Taking Chances

I've mentioned it before but I can't stress enough how important and critical the blogosphere world has been for me as a mother. I often wonder how my own mother survived raising 11 children when long distance calls were crazy expensive and her form of mantaining contact with her family was through writing letters and the few trips a year we visited with them. She didn't have a large network of women that she had as a source of comfort and companionship. She survived but I'm not sure I would have weathered as well as she has. I need my blogger friends (or my fake friends as hubby likes to tease). And the beautiful part is that we talk on the phone, send emails to each other and the most exciting thing of all - MEET IN PERSON! In four days I board a plane to meet a large group of women for a blogaramagaga and I can hardly stand the wait. Some of these women I connected with nearly four years ago. And finally, we meet in person!

But the fun doesn't stop there. Thanks to a series of events I had the pleasure of meeting this amazing woman along with her adorable & lovable son last night. Even though we had just recently started following each others blogs we took a gamble and within in less than 15 minutes of meeting in person, we knew we'd made the right choice! In the next hour I convinced her to stay the night. The boys had a great time together, conversation was shared over dinner, beverages were had and the talking never stopped. We wrapped up the night outside, under the stars until 2 a.m. chatting about everything & more. Honest words were spoken, our guards were down, laughter was shared and I now have gained one more beauitful (inside & out) friend from this wonderful world of blogging. note: I'm squatting down in the second photo because I felt like a giant next to her tiny, petite, adorable frame :)

What The (bleep) Wednesday

Since the youngest has been potty trained for almost a year, I'd finally assured myself the blog "poop stories" had finally come to an end. But alas, I have yet another disgusting poop story to share. Tonight, while enjoying a quiet moment on the back porch since hubby offered to clean up the kitchen, karma came to haunt me. The back door quickly swung open and there was hubs holding one child with a sh*t covered foot. Instead of giving a play by play I will tell you this. One child was actually going to the bathroom while anonymous child had to go badly and instead of coming down the stairs to use another toilet he opted to poop right then and there. Right THERE. On the floor. And somehow he managed to get it all over the toilet, vanity, etc. And to top it off, all three kids managed to get sh*t on some part of their body. Thank goodness hubs did the grunt of the work and I followed with disinfecting wipes and scrubbed. It never ceases to amaze me how much they manage to spread it around. Our kids are now bathed and sleeping in other rooms. Their bedroom is now clean and awaiting the next surprise. Life is never dull as a parent.

Life in pictures

These are from one memory card from just a couple days of photos. Taking pictures is so relaxing for me and as a result I have 1000's of photos I never get to look at it. So tonight, I spent the past 2 hours picking out some to share. And of course they always need re-sized which only adds to the time. Actual words & thoughts coming soon!

Summer lovin...

So far summer has kicked off beautifully. The plants in the garden are doing awesome (much better than last year) and we've even had the pleasure of eating a few cherry tomatoes. We recently enjoyed our second camping trip on a lake, with a kick butt zero entry pool. Today was spent at my friends (her in-laws) pool and this evening I enjoyed a beer on the back porch with a nice summer breeze. After five and a half years I feel like I'm finally getting into the swing of this motherhood gig. Tomorrow I'll surely be singing a different tune (because I always eat my words). Or in about a week when PMS rears its ugly face again (do you all have my cycle memorized by now?). While I have been having fun with the boys the house has been suffering terribly. It really is true that you can't do it all? But for now, I choose fun!

Where was I?

Thanks for the comments in the previous post. What was I thinking actually considering abandoning my dear blogger friends & family? I thought about yesterday, a LOT today. As usual, my PMS symptoms were in full throttle and I had a helacious day of raging hormones, mood swings, tears and moments of feeling like a complete lunatic (sorry Sarah). Do you ever have those days where you feel so completely alone (yet you know it's completely normal) and convince yourself that you are actually insane? I felt alone, distracted, homesick, distant and wanting nothing more then to cry & run away (from even my blog). But alas, I know I need to stick around. If it weren't for this blog I wouldn't have the privilege of getting to know some amazing women. I'm so grateful for their words of wisdom, advice and comfort. And if it weren't for this blog, my family (and friends) wouldn't get to see the crazy, irrational, desperate Chandra from time to time. It happens to be best of us right?

So I'll trudge forward, hold my head up high, and continue to do my best. I'll bore you with details of my monthly cycle, poop stories of my children, my wild and always changing dreams for my future and the daily grind of my so-called-life. Hang on tight!