The New School Year

This week has started off just about as bad as anything can start....The stomach flu is an evil thing. Especially when it is coming out both ends! I have been covered in "stuff" for about a week now and I am so over it! School started yesterday and I decided that my daughter must be kept out. You know how parents are, your kid is sick, next day you come to school, next day their kid is sick and then it is all your fault. And they don't do a good job at making you feel it isn't your fault. The parent will call you and trace back 7 days ago when the kids saw each and your kid must have touched something that my kid touched and boom! Your kid made my kid sick. So I opted to keep her out so I could avoid the obsessive mother who just can't admit that it is a bug and everyone is going to get it one way or another!

But now we are on day two and my daughter is still home. I can't figure out if she doesn't want to go to school or if her stomach is really in as much pain as she says. She told me to call the Dr. I guess she is still sick.

Beautiful Day

I learned a lot this weekend. First off, we had two great nights with great friends. Friday night I had a chance to enjoy some time with parents of one of my daughters friends from school. We had some great wine, and talked a lot. Saturday, we went out with friends again-- I realized that we are all the same. We all want to give our children the best life we can, we want to make no mistakes and we want everyone to be happy and healthy. We work so hard to achieve this. We may not always make the best choices, but the one thing I realize is that we every decision we make somehow will affect our family. Our families are the most important thing we have in our lives. We didn't choose them, but we are stuck with them so we better do everything we can to preserve those relationships.....
Today my mom fell while out on a walk. I realized that as minor as this fall was...(she knocked out 5 of her front teeth) she is entering into the twilight of her life. She is getting more fragile than she was 5 yrs ago. My grandmother had a similar accident around the same age and she was never the same. I found my mind wandering to that place that I have for a while been trying to block. My parents aren't getting younger and I must not take one minute for granted. As I drove out of their driveway tonight, I thought about the day when it would be the last time I drove out of that driveway. I remember the day we pulled out of my grandparents the last time. I remember thinking to myself that I wish I had the time back...I wish I had come to visit more when I was in college. I bet they wished the same.
It was a beautiful day for me because I am one of the lucky ones who has a close family that loves me and supports me every step of the way. They are there when things are good, and when they are bad and they catch me everytime I fall. I know I want my children to feel the same feeling when they think of me and I know my friends all want the same for their children.

Frustration

I have so much going on, I can't focus today. I am totally distracted. I sent one daughter off to school, not before I took her to McDonald's for her before school lunch...then I realized I forgot to pack her snack and had to ask for apples from the drive- thru window. (She starts school at 1145) Then I drove to Whole Foods to get Gluten free desserts because I am going to a friends house for dinner and she is allergic to everything....as I pulled into the parking space I wondered...how the hell did I get here? Did I have a driver driving me here? I was too busy thinking to even know where I was going. Frightening.
I am feeling every bit of my age this week. We are hitting some bumps and I am strapping in for a long ride. I just have to remember to be the best person I know how to be and stay true to me.

BAAAACCCCKKK! And I am going to be better than EVER!

I have been away for a very long time now. I find it so hard some days to even have five minutes to myself. I know all you moms out there know how I am feeling. We do everything for everyone else and we let our passions and dreams fall to the wayside. Why do we play the martyr role? I am sick of it and I plan to reshape my life over the next few months. I need to regain control of everything around me and get my life back on track. My kids need to see the strong, confident and capable person I once was....they don't need to see a tired, mad, yelling mommy everyday. It is not their fault that I let myself get this way. I used to be the life of the party, now I suck the life out of a party....UGH! I saw my internist this week. He gave me a perscription for anti-anxiety drugs and sleeping pills...WHAT? But I used to be so in control....how did I get this far? I am determined not to take them, so I am going to get my butt back in shape, start eating better, yell less, and be as organized as I can be.....we need to strive to be the best we can be in this life. We have such a short time to do so. But we have to find a way to balance being the best and becoming obsessed with perfection. I have tried to be perfect and what it did it lead me to have someone tell me I need to go on meds! I am going to use this blog as my medication and to hold myself accountable. I hope you will too....join me. Let's get some balance in our lives!

Out of Hiding

I have not blogged in so very long. As I always say, life gets in the way. I am on Facebook and I have my blog link on there. I have a lot of FB friends who have read my blogs and my FB postings most recently and have told me I have a gift. I am sure I do :) So here I am.
Life has gotten in the way ....my daughters both started new schools. One just started preschool in Sept. and the other Kindergarten. I have been so engrossed in their lives, I have let mine slip away. I can't believe how stressed I have been and I have been hearing the same thing from friends at school.
Then I take on playdates, I accept every invite I receive for moms nights, or parties, I take on volunteer responsibilities. Right now I am volunteering for our schools auction. I have worked very hard to ensure that I do my job well and efficiently. I came home from my daughters soccer party. the day was already too long. But I had to work on my spreadsheet. I ask a few simple questions to the chair of the auction and all I get is rudeness. Women can never just get a long and be kind. It is ridiculous. What are we competing for? To see who can make the others life more complicated and add to our list of worries? I thought for a bit that I should take the high road, but I realized, that if this person was not called on it, the behavior would continue to repeat itself. (I have heard from many others that this woman can be very hurtful). I sent the email to her asking her to stop the rudeness. She never responded. I guess she thought she was taking the high road...but I thought she needed to apologize.

My Life, Full Circle

Today I sent my firstborn to Kindergarten. She is attending the same Catholic elementary school I started at over 30 yrs ago. I have often heard the phrase, "my life has come full circle," but I never understood the power of it until today.

Before I even had children, I knew I wanted to them to attend my elementary school should I remain in the area I grew up. Well, years later, here I am in the same area. Can't seem to escape now matter how hard I try! I started volunteering at the school when I found out I was pregnant. Fast forward 5 yrs and here we are....I took Olivia to my parents this morning to take pictures on the same step i took all my first day pictures. It took all I had to not break down and cry. I never thought in all of my crazy wild years of adolescence, teenage and college, that I would ever have such a blessed life. I have beautiful children and an incredible husband.

I wish sometimes that it didn't take these little life moments for me to realize how much I really do have in my life.

Been Gone A Long Time!

I am back!  Yes, I am and am back in rare form.  Tired of putting this damn blog on the back burner so I can tend to everyone else's every whim!  It is all about me now and how I can support my fellow mom and wife!

Don't forget that this week is friends and family at shopbop.com.  Get online and treat yourself to some fabulous things.  But you can't forget to type in INTHEFAMILY25 upon check out so you get your discount!  Also, if you are a casual mom like me, you can go into Bloomies and get yourself a discount on some sweet Juicy Couture if you spend over 200 bucks!  That is a great deal.  Sign yourself up for Shopittome.com and find yourself some MAJOR savings at your favorite stores.  They have so many stores on their site you won't believe it!  

Life has been crazy since I blogged last ...I think it might have been as far back as November.  I couldn't find a spare second to sit down and complete a thought on here.  I had so many saved drafts.  I just couldn't let it continue, so here I am!  Ready to blab about anything and everything!  Stay with me.  I swear I have some good stuff ready spill out!!!!