Confessions of a ... Mom (#1): Why THIS Series?!?

I started this blog in September of 2008 for the purpose of having somewhere to document all of the happenings in the lives of my (at the time) two young daughters. I knew how poorly of a job I had done maintaining Ivie's (then 2.5 years old) baby book, and I knew that with a toddler and an infant, that task was not going to become any easier. Through this blog, I have discovered that I love to write, edit, review, tweak some more, and publish stories for "the world" (or the maybe 25 people that read my blog, at least) to see. Truth be told, though, even if I had zero "followers", even if I didn't force 10 family members and friends to get the updates in their inbox (even if they didn't specifically ask to receive it), I would still write this blog.

Do you know why? It all goes back to the main reason I started it in the first place. For my kids.

I get giddy when I think that someday, when they're settling into their lives as young adults or even parents themselves (because, let's face it, they're probably not going to care much about the blog before then), they will have something they can hold in their hands that tells their life story. That's why every year I turn my blog into a 400+ page hard-copy book (working on editing the pages of Year 2 right now so that I can use my Blurb jasmere voucher that expires 2.18.2011 - tick, tock, tick, tock). Something tangible, like a baby book of sorts, filled with their memories.

It makes me smile just thinking about it.

But you know what else I've recently realized I want them to get from this blog? I want them to have a better understanding of their mom. So someday, when I'm long gone, they can sit and read and talk and laugh with THEIR kids, and their grandkids, about the person they called Mom. And know ME, maybe in ways that I never really had the opportunity or reason to discuss with them.

To date, I haven't really ventured down that path here. Probably because that would involve introspection, and that takes time. Time that I haven't required myself to commit. Yes, I have a full-time job. And it's VERY full-time. Probably too much so for my own liking and (sometimes) well-being. And my amazing husband? He, too, works very, very hard in a new position that he just began 6 months ago that causes him to travel a LOT. And we have sweet baby #3 on the way, which certainly isn't going to make life any calmer (though it will multiply our joy tremendously, I know!).

But I've done some thinking and some reading lately that have made me realize that this is an area on which I need to focus. My legacy, I guess, to use a fancy term. What is it about me that I want my kids to remember? To know and understand about me, as a person? My attributes that are considered in this world to be positive, as well as those that are just downright frustrating (as hard as those will be to write about).

Last night, before I went to bed, I was thinking about the possibility of this blog series, and approximately 52 topic ideas popped into my head in a matter of minutes. This morning, as I sit and write this introduction to the series before beginning another long work day, I'm having a hard time remembering any of them. So hopefully they'll come back to me at a time when I can write them down. Because I really think this could be something great.

Not really for you all, my few (but treasured) followers. But for my 3 kiddos someday. You know, the little people for whom I started this blog in the first place.