To blog or not to blog...

It has been a long, hard decision whether to start a blog or not. About 3 years ago, I made a weak attempt to start one, got about 8 posts into it, and just couldn't continue. I'm not sure why, but I know that part of me was still clinging to the "paper and pencil" journaling I have done since I was a child. It seemed inconvenient to always have to sit down at a computer to jot a quick thought, and so my old fashioned method, however sporadic, continued.

Then, along came Facebook, which is basically a shortened, interactive blog for people who only have (or care to make) time for brief sentences or mental snapshots. I LOVE Facebook. I MISS Facebook, which I gave up for Lent. (Talk about feeling isolated from the world and in my own lonely desert for 40 days!) I plan to love fiercely on Facebook at some point on Easter Sunday. I'm sure I'll have about a gazillion updates, which I won't have time to read, but I'll be back AND back in the know about what's going on with everyone. (And thanks to those of you who A.) realized I was gone, and B.) told me you missed my Facebook presence. As cheesy and stupid as it sounds, it means a lot to be missed, even if just in a virtual sense.)

In the meantime, my iPad arrived. It shipped from halfway around the world. I had to wait almost a month to get it. And with it has also come the realization that jotting down a few thoughts will no longer require sitting at a desk! I could do it in the car. I could do it in a jar. I could do it in the van. I could do it with a can. I could do it here or there. Say, I could do it ANYWHERE! And so, I think it has been decided. I think I will try to keep a record of our days using the awesome and quite portable technology now at my fingertips. (And I'm not gonna lie, I just really need to start writing stuff down and taking more pictures, because as most of my friends, and ALL of my family know, I inherited my father's memory, which means I can't remember what happened to me three seconds ago.)

A few notes before we begin....

What I hope this blog is: a place for me to write down the epic joys, but also the humbling failures that are just part of the experience of parenting and homeschoolng. I hope to keep a record of my gardening progress, a record of what we are doing in school, and the milestones that the girls hit along the way. (There might be some chicken lamentations thrown in. I miss them. What more can I say?) These posts and thoughts are really for my own "record-keeping" if you will. I do not believe for one minute that they will be of use to anyone. I DO hope that my family and friends will enjoy hearing about the funny antics of the three little ladies in the house, and what we're up to in this little corner of the world.

What this blog will NOT be: a place to brag about how perfect and wonderful my life is, because there are plenty of blogs out there depicting the rose-colored tales of "perfect Catholic homeschooling mothers doing everything perfectly, motherly and Catholicy (I made up that word) and flowery froo-froo." And while I love to get on those blogs every now and again to steal an idea or craft, for the most part, they give me something akin to a panic attack and lead to nothing but feelings of inadequacy about basically every choice I've made in my life. I will decidedly NOT be one of those bloggers. This will not be a place where I claim to have all the answers, or really any answers. About anything.

Oh, and there will be lots of parenthetical statements and run-on sentences. I just love them. That's how my brain works. Consider this a forewarning and also an apology.

PS: This "official first post" is dedicated to Alexis and Ellie, who have inspired me, made me laugh, and made me realize that blogging can't be all that scary!