Blogging

One of the first things you learn about blogging is that you should be consistent. I have attempted this over the my life as a blogger with varying results. As my alter-ego, I had blogs scheduled at least a month in advance for three days a week. When I switched genres, I planned on doing the same thing. Didn't happen. I'm wondering if it's because I decided to be more...me on this blog and so I feel more vulnerable. Or maybe it's just because it's a different time in my life and my priorities have changed. Either way I could only categorize this blog as haphazard.

I blog once every two weeks over at Everybody Needs a Little Romance with an awesome group of women--You really should go check us out-- so I over maternity leave I was wondering how often should I blog here. I'd started this blog thinking three times a week, but obviously that hasn't worked. I thought maybe I could do a feature such as my tidbit Tuesdays, but that really hasn't seem to draw that many readers...besides I blog at ENALR on Tuesdays.

I tried to build the readership with contests and wasn't really successful  giving things away (but I think that has more to do with the reluctance to comment than reading)

So maybe twice a week? Once a week?

So I'm throwing this out there. Do you want to hear about my writing only or would my garden or cooking exploits interest you? What about my family, which is a big part of who I am. Do you want writing advice?

Throw your two cents in, please! And if you're a blogger, feel free to tell me what works for you.

I'd really appreciate it.

Insane Part Two

Okay, where were we? Oh yeah, on the brink of insanity. If you're interested in catching up, you can find part one here.

So he morning arrives. I wake up to feed the baby, planning to let the kiddos sleep until right before we're getting in the car. You know, drowsy, sleepy kids make traveling easier. Unfortunately, I didn't share this information with my husband who jumps on their beds, tickles and generally rouses--at least the 6yos--into a traveling frenzy. Hyper, energized kids make traveling...interesting.

Okay back on track. My biggest fear was how I was going to feed the baby. After talking with a lactation nurse, her advice was to try and feed her by leaning over the car seat. Um, sounds good in practice but in reality. I'm only 5'2" and and um... yeah. Did a dry run--so to speak--and just had to laugh. That was not happening.

So it was actually with a huge dose of trepidation that I climbed in next to the car seat and we backed out of the drive way.

Wouldn't you know, feedings were not a problem...diapers were. You see, if necessary, I could give her a supplement bottle while we were driving, and I brought the pump but using it in a car full of kids seemed...yeah, I didn't do it. But I couldn't change her without taking her out of her car seat. So although every stop did take a bit longer so I could feed her, we used that time to let the kids run off some energy, we had to make special stops to change the poor baby. She seemed to have a special affinity for Winnemucca...there and back. Thank God for sturdy plastic bags and aunts with really good washing machines.

Another thing, my gorgeous infant who takes 10 to, rarely, 30 min catnaps during the day slept almost all the way to Utah. She'd wake up, be happy, look around, eat and go back to sleep for sometimes 2-3 hours! We thought she wouldn't sleep that night but her night schedule didn't change....go figure.

And baby is awake again so I will end with saying I made the trip there and back and don't seem any more insane than when I left. Of course that's not saying much. ; )

Insane?

This summer my husband and I drove six of our children, including the newborn, from California to Utah to visit family. Several friends questioned my sanity upon hearing this plan and I do have to say it sounded a lot more feasible in November than in early July as I was working out the statistics.

You see, baby girl eats at least every two hours and nurses for an hour each time. Yup, that would mean stopping every two hours for an hour. It's roughly a 12 hour trip depending on stops. You do the math, it hurts my head. That's a long trip...

We also have two six year olds, one a very active boy, a 14 year old boy who has sprouted up so tall he can't sit in the back back of the van any more. There's the 17 year old girl (with the laptop that I think has fused to her lap) and the 11 year old girl who "does not want to sit with the six year olds in the back because they are so annoying."

Um yeah.

So the night before I'm trying to organize everything to take. You never really understand how much stuff a baby needs until you try to shove it in the  back of a van. Thankfully my aunt has a washer and dryer so I didn't have to empty her drawers.

I'm sleep-deprived on my best day. This just happened to fall on two consecutive nights that baby girl slept only a combined 5 hours...which gives me about 4. Sandwiches needed to be made, a run to the store for a cooler (ours mysteriously disappeared) backpacks full of clothes checked. (Six year olds will forget things like underwear and instead bring five pair of pjs) Diapers had to be counted, blankets, toys, bottles, formula (I was never so thankful for supplemental feedings but more on that later) The lap top packed safely--I'd planned to work while on vacation...more on that later too--as well as video and still cameras... my head was buzzing trying to remember everything and reminding myself that we weren't going to Egypt, but to a place that had Targets and Wincos... But, and this is a big but, there is hours of desert between here  and there. I added two gallons of water just in case.

We packed snacks for the trip. I nixed the candy and cookies and donuts my husband was leaning toward and instead got fruit snacks and graham crackers. It's hard enough to be stuck in a house with sugar-high kids let alone a van.

My husband wanted to leave at 6 am. The baby usually wakes up around then to eat so I was encouraging him to plan on 6:30 at the earliest.

It was after 1 when I finally crawled into bed.

To be continued (sorry  baby is awake and hungry) : )