Welcome and hello!

I have thought about creating a blog for months now.

I am a long-time journal writer (I have about 12 journals since I was 8 years old), and now I'm a mom with decent experience both professionally and personally with kids and babies.  I am open to new ideas in parenting, raising kids, and supporting their training into adulthood. And being a kid is training.  We as parents are their teachers, then we set them free into the big bad world and hope they have the skills they need to be successful. And be in as little therapy as needed!

I am married to my best friend, Justin whom I have known since 1998 and been with romantically involved with (and many times hysterically) since December 31st 2000.  We have 3 amazing boys together. Caleb (2003), Joshua (2006), and Gavin (2008). We even talk about adding further to our family through the adoption of a child in need of a loving home.  In that case, we will be seen as "nuts" by some and "blessed" by others.  I think it'll be a little of both! 

As young as 12 years old I began baby-sitting. Heck one of my first families' boys is on my Facebook, grown up and off in the world! I used to change his diapers! My career as a sitter was long and well documented in my neighborhood. Parents often were recommended to me to sit for them and I loved the jobs, except 3 occasions: 1) when a puppy destroyed my backpack, 2) when I was faced with a off-hand racists remark about black babies and I was very uncomfortable with that parent forever more, and 3) when I had to witness a spanking of a child on a nanny-trip I attended.  Each moment has actually created a memory clip in my "keep this for future reference" catalogue. Thus I do not have a puppy while my kids are puppies themselves, I am very aware of how I describe and relate to people not like my own color or culture at all times, but especially with my kids, and my husband and I do not ever spank our boys.

I actually went on to work as a day care worker in infant and toddler rooms throughout my High School and College years.  I did work in banks here and there, and a short stint as a hostess for Red Lobster, but I always kept coming back to kids.  In college I studies English and Psychology, but never intended to pursue teaching.  I wanted to become an editor. Ah the lofty dreams of young people....

It was while working as a receptionist for a well-known financial brokerage I began to realize how much I missed kids and teaching.  So I went back to school, completed my Teaching Certification in California (as we lived in Sunny San Diego at the time). Teaching was exactly what I did well. However, being a mom always and forever comes first.  I have yet to command my own classroom, other than my home, and thus I am a stay-at-home mom.  But the teacher is still there, ready and willing to return to work as soon as our youngest is in school full-time.

Until then, I must mold the young minds of my boys. If they do not mold me first!