The Top Nine Reasons I Haven't Been Blogging Lately

Oh hey. How are you? It's been ages  - have you lost weight? You look terrific. I love what you've done with your hair. How are the kids? Can you believe how big they're getting? 


This is the conversation I'd be having with you if I hadn't seen you for a couple months in real life. Since I'm pretty sure there's only about 12 of you still reading, I could conceivably have this conversation with each of you. If I Facetimed you, as I don't think you all live in my town.

Not that I'm asking for your phone number.

I have a hard time on the phone with people I adore, so much as I appreciate your continued reading, I really do not want to call you.

But it feels weird just jumping back into the blog I've been ignoring for months without some kind of transition. When I see people I haven't seen in a while, I don't just jump in with a story about my life or a demand for money for whatever school fundraiser I'm supposed to be helping with. Well, maybe I do. . . but I know that I shouldn't.

This is the real reason that bloggers back from hiatus or break or breakdown write posts explaining their absences. I think. It's not that I want to write you a list of reasons (excuses) that I haven't been blogging, it's that I don't know how to transition back into blogging without writing you a list of excuses. So here goes. . . .

1. It was summer and my kids were home a lot.
2. I was trying to find a job that would be more lucrative than writing/blogging but still give me lots of flexibility to be around for my kids.
3. I've been blogging consistently since 2007 and I was burnt out.
4. I had my first mammogram and they found something. So then I had another mammogram and an ultrasound which show that it's PROBABLY benign, but I have to get checked again in 6 months.
5. I also had an abnormal pap smear that resulted in cryotherapy (which I don't recommend, btw), but now everything is fine.
6. I don't know what direction to take the blog. Back when I started blogging, blogs didn't have to have directions.
7. Probably not unrelated to the all the aforementioned: my ulcerative colitis flared for a while.
8. It is fall and soccer season has started, along with all the volunteering and the meetings.
9. Are you still reading this list? You're amazing. Or a stalker. Maybe both?

It's Finally Summer! Sort of.

Summer has always been my favorite season. I like flip flops. I like the beach. I'd much rather be hot than cold. Every year I look forward to putting my clogs away and celebrating summer. We had 3 days of it and now the weather is cool again. Intellectually I know that summer weather will come back, but emotionally I fear that our harsh winters are going to get longer and longer. So I'm focusing on our 3 days of summer, which I enjoyed thoroughly. 

This is our local lake. Which is really a man-made pond. But it's still pretty, like a Kardashian. 

The lifeguard said the water was 60 degrees on Sunday. I made it up to my ankles. 

This was part of our town's Memorial Day parade. The boys walked with their spring sports teams, but I didn't get a decent picture. I need remedial photography lessons. Ironflower doesn't walk because many of her friends do and they all throw her candy. We got two paper sacks full - it's like Halloween in May. 

This year after the parade and the festivities at the local firehouse we got to go to the pool at my parents' townhouse complex. It was heated and Lovebug didn't get out of it for 2 hours. 

One of my favorite things that our school does is the art show. Usually it is beastly hot at the art show, but you'll notice that Hugmonkey is sporting a fleece here. Summer appears to be over already. 

Sob.

The art teacher at the kids' school is amazing. This year Hugmonkey made a basket (last year a bowl) and the older kids made animals. 

Lovebug and his snake. 

Ironflower and her dog mask. 

All the hallways are filled with the kids' artwork as well and the third graders have a video art installation in the gym. It's the event that kicks off all the end of year excitement. It's supposed to be warm, dammit. 

What are your favorite end of school year and/or summer events? 

Hanging at the Lake

A rare moment with Lovebug not in the water. 

Action shot. 

She actually smiled at the camera. 

Twice. 

Also, she's been watching Cirque du Soleil videos. 

Hugmonkey really wanted me to get a shot of this. 

Leaping off to head back to the water. 

Wordless Wednesday: Good-bye Summer

We sure will miss you. 

Find more Wordless Wednesday. 

OMG, It's FINALLY The First Day of School

All three kids are starting school today. All three will be at the same school, even. The idea of them all being in the same place, with 2 of them on the same hours, kinda fills my heart with joy.

Okay, so does the idea of them going back to school. I love my kids to pieces, but I also love to be alone. And they love school, so it all works out. Our relaxing summer was great, but it was also long.

You know you've made the complete evolution from teacher to stay-at-home mom when you find the summers long. Of course, long as it was, we still only managed to do about half the things I wanted to do. Though when I was making these plans in my head, I really didn't get how much time it would take me to recover from that thing I said I would never talk about again. I also didn't realize how much writing for the content farm contributed to our entertainment budget.

So it's back to the gym and the content farm now that school is starting again. Did I mention that? And that all 3 kids are less than 5 minutes away? And Hugmonkey is going EVERY morning? I'm more excited than they are. I'm hoping to be able to exercise and write for money and still blog. Because I'm really enjoying blogging again.

My 3 high points of the summer were: our trips to the Bronx Zoo, watching Ironflower and Lovebug become great swimmers and discovering blogging again. What were yours?

Farewell, summer 2012. You were pretty awesome.