OMG! I remember that day in choir rehearsal! You were a hat girl, weren't you? Hahaha. xo

Oh man! I couldn't wait to be done and never want to do it again! LOL! I'm in that other camp, but I guess it's good to know other women enjoyed pregnancy and childbirth... and the first year of motherhood! Ugh!

EVERYTHING has changed! The world is SUCH a different place than it was when we were kids and our moms "did it all". There are more cars to contend with on the roads, more tv channels to sift through and monitor, more global information at our fingertips to keep up with, our kids are growing faster (physically and intellectually) and suffering from MORE illnesses... AHHHHH! Life can get really insane nowadays, even when you're a level headed person. We're surrounded by chaos and it takes time and patience to navigate even the simplest of tasks sometimes. Years ago, Dana Carvey did an old, crotchety man character on SNL, and he used to say the line, "Back in my dad, we had no choices, AND WE LIKED IT!!" In so many ways, that is true. Don't get me wrong, I like life in the fast lane, but it's not easy. Life was definitely simpler back then and you shouldn't feel bad about not having time to sew clothes for your children! LOL! If going to a simpler holiday celebration is what gives you peace and joy, then go for it! You might be really surprised. I decided to stop sending cards and buying gifts for EVERYONE years ago. No more cards and I only buy or make a gift for my parents, significant other (if I happen to have one at the time - LOL) and now, my child. I enjoy baking treats and share them with whomever I happen to see during the season and that's pretty much it. I don't travel and I don't spend. I eat and enjoy the company of people I like. That's all I need. I also don't decorate, but this year I broke down and bought a tree for my daughter and now I'm dreading taking it down! HA! OK, this was really long. I'm bored.

I wish I had MORE playdates for my daughter who is almost two. She is kind and gentle with other children, but doesn't seem too interested in them. She's into her own agenda and enjoys playing with adults more. She is with either her nanny, her father or me at all times and she loves all the normal 2 yr old things - dancing, running, climbing, singing, books, sandboxes, swings, snacks, DVDs, etc, but she's happy to do it all alone or with an adult she digs. It is for this reason that when she does have playdates, that I'm eager to let her go and be with the other child(ren) and be with "her people". She needs it and I don't want her to go through social shock when she starts school. However, what does irk me are parents/caretakers who don't watch their kids at ALL when they have playdates or when they are at public playgrounds. It's dangerous and doesn't help them to develop proper social skills if they are being totally neglected. In fact, I think I'll write about this for my next post... IRKS ME!

Thanks April. Yeah and it's not like we're all going on family vacations together or making out in front of her. They've met, briefly, 3 times now. At her age and at this point, I don't really see it any different than her meeting my friends and acquaintances and she meets them all the time. People do come and go and that's a part of normal life.

I really debated over having guys meet my kid when I started dating, but I only decided it was cool once I felt the relationship was going to go somewhere. She never met the other guys. A single mom friend who's son is an adult now, told me she thinks it's good for the kids to meet the guys sometimes. It shows them that mom has a normal social life and that it's possible for men and women to have healthy, friendly relationships, even if you don't get married. It is a tough one though and I certainly would never introduce her to anyone I didn't feel pretty solid about and it is harder when they are older. No easy answers, but everything is going great so far.

I say Southwest Airlines all the way. They treat you nicely, free snacks and drinks (all you want), free checked baggage and an easy frequent flier program with rewards at low intervals. And cheap fares. I fly them whenever possible! My dad was a NWA pilot for ages and we used to fly standby on first class all the time, back when 747s had lounges in the upstairs section! Remember that? Now that WAS fun!

Yay year of the ox!! I'm with you on this one and I was raised by old school Christians. I just submitted a piece about my atheist/agnostic Christmas, so we'll see how many people I offend with it.

I actually remember my own 3rd grade nightmare. It was the year I started to hate school because of the homework and the work being so much harder. I was laaaazy and bored and 3rd grade actually screwed me up so much that I pretty much slumped through the rest of school through HS graduation. School became my enemy in 3rd grade, so I hope you are able to get through it... and in 8 years or so, I get through it with my daughter too!

Wahhhh. This was so beautiful. Thank you for writing it.