All About Me.....and My Family

Wow, I seemed to have finally found some time to sit down and start my very own blog. I am completely new to this and will learn as I go but I am sooooo excited. I got hooked on a friend's blog that I discovered after our 20th high school reunion in November and have been shamelessly stalking hers ever since. Her writing is just awesome and she has some really great stories about her adorable young girls and her life in New Jersey. I never knew she was so funny and talented and smart and I have enjoyed reading all her posts. Since I am a blog virgin, I will inevitably be stealing ideas from her from time to time. Like the 102 random facts post that I just re-read and that you have to read. Pause while you go check it out....See, isn't she awesome?

I am pretty much from and part of a modern day dysFUNctional family. That is to say that holidays and parties can and do include my mother, my father, his wife, my ex boyfriend's mother, his children from his ex-girlfriend, sometimes his siblings and their kids and then of course all my wonderful and very understanding friends. It is unusual (or not when you are from these parts) but it works and what doesn't work gets worked through....that is just the way it is.

I have three really awesome children that drive me crazy but as my 14 year old says, that is what kids are supposed to do. And when I have to ground her I use her reasoning and tell her that is what moms are supposed to do. Her name is Molly and she is so funny and and pretty and very friends oriented. She reminds me of me in many ways and once I realized that, our relationship changed for the better. A professor told me once that the things that irritate you about someone irritate you because it is a reflection of you and the things that you are not happy with in yourself. I tried to discard that because I thought he was just rambling but I got into the habit of re-evaluating my thoughts every time I found myself annoyed with someone and for the most part, I have found him to be correct. And I find that with Molly. I never work really really hard at something and I am definitely not a goal oriented person, and neither is Molly. But I have learned that that is not a bad thing, just a little different than most people and she will find her way, just like me.

Cody, my 12 year old, is just the opposite. He gives 100% every time and he is highly competitive (unlike me who slows down in running races so I don't get the person in front of me nervous). His first hockey coach gave a speech after they won a tournament and when it was time to say something about Cody, he said that Cody epitomizes what every coach wants in a player. And that sums up Cody as an athlete, as a student, and as a friend. People think that he should become a politician. He wants to be an engineer and he would be good as a salesman or a chef or a wildlife biologist. His interests run wide and deep (like me!) and he will be successful no matter what he does.

Rylee, my three year old is a trip. She is such a natural athlete and she has the memory of a [insert animal w/ great memory here]. She always amazes me when we drive by something or go somewhere and she can tell me who she was with the last time she was there and what they did, etc. She has the attitude and language of a 14 year old...hmmm...wonder where she gets that. Her favorite expressions are OMG, what the heck, Noooo way, and her favorite songs are Shut up n Drive, Keep Bleeding, Summertime, and Rockstar. Last year it was Suicidal....there is absolutely nothing like walking up from the lake with your 2 year old 8 steps behind you singing "Su-i-cidal, Su-i-cidal" over and over while aimlessly strolling with her bucket of sand toys. Just great.

I have an ex-husband who is the father of Molly and Cody. I always credited him with staying around these parts after our divorce because he is not from here. But, in September, with three days notice to me he packed up and moved to South Dakota to be near his father and brother. The kids were able to fly out at Thanksgiving to see him and meet their relatives for the first time but have not been back since. I'm guessing it will be years before he has the funds to fly them out again.

I also have an ex-boyfriend who is the father of Rylee (yeah I'm from NA, kids with multiple dads LOL). To say it was a surprise pregnancy is an understatement but things happen for a reason and I can't even imagine life without her. We were together about 7 years and split up in February of 2007. A month later I lost the best job ever and the rest of 2007 followed that same downward spiral. Everything is back on track now and we (the kids & I) are a work in progress.

So there is a quick intro to me and the kids. I'm really looking forward to posting about the funny things that go on in my quirky little life and I hope the kids will enjoy it one day. I know Molly will hate that I write anything about her so I may keep it my little secret for a while.