It's not you...it's me.

Last night, one of our best friends was hanging out at our house. We kept chuckling about how anytime we wondered something (my wondering: how old Salma Hayek is because she is smokin') we could just use our phones or our laptop. No waiting. No pondering. No tip-of-the-tongue frustration.

The internet is awesome. Actually awe-some though. Awe-inspiring.

I can get answers (or at least an opinion to put me at ease) when I have one of my weekly health concerns. The amount in copays alone that it's saved me...wow.

I have been able to figure out this huge food allergy thing...and help others on their journey.

And the girls I have met through the blogosphere/Twitterverse? Well, even though when I talk about them (oh, yes, I love them enough to talk about them IRL), I get that look. The "Ohhh, I didn't realize you have friends that live in your computer. Never saw that comin.' " And although I have only heard a handful of their voices through my phone, I feel more connected to some of them then to friends who I see, in person, regularly. I've met people who "get" me. Girls who are my friends. Not my blogfriends or my Twitter friends. Just my friends.

It's an awesome thing.

But? Sometimes the internet sucks. you. in. Or maybe it's just me. So it sucks. me. in. And I wanna know what my friends are up to. And I need to play in one of my 3095033 games of Words with Friends. And yes, I want to spit these words out onto a blog post before I forget them. And that drama going on around Twitter? Well, of course I want to get the dirt!

And because I am a working momma, my evenings are precious and short and frenzied. I'm trying to fit in time to read The Foot Book to G for the 7th time that day. Trying to give L my undivided attention so that he can tell me the new exciting story. Trying to fit in workouts. A conversation with B. Making lunches. Checking backpacks.

And that whole balance thing that I said I wanted to work on? Well, evidently it's a good goal, because I have not reached it. I am so unsteady that I don't know if I'll ever be able to juggle Twitter-mommyhood-SLP-exercise-marriage like some of my girls. These days are deliciously crazy, and I want to remember them that way.

So I've decided to just step back and breathe a little. I'm not throwing my computer out the window ... when you gotta blog, you gotta blog. I'll check in on Twitter but not feel the need to go a while back in the timeline to see what I missed. I know I've never been good at responding to comments, but I can't respond to all of them for the time being anyway.

I'm thinking all this time on the yoga mat - and, yes, a nudge from God - are giving me a craving for presence and balance and zen everywhere.

Which reminds me, I have a yoga love post rolling around in my head. I need to get on that. I kid, I kid. Well, kinda. Anyway.

Hopefully with this life shift, I'll get the chance to sing a few more rounds of "the Hot Dog Song" with G, or play Wii with L, or just sit on my couch and breathe. Or think of 29059 reasons why I love the internet.

Namaste'.

My PSA on comments

I'm WAY far behind on blog reading. I'm trying, but it's not going well. At home, I get very little time to myself, and when I do, I'm absolutely obsessed with The Hunger Games.

When I have a few minutes between kids at school, I (shhh) try to read a post here or there. But it's IEP season and this week is apparently meltdowns-from-Hell week (seriously, the first four kids I saw today were either in crisis or dangerously close to it).

So when I do get a sec, and I read your brilliant post, and I want to leave my own loving comment, and I can't, I get so frustrated. I haven't been able to figure out why that's been happening lately. And then my friend Colleen posted this post today explaining it.

As she explained in her post, if your comment box is embedded below your post, then we can't comment on your posts. So if you go into your settings, then go to comments, and make your comment box appear in it's own window, you'll be golden. I can leave you some love.

Help a sister out, would ya?

Namaste.

I was nominated? I mean, I was nominated!

Something happened that I never saw coming.

Not in a million years.

I was nominated for a couple of bloggy awards! Little ole me with my silly little L stories. In fact, one of my L stories was nominated for a "Most Inspiring Post" award.

I. Am. Floored.

Especially because I'm in the company of bloggers that I really admire, and two of them are girls who have leapt from "blogfriend" to "IRL friend" territory, Jess and Katie.

So, yeah. Shocked.

I am not one of those people who asks for votes, because I think that kinda defeats the whole purpose of one of these things. So I won't.

But do go check out Karen's blog, because I am confident that you'll love her as much as I do. Plus? She put in a lot of work to set up this nomination thing. Oh, and there are some amazing blogs highlighted, many of which I'd never have known about if it weren't for the nominations.

To whomever nominated me...namaste.

Close Encounters of the Bloggy Kind

Have I mentioned that I am the most starstruck girl in the world?

Did I ever tell the story about making a fool out of myself because I was so aflutter from a local newscaster? No? Oh. That's a good one. Remind me of that story next time I have blogger's block.

I actually have had a terrible case of blogger's block lately. It's been cured, and my starstruckness (yes,that's a word) has been reignited because last night, I met this guy:

You recognize him, right? Matt? Writer of this blog? And this book? Of course you do. He's amazing. And not amazing in the way everyone overuses amazing. This guy actually amazes me. If you read his blog, you know why. If you don't, go ahead and start reading it. Just get your tissues ready first.

Let me back up. Yesterday, I was perusing tweetdeck and saw that he had tweeted about being in my city. Once my heart started beating again, I sent a text message to my friend Melissa, who stalks him too enjoys his blog as much as I do. I'm not sure exactly what the text said, but it was possibly in all caps and said a little something about him being in our!city! There may have been a few extra exclamation points. Allegedly.

She was immediately game for going. I had plans, and wavered on whether or not I could cancel them. I tweeted about wanting to go see him, and went into pure starstruck mode when ohmahgah-Matt-sent-me-a-tweet-back-encouraging-me-to-come. By a stroke of luck (holla!), the plans ended up cancelling themselves at the very last minute, and to make a long story short(er), I found myself flying down the highway on a 45 minute drive to see one of my favorite bloggers.

We tiptoed in, a few minutes after Matt started his reading. He was as likeable as he is on his blog... hilariously self-depricating at times, emotional and heartwrenching at others. There were a few children there (I don't know, don't ask), and he apologized every time he read a swear word.

There was a nice long q and a session, where he answered everyone's questions, and listened when people cried, telling him how he touched their lives. He was gracious and sweet and exactly what you'd expect from him. Oh. And he does read all of his blog comments. I asked.

I ended up buying his book and waiting in a long line to have him sign it.

thanks to my friend Elizabeth for this photo. I had to include it because it clearly shows my starstruckness,no?

And then.....

Wait for it....

He touched me.

And then I drove home and got lost in the worst part of my city and had to drive down dark alleys and I was crying because my GPS froze and my phone was about to die and my husband freaked out when I called him and he figured out where I was and I almost vomited on myself in my car because I was so scared that I was going to die.

But I met Matt. And got to hear him read his book. And he touched my shoulder. Totally worth the near-death experience.

You know you want to.

Can you guys do me a big favor? Please?

Can you go to that link next to your picture on your Dashboard that says "Edit Profile" and click it, and then mark the box under Privacy that says "Show my e-mail address"?

Pretty please?

So many of you comment and I really want to respond to your comment via e-mail, but you have that whole "noreply-comment" thing going on.

And if you are worried about your real name being out there for the blogosphere to know, just create a blog e-mail like I did (namastebyday@gmail.com). It takes two seconds.

****Thanks to Katie for reminding me of how to allow e-mail comments...she shows unending patience with my need to be walked through everything!

Back to my regularly scheduled programming,er,blogging

Sorry...apparently when I published that last post, I sent my IRL and blogfriends into a tizzy, wondering what the drama was all about.

Truth be told, there really isn't any drama.

Last week, my mom e-mailed me and asked me to please read the attached e-mail and send it to my brother in hopes that it would convince him to come to church with us.

I scrolled down to find my own post about church. (No link-just my post, cut and pasted.)

I was shocked. I called my mom, who actually didn't realize that I had written it...until I fessed up.

I started my blog as a way to vent. Very few people that I know IRL know about my blog and I kind of like it that way. However, as my follower count has grown, I've become increasingly more hesitant about what I post. Given the fact that I need to keep a lot of details about my job confidential, I know I need to be careful.

It just makes me wonder who is reading my blog, you know?

I found out that the person who e-mailed the post to my mom's neighbor (who also attends our church and e-mailed it to my mom) has been using my post in a class he teaches at church. Apparently, it has been quite helpful to him and other people, and for that, I am proud.

It just made me a little wiggy that I'm not as private as I thought.

But I'm back. And I've decided to continue blogging as I always have...boldly but carefully. And if you know me in real life and you are reading my blog, and you find out information that you didn't really want to know-you know, about my breast pumping, or my menstrual cycle...or worse...

...don't say I didn't warn you.

Namaste.

The blogosphere is a funny place.

In the last couple of days, something really crazy came about from one of my blog posts. Ultimately, it was a very positive thing, but I'll be honest...the whole thing freaked me out a bit. When a family member who did not know about your blog forwards you one of your own posts, that will happen.

The whole story is crazy but I'm still gathering my thoughts on it and my blog in general.

So I'm taking a very brief blogging hiatus of sorts.

In the meantime, go check out the giveaway on Abbie's blog. She is a supermama and if I could, I'd make her a cape, of course made out of recycled materials.

I promise to be back with more details of the drama and new blog posts soon.

Namaste.

Behind on Life

I am way behind on everything blog related. I have gotten a few emails that I haven't returned, I've been inconsistent at best on posting, and I may be the World's Worst Commenter title holder at the moment.

Sorry.

Honestly, I'm feeling a little out of control. I've been wrapped up in some work drama that I'd love to blog about, but seeing as how these posts could be read by absolutely anyone, I think I'll bite my tongue (er, fingers?) since I want to keep my job (at least until I can find a new one).

I've also been obsessed with finding the perfect Christmas gifts online and so far, I have done so for about 75% of the people for whom I need to buy gifts. If I can help it, I'll never enter the mall again. Thank you, eBay, Etsy, and PayPal.

However, I have two hilarious stories for you....all about my L.

This morning, he woke up talking about his car, The King, again. That always makes me laugh, but when he smiled and announced, "I love Fuh King," I decided it was time to warn the teachers about good ole Fuh King.

Secondly, I asked him to get his socks on this morning. He ignored me and went about his merry way for several minutes. I guess the tone of my voice changed when I asked him for the 4th time, and he looked at me, put his hands up, and said, "Mommy, be patient. Just be patient."

My response? "I will not be patient...I've asked you four times to get your socks on. I am out of patience."

L looked at me and started singing the song that we sing to him when he makes "sad choices," "Uh-oh, Mommy needs a little bedroom time! This is SO sad."

Apparently, I have lost control in all aspects of my life....

An apology of sorts

Lately, whenever I start to hit "Publish Post" after writing a blog post, I cringe.

I know that I'm going to offend someone with what I've written. Somehow, I've managed to avoid those hate comments that make me shake my head in amazement when I read them on other people's blogs, but I figure it'll happen anytime.

Before it does, I want to make something abundantly clear.

What I write on my blog is pretty self-centered. I mean, let's be honest, we all are to some degree...we are all talking about ourselves and our lives every day. Like everyone else, I have my reasons for blogging. For me, it's a therapeutic outlet; a way to make friends; a log of my life; a virtual baby book.

But when I complain, I am aware that sometimes I hurt people's feelings, and that's the last thing I want to do.

I have friends who have lost babies; who are trying to get pregnant, and I know that when I complain yet again about my trials with Gray, it's irritating.

I have friends who are struggling with their weight; who are trying to dig deep and find motivation to exercise, and I know that when I complain about being fat when I'm not, or even my workouts, it's maddening.

I have friends who are out of work; who hate their job, and I know that when I go on and on for the 36538th time about how much I love my job, it's frustrating.

I do know.

But I want to put something out there. If I've commented on your blog, I am, at the very least, a little envious of something about your life.

Your baby who sleeps five hour stretches.

Your ability to stay home with your children. Even part-time.

Your amazing photography skills.

Your way with words.

Your follower count.

Your ripped arms.

Your kid without food allergies.

Your faith.

Your relationship with your mom.

Your long, gorgeous hair.

Your big group of friends.

Your clean house.

Your cooking skills.

I could go on and on and on. But you get the point. Just know that I feel twinges of jealousy all too often. And if I say something to offend you, I am sorry. Truly. It probably won't surprise anyone to know that in real life, I'm a bit absent-minded, but I almost always have good intentions. It's the same here in the blogosphere.

Namaste.

100!

I entered the world of blogging on my myspace account right before I got pregnant. I loved writing, venting, and of course, finding a new way to socialize. When B had had a long day at work on the phone, he just wanted some peace and quiet. When I had had a long day at work, I liked to recharge by telling him all about my day. While the introvert-extrovert marriage has its pros, the end-of-the-day needs are not included in that list. So I discovered that I could tell my stories online, and if I was lucky, someone like Anrazel or Laura would reply.

Then, I found Jodie's blog when my best friend Em sent me there to check out some photos of her family that Jodie had taken.

Through Jodie's blog, I found the real blogosphere, and I promptly fell in love.

I signed up for google reader and stalked blogs quietly for a few months. I remember being nervous to turn my myspace blog into a big-girl blog over on blogger. I knew I wasn't nearly as talented at writing as some of the blogs that I followed. I certainly had no photography talent to supplement my posts. What if no one followed me? What if I sucked at blogging?

I waited until I came up with my perfect blog name, and then tested the waters. It was then that I realized that I wasn't in it for the followers. I was in it to document my life as a mommy, as a wife, as a speech-language pathologist. I was in it to find more blogs that could make me giggle or put things into perspective after a shitty day at work. I loved being inspired by the amazing writers out there.

I never thought I'd be able to ask for advice on something...anything...and get it.

I never thought I'd post about my crappy day, feel a little better, and then get supportive comments from people, and feel completely better.

I never thought I'd make real friends to whom I would send Christmas cards, text at 6 am, tell secrets that I couldn't share with anyone else, wonder about even when I wasn't reading their blogs, and talk about to my IRL friends and family.

Don't get me wrong. Every single time I got a new follower, I'd get a thrill. And this week, when I got my 100th follower, I was ec. stat. ic. Never in a million years did I think my followers would be in the triple digits. Really. Never.

I am so thankful for everything the blogosphere and more importantly, those of you who read my silly little blog about my silly little life have given me.

I am going to open up my giveaway to anyone who is a follower as of right now. So if you've joined my followers since I posted the giveaway and want in for my favorite Avon goods, let me know.

And if you've already been a follower friend and become a huge part of my life and have done more for me than you probably ever knew, know that today, I am truly grateful for you.

In the truest sense of the word....namaste.

Come out, come out, wherever you are......

I've gotten a few new followers lately, some of which are anonymous. The anonymity doesn't bother me persay....but it does pique my interest. Same with the non-commenters. I'm just honored that I have people out there willing to read about little old me and to put up with my whining from time to time.

While I still get a thrill every time my follower count increases, I gotta know....

Who are you?

Why are you visiting me?

How'd you find me?

So I'm asking my lurkers to come on out and leave me a comment today. I want to know something, anything, about you. I promise to visit your blog if you have one and do the same for you!

Hook a blog-sister up!

I have....

the worst case of blogger's block.

Ever.

Does this ever happen to you? What is the cure???

Question....

Is anyone else having problems when trying to upload other blogs?

Right now a couple of the blogs I follow kick me off every time I try to open them.

Suggestions? Anyone? Anyone??