Writing - not just in my head anymore.

Time to slow it down and put on my serious face for a moment (but only for a moment, I promise).


Since I've been a kid I've always loved to write.  
When I was a teacher (back in the day), teaching those kids how to write was always my favorite part of their 4th grade journey, and not only did I help them become better writers, I worked on my own craft as well, writing with them every day - stories, editorials, poems - whatever, I just wrote.


For the past 16 years my writing has taken a back seat to diapers, grilled-cheeses, laundry, pre-school, playdates, dance class and rehearsals and recitals, laundry, homework, more grilled-cheeses, birthday parties, The Bachelor, laundry, napping, more grilled-cheeses, middle school and high school homework (which my 4th grade teacher training did not cover), musicals, more rehearsals, never-ending groceries, more laundry and still more grilled-cheeses.  


I did try to spread my wings and dabbled in sales in the mid-90's, getting in on the onset of the scrapbooking craze with Creative Memories, and then a few years later with Dorling Kindersley books.  All that really resulted from those endeavors was a closet full of scrapbooking supplies and a kick-ass library for my kids, and the realization that I'm a terrible salesman.


But other than an occasional note or letter to my girls or a never-sent-out (although fabulous-if-I-do-say-so-myself) children's picture book, I pretty much put the cap back on the old writing pen.


However, throughout every year of the past 16, I've written - furiously - in my head while I sleep.  I'm not kidding.  About once a month I wake up having written an entire story and having actually seen each word being written - in my head - as I slept.  The problem is, I can never remember what it was about when I wake up. Makes it kind of hard to make anything out of my nocturnal genius.


Point is, I've turned over my whole self to raising my family (and don't get me wrong, enjoying every minute...well, most of the minutes) that I think I lost something of myself along the way (probably with all those damn socks in the dryer).
And I have to be honest and admit that there have been times - many times - that I've known that I was missing an important part of me and wanting desperately to find it, but the effort that task would take seemed monumental and I'm just frankly always too tired to tackle it (or it's Monday night and time for 'The Bachelor'. You can see where my priorities might have played a part...).


These past couple of months since I've discovered the wide world of blogging have been just what I've needed - and I didn't even realize it (until I've become a little bit obsessed).


And even though these posts are silly and somewhat pointless, they are somehow fulfilling a part of me that needed to be filled (and I've found that my family is doing just fine wearing dirty clothes and eating cereal for dinner every night...and not complaining about it once).


Maybe the blog will evolve into something bigger and (hopefully) better, but for now, these random little posts are giving me a ridiculous amount of gratification.  It's been a long time since I've had something that was just mine and that I looked forward to doing as much as I'm enjoying this (even figuring out those damn HTML codes).


So thank you for reading and coming along for the ride.  We'll see where it goes. 
And, as always, You're my favorite today.