every baby gadget known to man to bring the kids outside comfortably, it was such a great time. It was amazing to see how they've so easily fallen into the role of parents of twins. They're total naturals. I knew they would be, but twins just seems like such a challenge to me. I can tell that as much as we are alike as couples, we will be alike as parents. I can see many fun play dates and family barbecues in our future.

I love going into a house that is relaxed & comfortable and just feels so much like my own home. They've got hundreds of books & CDs, walls of great movies & TV series, and band stickers on their washer & dryer. We can talk about anything from bands, to movies, to diapers, to baby schedules and it's enjoyable. They treat our kids as if they were their own. They're just dependable as friends, and it makes me glad to know that we'll have them in our lives always.