Back in the Saddle

Well, isn’t this embarrassing…

So…maybe I officially stink at blogging.  I mean, the last post I did was announcing our pregnancy back in…February???  Then – shazam!  Suddently that pregnancy turned into a 1-month-old ball of cuteness, and I have exactly zero posts between those two life-changing events.  Pitiful for an aspiring blogger.  Just pitiful.

Looking back to this past summer, as the time for my maternity leave got nearer and nearer, I got more and more excited – I would have all of this free time to blog – to share my recipes and stories and photos and such!  Pahaha!  What was I thinking?!?  With a 2-year-old and a newborn?  When did I think THAT was going to happen?

In truth, I’d already drafted at least 3 or 4 recipe posts in the months leading up to LG’s arrival, including mouth-watering photos.  And I’ve probably written 20 posts in my head – titles like Things I Never Thought I’d Say…Until I Had a Two-Year-Old (“Don’t lick the floor, honey”…”We can only drive the trains on her tummy, sweetheart, not her head”…”Just the lips, not the tongue” when he tries to lick my chapstick), Why You’re Not a Bad Mom When You Let Your Kids Have Cookies for Dinner, and A Sampling of Sleep-Deprived Exchanges Between Husband and Wife (example from last night at 11:30 pm: “You should get a cupcake tattoo.  Then you can call your blog ‘The Girl with the Cupcake Tattoo’.“).  But since being home on maternity leave over the past 5 weeks, in the company of a newborn and a very active toddler, I’ve found that one of the most ridiculously difficult tasks is finding a time when I have two free hands!  So writing blog posts is kind of out of the question.

And yet, I’m itching to do some little productive things, some little things that enrich my soul, and to connect with all of you again.  I figured if I put it in writing – and in public – then I’d be more likely to ACTUALLY do it.  So I’m committing to you – you vast cyber space of anonymous friends and acquaintances – to blog the following stories/posts over the next 3 months.  Hold me accountable, folks.  Let me know what you’re most excited to hear about (and if I’m forgetting any recipes you’ve requested), and I’ll get moving on them!

Recipes:
Chocolate upside-down pudding cake (family classic, and easiest, most crowd-pleasing dessert EVER)
The Stockton’s Famous Friday Night Pizza
Chocolate Panna Cotta Layer Cake (oh yes…)
Asparagus ham crepes
Blanched asparagus (don’t hate it until you try it!)
Crusty no-knead artisan bread (easiest, tastiest loaf EVER!)
Eggs Florentine
Naan bread
Experiences:
Liesl’s birth
Lots and lots of photos of Liesl (& Oliver…cause he’s stinkin’ cute, man!)
Photos of our adventures as of late

Thoughts:
Deep thoughts on a 2-year-old’s vocabulary
The Relativity of Motherhood:  Adjusting Expectations as a New Mom
When Your Kid is Hogging the Slide at the Playground (or: Why It’s Oddly OK for My Toddler to Randomly Hug Your Daughter and Give her a Big Wet One Right On the Mouth; or: Analyzing Social Norms of Kids on a Playground – and How They Translate to Adult Social Settings)
What If Toddlers Acted Like Grownups (in reaction to this rather amusing video)
Celebrate the Ordinary (or: Why We Drink Orange Juice from Champagne Glasses)
Inspirations…reflecting on why I’ve done what I’ve done in life
“You’ll Thank Me When You’re Older” – When you’re a parent, and you begin to realize everything your parents did for you…and you feel guilty for being so ungrateful for 3 decades
Thoughts from a working mom: the blessing of adversity and the phenomenon of perspective
Thoughts on classifying people (experience with “The Color Code”)
Lori’s never-fail lesson planning technique
Self-Proclaimed Limitations:  Why and How We Limit Ourselves and Our Happiness