All of my life I have been looking for something "better". I think everyone does. At first, it was better toys, then competing better at sports, wanting better boyfriends, getting better grades, looking for a better place to live, moving on to a better job, better pay, eating better, better quality of life, better this, better that, and in the last few years looking for better ways to spend my time.
It's funny, thinking back on it. If I review this blog, I began it when I first had my kiddos (stick with me here, it will all tie together in a minute). This blog was an effort to get information to the masses without having to retell stories multiple times since my "mommy brain" often times forgot key details from one telling to the next. I would spend one night per week, after the kids went to bed, updating the blog. It was simple and easy and effective. And then it happened. A friend whom I love dearly (and shall remain nameless but lives in Washington and has a dog who's name rhymes with Kadabby) introduced me to this neat new website called Facebook. At first, I was only on it to get to see her pictures but I soon realized the potential of being able to communicate with multiple friends and family the same way I did on my blog and ALSO have the added bonus of seeing their posts as well. It seemed, at the time, to be a win-win situation. So although I continued to sparingly post to my blog (for those few non-Facebookers), my primary mode of mass communication became Facebook. It just seemed "better" (tied in, see where I was going?).
This worked out better for me for more than a year. And then, well... it just wasn't. I'll admit I enjoyed seeing everyone's happenings and goings-on, but somewhere along the line, I began to realize that for some, it's the new form of keeping up with the Jones'. Think:"I've got 400 friends, how many does ___ have?". And then some people were fishing for information on one another and passing on things they'd read to others without really conversing. So I would periodically go through and weed out the random on-lookers who weren't really into being friends so much as being spies or shadows. I mean really, I have fond memories of ex-coworkers and can appreciate the girl who trims my hair, but do they need to know where I have gone on vacation? And do I need to see pictures of their dog? No, I don't. So my compromise was to keep my "friends" list under 100 people if possible. Since over 50 of them were actually family, it wasn't as big of a list as it seems. That seemed to spare me from being too much of a part of rumor mills. It seemed "better" to limit myself to only conversing with family and folks I saw on a regular basis, who knew me and my kids socially and who cared about my post and would eventually talk to me about it in person.
And then this June, I went back and looked through my blog again. It had been over 6 months since I updated the blog and it hit me - like a ton of diapers and clocks dropped on my head. Facebook wasn't really a better use of my time. In fact, it was a HUGE waste of my time. I would wake up in the morning and check to see what had happened since going to bed. I would check my phone periodically throughout the day for people's updates and to tell anyone interested where I found a really good sandwich shop. Then at night I would check it again before going to bed. All in all, a over an hour must have been spent on Facebook every day. Think about that. 1 hour per day times 8 days means I was losing almost a full workday every week (almost 2 months a year) just trying to keep the masses and myself updated. Now don't get me wrong. There were a lot of advantages to Facebook. My mom-friends arranged our playdates on a group site. My bunco group plans our meet-ups there too. I could hear about friends in need and try to help out. I could send pictures to all of my family that live in other states (now spread in every state on the west coast). There were some nice advantages to participating in the Facebook community, but when it came right down to it, was it a "better" use of my time? I am convinced that it was not.
So I quit. Just like that. In the very definition of cold-turkey. It took me 2 hours to delete all of my pictures and friends and I even went back and removed posts in the previous 4 months just in case someone were to think "hey, she's still on here, look, she just posted 2 weeks ago" and feel rejected about being un-friend-ed. For a few days, I found myself looking at my phone periodically through the day and realized just how overwhelming it had become in my schedule. This only served to reinforce how correct my decision was to quit. I vowed to update the blog for the last 6 months, which is how you find me here now. I will try to be more vigilant about loading pictures for my loved ones in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, California, Utah and Idaho who are genuinely interested in what we've been up to. Feel free to email me to remind me if I forget to update here. Or better yet, call or come visit. But if I don't update this blog very often, please be understanding and realize I am hopefully off somewhere, with something better to do.
One of the other track coaches brings his kiddos every now and then (as opposed to mine, who come every day). He has a son who is my ninja's age and they get along splendidly and have fun entertaining each other with bugs and worms and whatever else boys like. You cannot imagine how excited they were, when one day they realized that they have matching sneakers. It was like God's little sign to them that they were meant to be friends. They were so excited about it that they insisted that I take several pictures of them in said shoes.
A year ago if you'd have told me I would be voluntarily buying tea for myself I'd have laughed at you. Well, I'm sure you've guessed by now that I do and it's mostly the fault of these great ladies. We get together every now and again over a cup of tea (which I originally didn't drink) and talk about our lives, our families, God and whatever else happens to be on our minds at the time. It's a quiet and peaceful hour or so in our lives to de-stress and connect with each other. Plus it gives us an excuse to try out some yummy treat recipes on each other. You haven't lived until you've had Rachal (candied pumpkin) with tea. It's divine. Thank you ladies, for your friendship and open hearts and ears.
For my daughter's 7th (gulp) birthday, she wanted to do a sleepover with some of her girlfriends. So we let them do some crafts, make some cupcakes, sleep in sleeping bags on the floor, decorate their hair, play games, paint their own nails (and ours), munch on snacks, and be the silliest fun little girls that they could be. Here they are, making memories about how nice it is to be young and just have fun. 
He is a certified goofball. As such, I, as his mother, am taking his pictures now, to reveal to you at a future date of my choosing. I collect snapshots of him in his underoos and superhero cape when he is running through the house, referring to himself as "Captain Underpants". I will keep that shot of him dancing on the sandbox table, in his mardi-gras beads with his hands over his head singing at the top of his lungs. And you had better believe, that along with many others, this little gem on the right will go in that same folder and be held dear to my heart.
Want to know the secret to a great day at Disneyland? Wait until it rains! Wear a raincoat and dress warm and you will walk on every ride without lines and get to meet all of the characters that you want. We got to experience such a day this spring. Here's a shot of Hubby and I snuggling up on Goofy's chair:
There are two skills that my home-schooled daughter has been developing this year. The first has been her weekly Wednesday morning piano classes and the second has been her weekly Tuesday afternoon ballet classes. She definetly prefers the ballet to piano but is nicely progressing in both. She got to perform each this year on a stage, at the end of her school year. She played "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "This Little Light of Mine" for piano and was one of the washer-girls in the ballet recital titled "Enchanted". Here she is in all of her glory:
As a last minute decision at the end of the year in 2012, a friend and I took a quick flight North and then drove home. On the way, we stopped in Salem, Oregon to view several breathtaking sights along an awesome hike called "The Trail of Ten Falls". If you are ever in the area, I highly suggest making the stop to see these gorgeous landmarks. We drug my mom along with us for the hike and she is not a hiker. Somewhere beyond 3/4 through she was cursing at us like a sailor and suggesting we just leave her and save ourselves but in the end she made it the whole way. I was very proud of her and I think she was proud of herself. So be forewarned. It is not for the faint of heart, but definitely worth the walk.
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Here's a quick shot of what my hubby did to his hand the night before we left for Isael. Ooochy-ouchie!
