Unplanned Blogging Break

I just looked back and realize it's been over 2 weeks since I have blogged.  We have been keeping busy with activities both at home and away including several weekend trips.  I have also started several posts that I intend to finish when I actually sit down at the computer with my camera.  It doesn't look like things are going to slow down anytime soon.  It's kind of ironic that so many more things are happening in the summer yet there is so much less time to blog about them!

Girls' Weekend

This past weekend, 6 other moms and I headed to North Carolina to spend the weekend at Laura's house from various places on the East Coast (and Texas). I was so excited to go and last Friday couldn't come fast enough. I was also a little nervous to go as I have never been away from Katie overnight since she was born almost 3 years ago! I knew she would be in good hands with Todd so off I went.

I was great to see these ladies, some that I had met before and others that I was meeting for the first time. I have found, as I meet more and more women that I know from the internet, that it's like seeing a long lost friend. You already know about their lives but it's still great to catch up in person. The weekend was everything I hoped it would be, which was relaxing, fun and filled with good eating! It was nice to be able to spend more than a few hours together too.

A huge thank you goes out to Laura (and Jon) for opening their house to all of us. Another huge thank you goes out to my wonderful and amazing husband, Todd, for watching the kids and letting me have this time to recharge. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet so many of these women in person and hope to meet more in years to come.

Blogging Blahs

We have been so busy over the past few weeks getting into the school routine and adjusting to getting up so early. It seems like there is so much going on that I could be blogging about but yet there is little time to do it. I hope to get back into it in the next few days as I have come to rely on the blog to keep track of important milestones and events in our family's life.

One More May Mom Meetup

I had the pleasure of meeting Beth, her boys and her mom as they traveled through Columbia on their journey from FL to NC. They were able to stop by our house for a short visit last Friday afternoon.

Her boys had just woken up from their naps so it took them a few minutes to wake up but once they did, the boys all played in the playroom with the trains. When Katie woke up, she joined them too, as she does not like to be left out. We also headed outside for a little while so that the kids could play in the playhouse and sandbox. As is typical for a South Carolina summer, it was pretty hot outside!

Beth was warm, funny and easy to talk to. I felt like we could have talked for hours if we had the chance. As always, the time we had to hang out was too short. By the end of their time here, William and Michael were playing nicely together. Seth is a cutie and Katie was following him around like she does with older kids.

It was so nice of Beth, her mom and boys to come for a visit. I hope that we can meet again soon when we all have more time. Thanks for stopping by!

Catching Up

We got back from our vacation today and I have been working on some blog posts. It seems like there is so much to write about. I have a tendency to promise myself to blog about vacation and then it never happens. Not this year. Hoping to have a few posts up by tomorrow.....

My First Coupon Friend Meetup

Sunday morning, we spent some time in Orlando at the Disney Marketplace and then got in the car to make the journey to Ft. Lauderdale. Before we left for the trip, I had arranged to meet up with Holly, one of the girls on my coupon train. She was going to lend me a pack & play so we didn't have to bring ours. I was excited to meet her as I have only met May 2006 moms and none of my coupon friends.

We arrived at her house late in the afternoon. It was so nice to finally meet Holly, her husband Sean and their daughter Sammie. The kids started playing with Sammie's toys, which she so generously shared with them. Amazingly all 3 of the kids seemed to get along well and played nicely together, while the adults chatted.

The men talked about sports while Holly and I got to talk about deals, coupons and hunting for bargains. We talked about where we get our coupons from, what stores we like to shop at and what other people think about couponers. It was great to chat with someone who understands my use of coupons and the need to run out to CVS for the weekly deals!

Thanks to Holly for taking these few pictures. Can you believe I forgot my camera in the car?

It only took 3.5 years and 650 miles

for Joanna and I to finally meet!

Since I am from New Jersey and still have quite a bit of extended family in the area, I knew it would only be a matter of time and planning before I would get to meet Joanna. Most of our trips up North are for a family event or doctor's appointment so free time is usually hard to find.

Joanna and I have been chatting online almost daily since shortly before our boys turned one. We were both working moms who pumped for our boys and we commiserated daily about the struggles and joys that went along with that. We got to know each other well as a part of the thread killers thread and neither of us was willing to let it die. When I wake in the morning, I know that most days there is going to be a post from Joanna to greet me. And she knows that when she checks in daily, I will have often posted after she has gone to bed the previous night. If one of us hasn't posted on a weekday, it usually means that someone is sick!

We decided to meet at a mall for dinner that was halfway between her house and where we were staying with my relatives. When I saw her, it was like meeting a long lost friend. And she was exactly what I expected too!

Our Michaels got along so nicely, which is always hit or miss for 4 year olds. After meeting each other, they instantly started playing with each other and it continued through dinner. When we were getting ready to leave the restaurant, Joanna's Michael went outside before my Michael did. He was visibly upset that Michael had left without him. I told him that he would have a chance to say goodbye. It was too cute!

Katie and Michael were a bit crazy from being cooped up in the car all day, which made for an interesting dinner. It seemed like there was so much to say and so little time to say it all. That's one of the things that I find the hardest about these meet-ups. I have developed a great relationship with Joanna and had so much that I wanted to talk about and be able to get an immediate response.

Unfortunately, I forgot my camera in the car so I wasn't able to get any pictures. But Joanna did get a few with her phone, including an awesome one of our boys together. You can see it here.

I was so glad to finally meet Joanna and her family. It was nice to be able to put a voice to the words that I read on a daily basis. I know that people are skeptical about making friends on the internet but I have met so many great people because of it and Joanna is one of them. I can't wait until we get together again.

Beginning of the Month

I always seem to get on a roll with blogging at the end of every month. But then, the new month starts and I take a hiatus from blogging. I am not sure why. I don't think that the beginning of the month is any busier than the end of the month. Maybe I see that the month is starting to go by and realize all of the things that I meant to blog about.

I would say that I don't think this will happen again next month, but that's quite optimistic. It will be December, a busy time of year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Maybe that can be my New Year's blogging resolution....to blog at the beginning, middle and end of the month. I know that I wanted to blog more this year and I definitely have accomplished that. It's kind of funny to be that since having Katie, I have been blogging more. I definitely don't have nearly as much free time as I used to. I think it may just be possible that there is more blogging material with 2 kids!

Number 100

This is blogpost 100!! I have to admit that when I started this blog, I didn't give it much thought. For the first 2 years after I started it, I did very little blogging. I mainly did it because some of my internet mom friends had them and I enjoyed reading them. But then at the beginning of this year, something just clicked. I decided to try to blog at least once a week. I feel like I have been fairly successful with it and I really like to go back and read what I wrote, as well as the comments from what few readers I have.

I mainly blog about the kids and things that we do but would like to do some more posting that reflects my feelings and thoughts. Maybe 1 or 2 a month, mixed in with the other posts.

I would like to have a goal to hit post 200 by the end of the year but think that would be a little unrealistic. So I will make my goal to hit post 200 this time next year. That's a goal that I think I can accomplish.

Time for Blogging

Since I have been back to work, it has been harder to find time to blog. I want to spend as much time with Katie, Michael and Todd as I can when I am at home. I think of so many things to blog about but by the time I have the chance, I am too tired.

I have really been enjoying keeping track of things by blogging and I know one day I will look back and see what the kids did or how I felt about something. It's a great keepsake for recording purposes and to share our family happenings with family and friends that live far away.