Reflections on 300

The day I gave birth to this blog we were also about to give birth to our fifth child.  With the retrospect looking back through three hundred posts I can see many things have come full circle in the past three years.

Growing up
At the beginning of the Circus House we were busily preparing for Ellie's arrival.  Bringing back the crib from retirement once again in a comeback no less shocking then the return Brett Favre. But I am holding my final press conference.  I have retired the crib for good.  It is in the basement and we are retiring it's number.  It has served this family well.

Where we were buying newborn diapers and picking out baby names we are now hoping each change of the Pull Up will be the last and yesterday Ellie started her first day of Dance Camp.  No longer a baby.

Yet something stay the same and one is that I weigh exactly what I did the day she was born.  Occasionally I beat myself up and daily I vow that today will be the day that I count points and wake up at 6 and go to the gym but instead I enjoy chips and hot dogs with friends at the lake, I savor my trips to Urban Ground not only for the delicious Vanilla Lattes and Caramel Machiatos and the energy they give me to face the messy house, fighting children, and long to do list but also for the 10 minutes in line that I get to talk to a real live adult and have an actually conversation without once yelling, "I'm serious or if you don't do it you are grounded."

Work

The minute my first baby was born I felt the overwhelming desire to find a way to work from home.  As the children continued to outnumber me it became necessary to find a space downtown where I could meet clients without them navigating a minefield to get to the computer.  I love having a workspace where everything stays how I leave it, I wasn't working until 2 am, there was a division between work time and home time.  I felt more professional and was able to get more work done.

 Now I am shifting back to working from home so I can be here to get Carson on the bus each day for Kindergarden and be home when the kids get home from school.  I will still be doing my photography but I won't be selling the dance or baby gear in order to focus on Snappy Socks and attend tradeshows and general crazy sock adventures.

I truly give credit to this blog for putting me on a path to Snappy Socks.  I believe if you are open to the potential that the universe has for you that there are things much bigger than even you can imagine for yourself.  I wrote in a blog long before I ever got on a plane to Toronto that I would take my idea to Dragons' Den and it happened so here for #300 I am going to say that I will take the socks to Ellen a do a sock dance with her.  Let's see what the Universe can do for me.


Family and Friends

The only real thing that really matters are those who are close to you.  The rest is just the bacon bits on top of your baked potato.  As always I am so fortunate to have a family who are my friends and friends who are really like a family.  I am so excited to see my children grow and flourish in an amazing community of role models and watch as there are moments where there is a glimmer of them being friends. I am blessed to have the most wonderful husband and I do realize I am spoiled to have someone to organize my life and be my personal chef. 



Power of Women

Next week I will be going with my Mom on an adventure to Vancouver.  With only a couple of weeks notice we will be attending a one day amazing conference with such amazing speakers as Ellen DeGeneres.  I am inspired by women every day.  Many time they don't even know that they are an inspiration because they are so busy with the day to day of their life but you can believe that you are an inspiration to someone around you. 

The women that live on Wisteria lane with me inspire me.  The mom whose baby is leaving in a month to University, who runs a business and for the last 25 years has been the gas in the tank for a busy family.  Devoting herself to taking kids to activities, to chaperoning get togethers, sewing dance costumes and doing the million things that moms do without a second thought will now get to take some time for herself.  To rediscover what her passion is.  Or the mom who sits outside to watch her kids play rather than sending them out to entertain themselves, who does her hair before she goes to bed so she looks amazing at the bus stop, that she wears earrings to mow the lawn.  She reminds me that you can be a mom and still brush your hair.  Or the first time mom who has a beautiful child that was born with health complications who has already experienced so many highs and lows and has risen to the challenge of not only first time motherhood but has become a advocate for her child and I am so inspired by her. 

My mom who is going to the conference with me is for sure my biggest fan and she has given me everything.  She taught me what it means to be a mother and has always put her kids and family first ahead of herself. If only she had taught me how to be cleaner and more organized I wouldn't drive my husband so insane.

My mother in law is also a major inspiration. One of the hardest working people I know it is nice to know see her retired.  That doesn't mean that she is slowing down any still raising money through the Breast Friends.  It helps me to look forward to the future for Pat and I to make plans and know that the yogurt spilled on the carpet and the fights with the teenager over curfew will someday be a thing we laugh about over Christmas supper.  That all the time with your kids growing up will eventually be behind you and someday (hopefully at least a decade away) Pat and I will be Grandparents looking forward to retirement.  We work everyday to ensure when that day comes we will still like each other and things like anniversaries and date nights help to solidify a relationship in the middle of the stress of work and family. 

There are women everywhere to inspire us, our Splurge group, teachers, stay at home moms, University athletes studying to get degrees.  I am sure whether you know it or not you are an inspiration to someone. 

Thank You

If you read my blog I want to Thank You for sharing in our sometimes crazy life.  I can't even imagine what the next 300 posts will bring but I am pretty sure it will be a Circus!