Happy Christmas and Merry New Year

I haven't been much for the Christmas season since my mom passed away in 1999. When she left, she took a piece of my heart and spirit with her and it has been a very long and treacherous road getting back to happiness. The arrival of my son has really changed who I am at my core and with that change came a renewed appreciation for the holidays.

We had a great but fairly low key Christmas. My family is pretty disconnected from one another and my hubby's mom is a Snowbird (heads south for the winter), so there isn't a whole lot to do. After we open presents here, we usually go to my brother in law's house, have a big buffet style dinner, play the dice game and drink some beers.

New Years eve used to be one of my favorite holidays, even after my mom's passing. I love going out, being with friends, drinking, and dancing. This was the third New Years in a row that we stayed in and did nothing. It was actually a little depressing this year. 

I looked up at the clock above the TV, saw that it was 12:01, so I went over and kissed my husband. I wished him a happy New Year, to which he said "Oh, I forgot it was New Years." I immediately thought, this is exactly how it starts - This is how people get lost in parenthood, never to be seen or heard from again. I just flat out refuse to be that person. I really think I would lose my ever-loving mind. 

Last summer, in an effort to keep my sanity, I joined a mom's club. We do lots of fun activities with our kids but also without them, which I think is really important. Also, for the last 6 months, I have a girls night out every 2 weeks or so. These things have really made me feel like an individual person again instead of "just" mom/wife. I highly recommend doing something similar if you are a stay at home mom. Does your town have a MOMS Club? Find out here.

With the New Year, of course, we all get to hear about everyone's resolutions. I personally don't make resolutions anymore (mostly because I don't stick to them anyway) but I do review my goals and make new ones as needed (not much difference between a resolution but it seems to work better for me if I call it a goal).

My new goals for 2014: Surround myself with positive people and steer clear of drama (Soooo tired of drama), stick to my cleaning and cooking schedules (it really does make my life so much easier), journal/write/blog more, and work on improving my patience.

Did you make any resolutions? Goals? Do you usually stick to them or do you had a hard time, like me? 

Until next time,

Just Little Ol' Me

"Children are a great comfort in your old age. And they help you reach it faster, too." - Lionel Kauffman

As I venture on this exciting, brand new journey of parenthood, I am going to make sure to bring my sense of humor with me. What is this crazy life worth if you can’t laugh at yourself and all of the crap that happens around you?!

I’ll give you, dear reader, the quick and dirty about me: I am a 34 year old, married, first-time mom, and small business owner. My husband (hence forth to be named The Hubmeister) and I have been together for 10 years and married for  4. He has a wonderful 18 year old son (The Kid) from a previous “relationship” (I use that term very loosely) who is in his freshmen year at a prestigious university. The Kid and I get along famously and I see great things for his future.

I am college educated and am currently a part-time student, trying to finish my BA degree in business administration. I have recently come to the conclusion, however, that I despise the business world. As you can imagine, this poses a bit of a problem for my future plans.  For the last four years, I have been happily employed as a Registered Nursing Assistant working primarily in the Residential Hospice (end of life) arena. Like any job, mine has its pros and cons but overall, I really love it. If nothing else, it has most certainly made me a better person. Seeing as though I love my work and have been told countless times how great I am at my job, I am now seriously considering changing my major to Nursing (RN). Exciting stuff!

I took 3 months off to bond with my new little Wee-man and I have been back to work for just over a month now.  I honestly cannot imagine being at home all of the time. I think I would end up in a padded room, blowing spit bubbles in a corner, and mumbling meaningless nothings to myself. This mommy loves working and loves meeting and interacting with grownups!

I’ve started this blog in the hopes of a few things: A) Recording this new chapter of our lives, B) Developing an outlet for all of the shit that constantly swims around in this complex brain of mine, and C) Meeting new people (virtually) and D) Exploring new areas of life.

I can be bossy, opinionated, crass, and many other things but I am always caring, open-minded, creative, and funny!

I hope that you’ll drop in frequently and maybe become a part of this crazy adventure of mine!