Hi all my Xanga friends!

I've been meaning to write here for some time. In October I "outed" myself and started a new blog. This blog was a great place for me the past 4 years as I found my "parenting niche". All of my friends here were so wonderful and supportive during the time when I felt vulnerable and unsure and needed a safe place to share.

I'm still posting pictures and keeping up with our family's "goings on" - especially the kids - here: Everyday Adventures

But my new home on the internet is here: Together Walking

I would love for my xanga friends to stop by and visit!

Here are some posts from that I think some of you might enjoy:

Parenting Peacefully

Alternative Parenting

Listen

I See Both

Our children are people (and animals!) too

My Biggest Awakening: Unschooling, in my and others' words 

Balance

So this isn't Goodbye - just a re-location. And I plan to leave this blog up because I love it and what it meant to me.

Thanks again friends!

If you are a Birth Professional in any sense, educator, doula, midwife, doctor, nurse etc, check out this book and give away:

http://enjoybirth.com/blog/2011/08/26/keep-the-fires-burning-conquering-stress-and-burnout-for-birth-workers-review-and-give-away/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+enjoybirth%2Fnewblog+%28NEW+Enjoy+Birth%29I

I'm planning on reading it soon myself!

I haven't been able to keep up with either blog lately. Life just seems to be so busy! For the most part this is a good thing, but I would like to try and carve more time out for writing, especially when I have exhausted my normal reading outlets. (FB, yahoo groups etc

So my desire to write more has to do with needing an outlet to process and also a desire to record. I can't believe the amount of personal growth I continue to experience but it really does continue to happen! Once again I long for a magical "Harry Potter" pen to get some of my thoughts down.

Before I try to express some of the thoughts I've been having a short "listing" of what we have been so busy doine this past winter and now spring. In early March I went to St. Louis for a Hypnobabies Childbirth Instructor training. It was a wonderful experience and I finished the certification process so the plan is for me to start teaching soon! It was also the first time that Marisol and I were ever apart. It was 5 long days and nights but we survived!

Shortly after I came back home we finally found a townhouse in Old Town Alexandria that met all of our "criteria" and so the rest of March was spent getting ready to move. This is Mike and my 5th place since we've been married (which will be 8 years this summer)! I figured out that our average time spent in a home is 23 months, so I'm hoping that we beat that with this place! We moved the weekend of April 1st and are slowly getting settled.

Ok well that's the update! Hopefully I will begin to write more in the near future....

I found another cool blog in my internet wanderings called "Enjoy Birth". Also she is having a give away for a Homeopathic remedy called cold calm.

http://enjoybirth.com/blog

Check it out!

So Gerry is 13 months old today. But I wasn't really even thinking about that much this morning when I woke up. I was mostly thinking, get going! So in less than 20 minutes I got showered, dressed, put a load of laundry in and started washing the dishes all before Gerry woke up.

Normally I go on the computer, drink my coffee, and take my time waking up. Not today. I told my mom, I started my day off with a bang!

And I was glad too, because when my good friend Alissa called me and was at a fun playground babysitting her old charges I was ready to go. This playground is AWESOME and so close to where we live. I can't believe I didn't know about it! When I excitedly told Marisol that our friend Alissa was at a cool playground and would she like to go in a little while she said, "Sure Mom." Hahaha - I never would have believed that 6 months ago! She still likes to stay home a lot but she does like to do fun things too and has been much more up for seeing other people too.

Gerry managed to stay awake the whole time so he didn't nap till we got home after noon. He was so tired but he had fun too! And he actually made it through the day with only 1 nap which is only the second time he has done that. Then I made myself some yummy Quinoa soup, cleaned the kitchen for the second time, and got some QT in the Marisol before Gerry woke up. We played with our pattern blocks and watched "Olivia" and rested.

This afternoon we played in the bedroom, doing the "sheet thing" (like a parachute over the kids), then we were in the hall and I was trying to fold laundry but Gerry wanted to lead me around by my finger, so I gave him a towel to distract him. He was standing by himself, which he has been doing from time to time, usually without noticing. When he does notice he gets VERY excited. So I tried to balance him and he took a good couple of steps to me. Then we had him walk to Marisol over and over and it was so cute! He was so excited and she loved catching him, then would pick him up ("I'm so strong!") and drag (I mean carry!) him to me... she only choked him once.

We skyped with my parents so they could see him. I talked to my MIL on the phone too. Then we finished the afternoon with more playing in our "corn pool", and another trip to the playground where Marisol got to play with our neighbors Sophie and Max who she loves.

Tonight we got Gerry to walk more so Mike could see and once we were practicing he just took off! Walking all the way down the hall... it is so unbelievable how it seems like all of a sudden they just do it! So fun. We also were able to skype with Mike's dad and sister and my sister. So a lot of family got to see him take his first steps. Love technology.

Anyways.

The apartment is pretty much picked up, I'm caught up on laundry, the kids went to bed early.... sigh. Life is good. (sometimes it doesn't take much August has been a good month. I'm feeling much more my happy self. I haven't been very good keeping up on this blog, but I always have thoughts that I wish I could get down somewhere. The other night I was thinking how Gerry was such a bright, happy, spot for me this past year. But at the same time if I'm really honest with myself he was also probably indirectly a reason why I was struggling so much too (mostly with being tired, homesick and overwhelmed). I don't know if it is because he is 1 now or if I've just had a shift in attitude but things have been much better since our long trip up to NY. It's probably both. Oh and I talked to Mike. Crazy how communicating with your husband helps you feel better - even when it doesn't change anything.

It's not every day that I feel like both a good "housewife" and a good mom. Today was one of those days. I love what I'm doing, I love where I am, I love my life. There is nothing like choosing this path of staying home to make you feel like superwoman one moment and a complete disaster the next. I want to remember these good moments. I can't even believe that I have a 4 year old and a 1 year old... time really does fly.

Well, I'm going to wrap this up and try to get some sleep! Good night to all...

So Mike took this with his phone soon after Gerry was born. I love it! I don't want to lose it so I thought I would post it here.