What Keeps Me Clicking.

What Makes Me Hungry
Cake Wrecks
Bakerella
Good Things Catered
Eat This Fort Worth
Emily Cooks
Everyday Celebrating

What Makes Me Giggle
The Pioneer Woman
Awful Tattoos
I Can Haz Cheezburger?
C Jane Enjoy It

What Makes Me Proud
The Keeper Of The Home
Mommylife
Pleasant View Schoolhouse
Classically Catholic

What Makes Me Think
Culture of Life vs. Death


What Makes Me Love
Walk Wonders
Jen's Pen
The Minutes of Our Life
Photography In Bloom
The Time Of Our Lives
My Better Half
Simply The Becks
Baby Makes Three!
Three Plus One
Mairs Momilies
Adventures in Georgia
Mommy's LoveBugs
I Think I'm Pretty Interesting

What Makes Me Pray
Sue's CaringBridge Page
Gavin Owens
Confessions Of A CF Husband
Matt, Liz and Madeline
My Charming Kids
Hope, Longing, Life
Bring The Rain
The NieNie Dialogues

What Makes Me SuperMom
FlyLady

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if i wasn't drinkin' before...

blogging is difficult. i'm so over editing this stupid blog.

it's mostly done. now i need to add a ton of other things, but those won't be html, thank the sweeeeet Lord in Heaven.

Me (Laura, Mommy, Author)

I'm 26 years old and enjoying my life as a stay-at-home mom in Fort Worth, Texas. I love writing, photography, Cary Grant and my kitchen. I love to cook and bake - to a fault.

I'm a baby-wearing, breastfeeding, boo-boo kissing, encouraging, silly, not-terribly-patient Mama who loves spending my days in the backyard with my sweet babies.

I adore pictures that make it look like I go to the gym more than 4 times a week...

...because I love to eat.

I may not be the best at what I do, but I try to have fun doing it.

Disclaimer: It's okay to look fat in pictures in which you appear pregnant. Well, in pictures where you actually are pregnant.

Andrew

Andrew and I have been together for 6-and-a-half years. We met as RA's in college and fell in love right away. We were married in February of 2006 and have moved 6 times since our wedding. We're pretty much moving experts. Other than moving, we love hiking, traveling, going out with friends and exhausting our Netflix options.

Andrew currently works in the large world of defense and seems to like it enough to go back everyday. He plans to own a charter fishing business in his retirement and says he's going to spend his days just reading my blog by the sea.

Andrew is a kind, loving and patient person who's willing to put up with a lot of craziness. Somehow he always has a smile on his face and is willing to laugh in any situation. He hates wasting time and mouth-breathers and has taken a new interest in this site.

Lucy & Molly

- Our sweet girls are 2-and-a-half and 11 months. They make our days happy, bright and completely exhausting.

Molly is a ball of trouble who is constantly stuck inside or on top of various items. She's almost walking and enjoys pulling hair and eating paper.

She was born on February 28th, 2009 via c-section and is still a happy nursling.

Lucy, our almost-three sweetheart, has a heart the size of Texas and a belly full of giggles. She loves tea parties, puppet shows and babies.

Lucy was born on May 9th of 2007, also a c-section baby. I can't believe we're already getting ready for Pre-School!

hang in there, folks. if I don't get this header right, i'm going to lose it. it has the potential for cuteness, but I'm not getting the exact measurements. i even exported it and converted it and everything. i'm far from computer savvy, but my determination is going to win this one. i'm just glad i don't feel the same way about learning to swim. i'd be dead by now.

Sunday Satisfaction!

Since moving to Texas, I'm a happy gal. I'm peaceful, content and generally satisfied. I have everything I need and am really enjoying this sweet phase of our lives.

I have a few theories on just why things are going to smoothly.

• I hate snow. With a passion. Texas doesn't get snow and as a result, I'm just so, so, so happy. I love the warm afternoons every few days and I'm just feeling so fresh and light. Don't get me wrong, we're having a cold week. But I have the joy of knowing that it'll be warm again within a few days and we've given our snow shovel the year off. That's just wonderful.
• I'm in a new house. When I say new, I mean new. It's clean, well-lit and not in need of any improvements. I always thought I was more of a fixer-upper and an improver. I've discovered that I am truly NOT a fixer-upper. I'm just really enjoying not staring at things that need to be painted, repaired, improved or otherwise changed. I spend more time watching the girls, rather than making lists of improvements and crunching numbers.
  I realize that people live in fixer-uppers and love it. We thought we were big project people and decided to use our fun money to work on a house instead of play. We also just didn't have the money to live somewhere new. I doubt we'd have the money for a new house anywhere but here. But next time we look for a place to live, I know what to consider.
  I'll get all the painting out of the way at once. I'll insist on natural lighting. I won't wait on fencing the yard. I'll make sure the room we spend the most time in is EXACTLY the way I want it. I'll hold out for an affordable place with a garage. I'll try really hard to find a home with an open floor plan. I will NEVER again skimp on safety. My home is kind of like my office, and I spend a lot of time staring at these walls! If the kitchen needs repairs, that'll be the first to be worked on. I had no idea how much my surroundings stressed me out until I lived in a place where there was no stress. I think that next time we shop around, I'll really try to keep this in mind. I think I'd actually rather forgo other extras in order to really create a home that makes us feel peaceful and stress-free. I truly feel like a new me in this house. I don't feel the need to get out during the day, and I think it's because there's nothing to escape. I feel like this house really was Heaven-sent. God knew I'd be without so many of the comforts a stay-at-home mom needs, like a big support system and a way to escape once in awhile. So he gave us this. A wonderful, affordable sanctuary where the girls can actually run and play inside, and I can still claim a piece of my home just for me. I have a home that has a place for everything, and the crazy organizer in me feels so free and "together." Andrew has a place to put his bike AND a yard to nap in. It's just what we needed, right when we needed it. So what do I hate about this house? I mean, come on. Every house has something. The fridge. The fridge is actually about half the size of a normal fridge. It's bizarre. The kitchen is so big, with a junior-sized fridge. Who does that??
  The neighborhood also leaves something to be desired. I mean, I think it's perfectly safe and I love our neighbor, but the KIDS. The Fort Worth suburbs are just replete with school-aged children. Driving through the neighborhood is a little like an obstacle course, and the playground is covered in 7th-grader graffiti. Ew. But other than that, it's a nice place to live.
• What else makes me happy? These girls! I mean, sure, we do have a 2.5 year old who challenges me on a daily basis. But for the most part, she's just so cheery and easy to love. She says the funniest things and is just so into making me smile. I love it. And Molly never stays out of trouble. She's just a delicious little animal and I can't get enough of her craziness.
  
• Andrew is such a peaceful, easy guy. He's terribly ill today, but he just goes out of his way to make our lives happy, calm and healthy. I love that about him. Always diplomatic and kind, never starts anything he doesn't intend to finish. He leads by example and I love that. He's going to be joining a Theology of The Body men's group when it starts the first of March, and I can't wait to really start studying TOB with him. Raising daughters (and sons!) makes it so necessary to know ourselves, our purpose and our values. These girls just begin and end with their Daddy's love and it's so important to us that he reinforce their self-esteem and personal needs by showing them how a real man should revere and respect the gentler sex. TOB is a huge step in the right direction where respect for each other is concerned, and I know it'll reflect that in our girls. Can't wait!
  

Well, I need to run and check on my brood. Andrew is sure to need more medicine and love by now, and I can hear Molly creeping around, looking for someone to injure. Have a fabulous day!

Fabulous Sunday.

Well, I think the Lord will understand us missing Mass today. Andrew is on his deathbed (says Andrew) and Lucy is POTTYTRAINING! We decided that she was more than ready and lo and behold, she's a VERY mature and easy little student. She has a basket full of goodies, is wearing big girl undies and has been doing her thing in the bathroom since 7am, no accidents. I decided to skip training pants because if I know Lucy, the feeling of wet undies will be enough to scare her into potty training success for life. Just about 40 minutes ago, she hopped down from her "cutting" and announced, "Gotta go potty!" and marched right in and did it all herself. So proud of my little pee-monster. She's such a happy little thing.

Molly is also working VERY hard on her walking right now. It's almost like she had an awakening in the past few days and is very determined to teach herself to walk. So she's been launching from all sorts of things and falling flat. Lucy was such a cautious walker. She really put a lot of thought and patience into it. Molly....well...she just goes all-out and crashes into whatever she comes to first. It's just adorable. Who knew two little girls could be do different from one another? From their head to their toes, they're complementary polar opposites. Love that!

Steno Doodler

Okay, try to follow. I just took my Tylenol PM, so this could get dicey.
I talked to Grandma Susie today. (I tried to call you back!! Will call tomorrow!) I was telling her about Mucinex, of all things, and she did one of the things I love most. She said, "oh! Let me write this down!" She always says that when I tell her about something new and novel. And she does. She really writes these things down. It makes me feel so...new and novel. Like the things I discover have real worth sitting on her little kitchen desk. Love that.
So she has this little kitchen desk. It's built-in and the drawers smell like ink, stickers and paperclips. I love the way those drawers smell. They smell like real, authentic communication.
Grandma's desk is always covered with her notes, mail and assorted "things" with cookbooks on a shelf above. I used to sit there and take up precious pages in her doodle pad. I think she has long since abandoned the doodle pads, but when I was little, she'd sit at her desk and chat on the phone, right arm on the desk, doodling away as she spoke. Grandma's handwriting has always been perfect, and her little notes would work their way into her doodles. Lines of flowers, raindrops, leaves and other various simple items. Pages upon pages of doodles, each page (or 2) representing a chat with a friend or advice given over the phone.
I wish I had one of those steno pads to keep forever. Aren't our childhood memories so funny? I always thought those doodles were just so beautiful. I tried for years to make my flowers look like hers, but my left-handedness forced me to give it up. I may never get those little flowers right, but I doubt I'll ever forget the smell of those little desk drawers.

Magnetic Personality

Lucy loves it when we draw families on her MagnaDoodle. I actually have many, many more pictures of magna doodle families. Just a thing we do around here.

Molly's in bed. She was up late last night, so she has a little catching up to do. Lucy napped from 4-6:30. Our stupid fault for selfishly wanting a quiet afternoon without the gallons of whine a tired toddler provides. So she's still up, being silly and playing with her new Hi-Ho Cherry-O game. $3 on clearance at Kohl's, endless fun for a little one who can only count to ten.
Andrew is playing around on awfultattoos.blogspot.com (I have no idea how make a live link blogging from my phone- copy and paste, you lazy thing, you!) and I'm just trying to will myself to stay awake until 9pm. Yeah, our Saturday nights are truly unparalleled...

Today I made brownies from scratch. They were super simple and are truly amazing. These are the kind of brownies you make, cut, wrap and freeze individually for those "I am SO not cut out for this" moments. You know the ones. 4:45 pm on a Wednesday. Daddy's running late. You tried to do the dishes and now have a giant wet spot on your belly. And yeah, you still have a belly because you make PEOPLE, for cryin' in the night. People who are currently hanging from your left AND right legs, smacking each other silly and howling. And you promised yourself your children would never, ever smack each other. The wisest thing to do in this situation is grab a brownie from the freezer and pop it in the microwave long enough to turn on Baby Einstein. Then run to the bathroom with your brownie and sink to the floor slowly. (of course the floors are clean. Who do you think I am, anyway?) Catch up on a couple of inspiring paragraphs from The End Of Overeating, all the while breathing deeply and thinking to yourself, "I sure do have it together!"
I can't be the only one. You silent jugdiness is just deafening...
Well y'all, Mama's tired and I still have like, 743 closet monsters to catch tonight. "Supermom" doesn't even begin to describe it. I may be back to blog some pictures, but holding your breath might be a collossal waste of time. (I may also have spelled "collossal" wrong.)

A Thought as I Think.

[W]hen people begin to talk about this domestic duty as not merely difficult but trivial and dreary, I simply give up the question. For I cannot with the utmost energy of imagination conceive what they mean. When domesticity, for instance, is called drudgery, all the difficulty arises from a double meaning in the word. If drudgery only means dreadfully hard work, I admit the woman drudges in the home, as a man might drudge [at his work]. But if it means that the hard work is more heavy because it is trifling, colorless and of small import to the soul, then as I say, I give it up; I do not know what the words mean…. I can understand how this might exhaust the mind, but I cannot imagine how it could narrow it. How can it be a large career to tell other people's children [arithmetic], and a small career to tell one's own children about the universe? How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone, and narrow to be everything to someone? No; a woman's function is laborious, but because it is gigantic, not because it is minute. I will pity Mrs. Jones for the hugeness of her task; I will never pity her for its smallness."
G.K. Chesterton

molly... walking?

I'm not ready for her to be WALKING yet!!! Yikes!!!





love, dad

Girls Clapping!

"Molly needs to eat Cheerios" is one I just heard yelled from the kitchen. Oh wait, and "Molly likes sugar on her Cheerios like ME!"

lol help us!!!! :-) love, a.


and... a cute video from early this week, she's learning quick! reminds me of the video when Lucy started clapping arounds 10 months :-)

lol... what a crack up these girls are.

Tattletale, Tattletale.

My first-born is a natural tattler. That's a very good thing in this house, because my second-born is a natural trouble-finder. Here are some recent tattles.

"Molly's on the table!"
"Molly's in the book shelf!"
"Molly's upside down!"
"Molly's eating wipes!" (ALL kids do this, I think.)
"Molly's eating blocks!"
"Molly's eating something I don't know....Mommy!!"
"Molly in the bathtub!" (Empty bathtub.)
"Molly keeps turning the tv off and on! And Off! And on!"
"Molly went outside and won't come in!" (That's normal - we have a fenced backyard and I leave the door open on sunny days. They like to sit outside the door on the patio and play with MegaBlocks.)
"Molly's stuck!"
"Molly's stuck!"
"Molly's stuck!"
"Molly is on the bathroom sink and she has the soap!" (Child proof. Promise)
"Molly is in the bathroom and won't open the door!" (She's 11 months old - she's not a door-opener yet. She was just sitting in front of the door.)
"Molly is being too loud and she's sitting on me!"
"Molly ate a book!" (Biodegradable = edible?)
"Molly is in the closet with a box on top of her!" (Two boxes, actually. Emtpy, but still...)

Molly, Molly, Molly...she's just so deliciously full of it.

Sob.

My baby is about to turn ONE. Can you believe it? I feel like they just pulled her out! She's such a little ray of sunshine. Happy 11 months, Molly Rose!

There was something else I wanted to blog about...I'm losing my mind.

Some cute pics of the last cute week in our cute life.

Frayed nerves.

I fell asleep on the couch at 8pm, so here I am at 5:40am, wide awake. Molly went down at 6:30 and had yet to stir. That just makes me so nervous, but she's been sleeping better and better each night and has a squeaky door, so I'm trying to stay calm. Lucy also slept straight through to 5:30, when she woke up needing "cubes." if I'm not mistaken, I also heard the familiar rustle of a cereal bag, so I think somebody's sneaking snacks to my early riser...and I just heard Molly yelp. Good deal.

as heard in the living room.

(should be recited with a decent amount of hopping, shouting and booty-shaking)

Patty cake, patty cake
Bakes you a man

Make me a man
Fast as you can

With a roll roll roll
And a pat pat pat!

Asses, asses
We all fall down!


Catchy, isn't it?

Authenticity, Part 1.

I'm a person who prides herself on being authentic. I'm honest with myself and other people. I've started reading a book that really has me thinking about whether I'm really being true to myself. I'm putting in good time at the gym, but my obsession with processed foods (let's be honest, here. all foods.) is keeping me from seeing my goals. I look different, sure, but I'm still being held back.
I'm starting to understand more about how the types of foods I eat really play a deeper role than just keeping the pounds in place. When I eat "fake" food, I have fake energy and I see fake results. If I'm not eating authentic food, how is my body going to trust that I'm doing anything right? Can something as basic as the food I eat start me down a path of lying to myself about other things? Just food for thought. More on this book tomorrow. The book that got me through a carnival midway AND a grocery store in one day, with very little damage.

Sleepless in Fort Worth

I have to say, Molly is ten times the sleeper Lucy ever was. I'm loving her times twenty now that she's into a good groove where sleeping is concerned. Sleep training was about a 20 minute process, she puts herself back to sleep when she wakes up, she wakes up happy and she naps like the day is long. As I type this, it's 1:10 pm. I put her down after about 9:45am. True story. Lucy and I are anxiously waiting to get out of the house, but I never, never, never wake a sleeping baby.
Molly usually goes down around 6:45 or 7pm and sleeps til about 7am or so, waking a few times to talk and once around 5am to nurse.
She and Lucy are now sharing a room, which has been 100% seamless in transition. We figured we'd just do it and see what happens, and it turns out they sleep so much better when they're together.
Lucy, however...just doesn't sleep. She goes down around 7:30 or 8 and comes to bed with us around 3 or 4, where she sleeps in her "special bed" on the floor until about 6. We have NEVER seen her sleep through the night without waking up at least twice, and we usually have to work to convince her that 4 am is not the right time to start the day. It's exhausting. Lucy is just one big sleep problem. She'll still do a good, long afternoon nap without a fuss, but she only naps on the couch, where she can keep her nose in my business. She's just so much like I was at this age. Napping is fine, as long as she's in the mix and not missing anything. She's an early riser and I truly think it's because she doesn't want to risk missing out on anything. I say this because she's also terribly indecisive, more than your average toddler. She's not stubborn about anything and we can usually talk her into just about anything. She's willing to try everything, and not trying things is usually what gets her worked up. She just can't handle the possibility that things happen and she's not supervising. sampling and directing.
Molly is totally the opposite, just like her daddy. Life happens and what she does or does not do has nothing to do with her happiness or potential satisfaction. If she happens to see the other end of the day, the day was an utter success. If not, ah, well, what's done is done. Molly is still a persistent little monkey, and her destruction and terror are so matter of fact that I've realized she may always get the best of me. She listens to "no" very well and is easy to redirect, but she always keeps her mission in the back of her mind and will return to it once she's satisfied the disciplinarian in me. She's such an imp; I know she'll skate through with her charm and indifference. If only we could all be as content and cheery as Poppers.
We're headed out for tartar sauce and a frame. My darling Secret Santa, my father-in-law gifted me with a fabulous Keep Calm print for Christmas. So we're going to hit up Michael's to see if we can find a frame with matching fabulosity. So, so, awesome!!

The First Cut...

So, Emily (whom I love dearly and do not want to cut out) wrote a post a couple of days ago about cutting people out. As in, cutting them our of your life. Sound harsh? Sometimes it is, but many times I really think it's for the mental health of everyone involved.

I can't imagine Emily hurting anyone's feelings, ever. She could tell you just about anything and leave you with a smile. I just don't know how she does it. This is probably why she and Andrew get along so well. Two perfectly nicer than nice people, being nice to one another. It must be so...nice. I tend to speak first and think later, which is why ending relationships is so difficult for me. What's in my heart never comes out right in words. And maybe that's why so many people just leave the toxic people right where they are.

I think there have been times when I possibly should have ended a relationship, but a few have surprised me and turned around just when I thought they never would. I think that's why it's so hard for me to write someone off. For the same reason I have an old dresser in my closet waiting to be sanded and painted, I hang on to friendships, too. I'm all about potential, and I like to think that maybe things will improve and we'll be as close as ever.

There are only a few relationships in my life that have truly ENDED, and each one was heartbreaking in it's own way. I feel a need to be liked - I suppose everyone does - so it's hard to say, "Well, you might not like me, but I've gotta do this." People not liking me is just too painful a possibility.

But is it okay to stay in a relationship just because someone may resent you later? No. I don't think it is. I'm sure we all know people who are in friendships, relationships and marriages that WE can see are toxic, from the outside.

I think I'm talking in circles, here. I suppose that's because I really don't know how I feel about this subject. There are people in my life that I probably would be less stressed without. But what if I die and get to the Pearly Gates and Jesus says, "Well, there was that friendship you had where you just didn't try..." But I'm friends with a LOT of people, and there are billions of people that I don't know. I know I'm not a bad person for not knowing people, so I think, along the same lines, I wouldn't be a bad person if I let a "non-friendship" go back to the nothingness it was at one point. Right?

But what about family? That's a toughie. That, I truly have no answers for. Em? Anything?

When Andrew and I went to our marriage preparation course, the first thing we were told was this: "We're here to make sure you're coming into your marriage prepared, compatible and ready for the work it's going to take. Some of you here today will not finish this course, and you won't stay together. It's that difficult, but you'll be better for it parting ways now rather than ten years down the road." WHEW. Andrew and I looked at each other, alarmed. Can priests say that??

Wouldn't it be nice if we had the same sort of process for friendships? For the record, if you're reading this now, I'm probably not going to try to cut you out of my life, and I'm probably not hanging on to you for a potentially great friendship later. I probably like you very, very much.

What on earth am I trying to say, here? This is obviously a much more difficult topic than I realized. And I usually have all of my thoughts organized on just about anything. (Well, except which bank to use, but that's just a never-ending thing, isn't it?) The more I think (blather) about it, the more I realize I really don't know how I feel about this.

Read Em's post. She's much more eloquent than myself. And then, tell us what you think. When do YOU decide to draw the line on a friendship? What about family? And how does Jesus feel about this? I am now more curious than ever on this whole thing.

Plans for Baby #3!

Andrew and I have decided that we'll go for baby number three when we complete 5 consecutive nights of the girls sleeping 10 uninterrupted hours and we wake up at 7am or later on those 5 days.

Be it next month or 2028.

Re: Newsy Day

Kelsey made an interesting point in her comment that my thoughts on why I'm not going to blog more may have sounded judgemental. I don't mean to sound like I'm judging anyone. I'm sure there are so many people out there who are willing to give up their late nights and lunches (I wish I were less sleepy!) to get a piece of their hobby- my hobby is the gym lately, and it's a healthy break for the girls to play for an hour while I work out.
But the computer...I just get too caught up. I actually had to leave a wonderful group of women in an online message board because I was just spending way too much time keeping up with the board. It was a decision that I regret some days, but it cut my computer time down so much and I ended up using my time better. I would love to spend more time blogging. But I'm so afraid that I'd let it take front seat to the time I could be spending with the girls. I have no idea how working moms do it. It seems like they just balance things so well, and I can't even find the time to make the bed! (Do you make the bed every day?? If so, don't you dare share it with Andrew. He loves it when I make the bed once a week.)
The Pioneer Woman is one of my favorite blogs in the whole world. Ree Drummond is like this whirling, hilarious, crazy Superwoman. She manages to blog all day, write cookbooks and helps keep a RANCH in order. I have two kids and Lucy has had a filthy face all day. How am I not a bestselling author yet?? I expect it'll happen once I start making the bed and wiping Lucy's face.
So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that some women really CAN do it all, and I'm just not one of those women! It seemed like a good idea in December, and now it feels like it would be an overwhelming mess.The best way for me to keep things in order is to keep my "other stuff" to a minimum. I go to the movies alone every so often. That's my "me time." So far...I'm not totally crazy. But another couple months of this teething nonsense and I'm going to be a hermit in the caribbean talking about the life I once had.
Thanks for the thoughts, Kelsey! My point of view is always so much more balanced INSIDE my head... :-)

What a Newsy Day!

Well, I'm just been cleaning my little heart out around here, preparing for a day out tomorrow. I think the girls and I may spend a lazy afternoon at the Science Museum, if everyone naps well.

I'm on pins and needles today, waiting to see who will take Ted Kennedy's senate seat. Sam Brown winning the seat would be the biggest political upset I'll probably ever see, and it's crucial that he take the seat if we hope to keep government dollars away from funding the biggest genocide the world has ever seen.

Mom posted a beautiful post yesterday, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King day. Dr. King was not just a champion for human rights, but a champion human. I really couldn't say it better myself. I find it ironic that we celebrate his life every year during a week when we memorialize 50 million lives taken since the passing of Roe v Wade. I know that Dr. King would feel so much pain today, living in a country that robs so many people of the potential to live. (And no, it's not a soapbox when you're speaking for something as simple as the right to life.) This week is the 37th anniversary of Roe v Wade. If you're a praying person, please pray for the safety and prayers of those who will be marching on Washington and every state capitol and large city in the U.S. Were he still alive today, Dr. King would be praying with you and marching out in front.

I've been thinking more about blogging professionally, and I think I've decided against it. It takes time and effort that I'm not willing to take away from my family and give to my blog. Just reformatting here and there takes SO much time, if not hours out of my days, nights and weekends. I adore reading really, really great blogs, but when I read these "mommy blogs," I have to wonder...what are their children doing while they're blogging, editing, photographing, tweeting and hosting contests? I spent a night blogging about three days ago and 5 posts took an entire evening. And people, I'm a FAST blogger these days. But my husband was in the other room, playing video games, when we should have been snuggled up together watching TV or chatting about our day. I only blog while everyone else is sleeping, leaving me with so little time to do anything else. Don't get me wrong; I love my blog, but I signed up to take care of my family first. A certain blogger I read is on a cruise right now sans children, blogging several times a day, and she'll be tweeting just as soon as that tower comes into range. If I were on a cruise with my husband without my kids, we'd be holed up in our cabin with the phones off, if we took them at all. We'd be drinking ourself silly on the lido deck, ipods off, conversation and giggles on. We'd leave the camera in our suitcase, knowing that we wouldn't forget a second anyway.
I don't want my girls to look back on their childhoods and thinking of my back as I sat on the computer, blogging away. I want them to remember the fun of cranking the heating pad up and snuggling in to watch cartoons with mommy. I want them to remember "seek an hide" lasting all day long. I want them to remember 10 am baths, just because the tub is a fine place to be. And they'll remember all of those things without a blog post to remind them, won't they? The attention I give them now will shine in the people they become...because they know just how valued they are all day long, every single day.

Help!

I suppose this is as good a place as any other to ask a question to my readers. I know I have a lot of breastfeeders (and former BFers) who read, and I'm kind of at a fork in the road with Molly.

She'll be 11 months next week, and still loves to nurse, but we really just kind of forget about it during the day. She's already night-weaned, so I usually nurse her 3 or 4 times during the day. She's drinking milk and eating everything we eat, so I really haven't thought much about it. It seems like she's starting to just get "too busy" to nurse during the day. Either we're running around and I get to 5pm and realize she hasn't nursed, or she gets ridiculously crabby and then I realize she's probably just wanting a snuggle and a snack.
Is this weaning, or are we just moving into a different pattern? Will my supply be okay if we completely forget a day here or there? It seems like this week she's averaging closer to 2 times a day, and I think yesterday it was only once. Lucy was off breastmilk and formula at 10.5 months, just because she hated nursing by 7 months and was more interested "grown up milk" by 10.
My supply has been completely even and perfectly adjusted since about 12 weeks, but Molly has seemed totally happy. Because my body is so quick to adjust my supply, it's been really easy to forget to nurse because my body just slows down completely.
Should I bump up the nursing sessions and set my phone to remind me to nurse more often, or just let this take it's natural course? I'd like to go to 18 months, but if Molly is ready to stop or is losing interest, I guess that's fine too.

I guess I'm just not sure what direction to take this in. Help!

It was another long night. Better than Saturday, but still long. This teething thing may very well kill us.
It's 7am now, and thankfully she's still in bed. That's probably the biggest improvement she's made in the past 72 hours. Molly is not an early riser and frankly, the more time you spend with her, the more exhausted you are. So when she wakes up at 5:30, it makes for an incredibly long day. Going back to a 7 or 7:30 wakeup time would be a massive improvement for all of us!
I can't decide if I should go to Zumba today. I guess I should. It's been a great workout and I'm starting to enjoy it. But I have to be there in less than 2 hours and I really wanted to have a seriously lazy morning. Bummer.
Let me see if I have any pictures on my phone that should go on my blog.