What inspired this blog?

This is my family. I felt inspired to create this blog because of them. Because I’m the mom and when I’m not happy, no one is. As a mom, I really crave interaction with other women who can relate to the frustration of time constraints, fatigue and sometimes loneliness. Not to mention that as a former teacher, I used to have an audience of roughly 200 students and their parents, a faculty of 84 and its administrators. I’ve always had p l e n t y to say and never minded saying it. Now I have an audience of a darling little baby. I love that and I’m happy that way and wouldn’t change it. But I find more and more that I don’t have time to look at all the blogs I’d like to or hang out on Facebook. I only have a 4-month-old for such a short time and she needs me to play with her and tickle her feet so I needed a blog that invited some ladies to chime in, like the Costco of blogs-one stop blogging.

I’m not into using a social network as my “out”. What I mean is, this blog isn’t meant to take away from loving your husband and children, it’s just meant to refresh me so that I can say, “Hey, they are doing it, so can I!” and then jump back into my responsibilities. I have a very supportive husband in this and I wouldn’t be able to do something like this without his help and encouragement. He knows that I really love to write, and without it, I get very lonely for an academic setting. And heck yeah! I’m still going to hang out with you and throw parties and stuff. I’m not going to become a hermit because I have all this writing to do now.

I think that being a mom is more academic than anything. Because of the time constraint, you have to analyze constantly. How can I cut the time it takes for me to get ready in half? How can I stretch this dollar to feed more than 2? How can I clean the house, play with the kids, and feed everyone spiritually and temporally? Including myself? Executives, CEOs, whatever would probably double their profits if they would hire on a crusade of moms, instead of all these young guys fresh out of business school. Seriously. When I taught high school, I would a lot of times call my mom and tell her all the problems at the school. And she would say, “Well of course! Any Mom would be able to tell you that was a problem!” See? It’s true.

This blog is dedicated to Jen Walters, my sister-in-law who passed away in May. She’s amazing and a really cute lady. She has a 3 yr. old boy and is my same age, 28. She bravely battled cancer for 3 years with the knowledge that she was against all odds and stayed upbeat and optimistic for her family. She even worked out at the gym! With cancer! Amazing. She’d always call me up and say, “Hey lady!” I loved it. She knows all about the importance of "girl time," and she's not even a "girly girl," more of a common sense girl and she still got how important it was to just "chat." She, along with my husband’s family have really taught me to read and appreciate the Ensign magazine. I think that it has so many good articles and is sometimes overlooked because it’s a “church magazine.” So I found these quotes in this month’s visiting teaching message and remembered that I really love to learn new things and would love it if there were a blog where I could just be myself. Not worry about making money, not worry about keeping everyone up-to-date on what we’re doing at our house, but just be.

I’m really excited to hear what everyone has to say. I’ve already got a post idea in my head about how I do the laundry. You’re going to think I’m weird and that’s okay. I hope that you will feel completely welcome to be yourself. We’re all different right? And that’s the fun of it! If you are political, let us know! If you are spiritual, let us know! If you just like makeup and shopping, let us know all about it! If some people eat meat and some don’t, fine! I don’t care what you eat, just be sure to tell me what you eat. Ha! This is a place where we can celebrate being different, share it and not get all riled up because someone is different because we all have the same goal to be good ladies as best we can and keep ourselves mentally sane at the same time. And, hopefully, someone will feel inspired occasionally. Here's some good quotes:

Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “A few of the basic attributes needed to become a lifelong learner are courage, faithful desire, humility, patience, curiosity, and a willingness to communicate and share the knowledge that we gain. …

“My dear sisters, don’t ever sell yourself short as a woman or as a mother. … Do not let the world define, denigrate, or limit your feelings of lifelong learning and the values of motherhood in the home—both here mortally and in the eternal learning and benefits you give to your children and to your companion.

“Lifelong learning is essential to the vitality of the human mind, body, and soul. It enhances self-worth and self-actuation. Lifelong learning is invigorating mentally and is a great defense against aging, depression, and self-doubt” (“The Journey of Lifelong Learning,” in Brigham Young University 2008–2009 Speeches [2009], 2, 8–9).

President Thomas S. Monson: “Beyond our study of spiritual matters, secular learning is also essential. … I urge you to pursue your education—if you are not already doing so or have not done so—that you might be prepared to provide if circumstances necessitate such.

“Your talents will expand as you study and learn. You will be able to better assist your families in their learning, and you will have peace of mind in knowing that you have prepared yourself for the eventualities that you may encounter in life” (“Three Goals to Guide You,” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2007, 119).