77 Days of Summer

(Insert the groan or cheer about my returning to writing here.)

I love that some people love to read my writing.  That makes me feel very special.  However, what I REALLY love about being back on the blog is the writing itself.  I know that somewhere deep inside me there is an author of something more than that one journal I had published in Middle Ground.  Yet I also know that person isn't going to come out of me until I make time to write... and that is probably not going to be until my kids are a little older.  Or who knows.  Maybe it will NEVER happen because if I am not making the time now, who is to say I will make the time later when life will be equally as hectic in other ways (bball games, practices, choir concerts, overnights, etc.)

So anyway, I am happy if you are happy that I am writing today but I am HAPPIER (no offense) for myself to be WRITING.  Writing is one of the few stress relievers I have and when I don't write, logically I am more stressed.  I don't always come in with a plan, even though my blog was set up to have a weekly one, but perhaps my subconscious plan is always to clear my mind.

So it's summer, and I am back.  There.  I state this boldly with every doubt in my mind.  However, I have determined that I am going to make the most out of this summer and try to knock out as many to-dos as I can, so I am going to record my days through SHORT posts and pictures.

I counted 77 days of summer.  That's a lot of time.  Why then have I felt like it is almost ending since the moment school got out?  Probably because I went right back to work to get more stuff done, and I still have many days of schoolwork to do.  Probably because I have another new prep next school year to prepare for.  Probably because every summer is over so quickly that I always look back and think, "What did we even DO?"  Probably because I have two little boys to entertain both for their sake and mine.

Today is Monday, June 10th.  Ok, that's a lie.  It's Friday the 14th - Happy Flag Day!  I was going to lie to you and pre date this entry because I am OCD about putting posts in order, but I guess it is also good to admit that the first time I MADE time to post about my week was at the end of it.

The only way to make a real change (and a change is what I need) is to openly admit what is going on and be truthful about life behind closed doors.  So I am opening my doors in hopes that what I write is something I can be proud to call my summer vacation of 2013.  Granted, I won't be doing any monumental tasks and the likelihood of that trip to Monterey, California is pretty slim.... so I probably won't be doing much in the way of traveling either, but I am an ALMOST full time stay at home mother over the summer, and I want to do a good job at that job AS WELL AS try to improve my health, the feel of our home, my teaching career, and most importantly - my areas of disorganization.  This may not seem like a lot to some of you - and it probably really isn't - but if I don't document what I have done, I might not feel obligated to WORK at it and I definitely won't reflect on it nearly as much.

Having said that, my goal is to do a quick update answering these questions every day:

What did I do today for: 

• William
• Landon
• Our Home
• My Health (Physical, Mental, Spiritual)
• My Students
• Others

Since it's NOT Monday, I am going to go back and create a blog for as many days of the week as I can before I hit the hay tonight.  Wish me luck on this venture.

Thanks for reading.

Back At It ... I hope!

OK, so it has been over a year and a half since my last post. I know, I am not an excellent blogger... or even a good one... or even one at all since I don't ever blog! But in my head, I am an AWESOME, intelligent, humorous, and incredibly modest blogger, so I have decided that this summer I am going to jump back into the swing of things (regardless of whether anyone reads this or not), mostly because I want to document our lives as young, working parents of TWO kids. That's right, I said TWO kids because I am due with baby #2 in just four short weeks.

My thoughts about blogging are to sort of create a template for my posts. I like the way some blogs operate where each day of the week has a different theme. However, let's not lie to ourselves... the odds of me actually committing to this are slim (based on past blogging efforts and failures). Yet I have an iPhone now and it seems like Blogger is 10x better on the iPhone than it was on my old Droid. So I have some hope for myself in addition to the DESIRE I have to become a regular and successful blogger. Therefore, I am going to attempt the following themes FIVE days a week, cutting myself two days slack. If I have something to say on the off days, then I will blog at that time. If I don't, then I won't. It's that simple, or possibly complex. After all, I have failed every time I've tried so far.

Please try to keep me motivated IF you actually enjoy reading my blog. I admire people who even have the time to read blogs, as I personally do not. Therefore I guess I can only count on one person in this process, and that is myself. Now that I know that you can actually PRINT blog books from your blog, I feel convicted to give it one final push. Wouldn't it be awesome (and costly) to make a blog book? I think so! I try to journal periodically to our kids, but typing is just faster. So maybe no one is reading this in today's world, but perhaps I'll leave a little something for the next generation. That would be pretty darn cool.

New Tentative Blogging Schedule - Let me know your thoughts... if you are out there.

Mondays = "Mama's Day" (What's going on in the lackluster life of Lavender.)

Tuesdays = "Techie Tuesdays" (Since according to my Facebook posts and responses, some people seem to be interested in some of the technology I use at work and at home.)

Wednesdays = "What's Up with Will" and "What I Wonder" - (Featuring TWO themes, the first about William's growth and development and the second a short final thought that will allow you to get into the deepest and darkest recesses of my metacognitive mind.)

Thursdays = "The Little One" (Updates on the growth and development of Baby Krupp #2)

Fridays = "OFF DAY" ... or "Top Five" (Random top five lists for our family in that exact moment.)

Saturdays = "OFF DAY"

Sunday = "The Sunday Summary" (A loose title that will potentially encompass anything new and/or exciting in our family's life for the week, including detailed descriptions of laundry and diaper duty.)