May 12

I've moved. Please visit me at my new place! trees all dance

May 8

Mom with me and little bro.

May 2

We are so busy during the week that I like to spend my weekends doing almost nothing. That's not entirely accurate as there are generally one or two activities that we have to do, but you get the idea. Saturday morning was somewhat hectic. Even though I got up hours before we had to leave, I still found myself on the verge of being late. When we arrived, quite a few streets were blocked off. I realized that there was an event going on and I wouldn't be able to park in my normal place. I am not very familiar with the nabe I was in, so now I was late and lost. After getting yelled at by a cop for almost going the wrong way down a one way street, I was on the verge of a mini meltdown. Eventually I figured it out and got everyone where they needed to be. While waiting for the kiddos to finish class, I heard music and stepped outside to see a parade going on. What a pleasant surprise. Watching the bands and floats go by felt like a reward after the experience I'd had not long before.

7 Cities Crafters window for Art Everywhere

April 25

Right now I am...

• craving a red velvet cupcake like the one I had for my birthday on Tuesday.
• remembering how it felt to sit on the beach when the weather was perfect.
• planning a trip to Trader Joe's for more flowers.
• hoping rain is in the forecast so I can wear my new boots.

We had a great break.

April 10

Yesterday at Chippokes State Park

January 5

This year, I've made some resolutions I can actually keep. I'm no longer a vegetarian. I'm now a bacontarian. I didn't even know there was a really a definition for what I was until I just googled it! Heh. I quit Weight Watchers. It was going quite well, but I don't have the time at present to count calories consistently. And I'm going to start drinking a glass of wine every once in a while. I've also pledged to speak before I think this year. So, basically, I'm going to become a fat(ter) loud mouthed drunk person. Super!

December 20

On break for the holidays. Season's greetings!

December 13

Many are celebrating the feast day of Saint Lucia today. It's significant to me for another reason. Though I was born in the states, my mother is St. Lucian and I lived there till I was 6. I spent the rest of my childhood and teenage years visiting my family there whenever possible. Today is St. Lucia's National Day. Today, we will light candles and bake bread among other things. Wren really loves this story about Lucia's generosity and we have already read it twice today. I think I will surprise the kids with some Lucian food for dinner.

November 17

I've been waiting for us to have a "normal" week so that I could write about it. Newsflash: There is no normal. In an effort to make myself feel like we are doing things The Right Way, I forgot that we are also living our lives. We might do a little school on Sunday so we can spend the day with L on Monday. Or we take a long break in the middle of the day to grocery shop and go to the library. So what? I'll just call those a half day and math & language arts field trip. Heh. If the kids are doing well and we are all happy, that's all that should matter, right? In theory, but remember, I'm still sort of hung up on doing things The Right Way. I am constantly worried that my kids will not do well during end of the year testing causing a downward spiral of homeschool probation (yes, such a thing exists in my state) and CPS investigations. That's the way my paranoid little mind works. And I wish more homeschoolers would talk about that. The fear that first timers or even long time homeschoolers may have about screwing it up. BUT, I see things. Little things. The way Robin breezed through three pages of word problems and explained them to me with ease. He's never done that before. The discovery during spelling that he loves crossword puzzles. The realization that he is a better student when he works first (before his sibs are up) and alone. The things I never knew when he was in public school. The things that let me know that, hey, this may be working...we made the right choice.

September 7

Today is the first day of school. Nine months ago, I felt sure that school would take place at our dining room table come fall. However, due to the moderate postpartum depression I experienced after Lark's birth, L and I decided that for now, public school is the best place for them. There is almost nothing more important to us than their education.The mental health of their mother is paramount to them getting the best education. So, while I feel somewhat sad that things haven't turned out exactly the way I planned, I'm glad my children are learning in an environment that works for all of us.

September 3

This morning I woke up to the beautiful rain and we decided we would take the kids to breakfast. I fell and twisted my ankle while holding Lark. She's fine, thankfully. After eating, we decided to run some errands, but our car decided to be troublesome instead! So, my weekend has been rearranged. It's not so bad though. I'm going to spend a lot of time on the couch vegging out, something I rarely do. I keep telling myself things could be a lot worse than having my family to wait on me hand and foot while I order in dinner. Right?

September 2

Hurricane Earl is headed our way and though we probably won't be hit directly, we are expecting a lot of rain since we are on the coast. The kids are always thrilled but terrified whenever storms head our way. I remember being quite afraid of storms as a small child. I spent the early part of my childhood on an island and my older relatives would tell teasing stories about houses swapping roofs during hurricanes and such. I sneaked an episode or two of the twilight zone late at night too and somehow combined those two fears. I'm better now. I love even the most intense rain and generally enjoy weather most people consider gloomy. I find it the perfect time to stay inside and cuddle up with a good book and some knitting. I plan on doing that tonight.

August 31

To me, the new year really begins in September. There's back to school, the changing seasons, the lead up to the holidays... Everything feels fresh and new, from the smell of freshly sharpened pencils to the crunch of leaves underfoot. With those things in mind, and since my kids are headed back to school next week (yay!), I'm setting some New Year's resolutions:

1.  I will get out of my computer chair and into the gym. I ripped out an article from Family Circle magazine (recently got a subscription dirt cheap and actually love the recipes) about 6 weeks to a 5k and I'm starting on the first day of school!
2. I'll learn to use my camera on manual. I've been saying this for over a year now, and I've finally reached the point where I need to be able to focus manually. 
3. I'll invest in quality clothing. I have to stop going on crazy $5 t-shirt binges and buy some grown up clothes.
4. I'll make more of an effort to make friends before complaining that I don't have any. I'm just coming out of a 6ish month long PPD fog and am new to being a sahm in my area and I am so lonely!
5. I'm going to make time to volunteer. I used to coach my kids' sports teams with L and even though I don't love sports, I actually did enjoy running around the various fields after 4-8 year olds. While I don't know if I'll be able to coach, there has to be something else I would like.

That list doesn't seem so bad, does it? I'm going to make a note on my google calendar for a month from now to give myself a resolution checkup!

June 1

Trying to find my voice again.