Fears

Although Natalie's ear infection seems to have gotten better (she's at least sleeping through the night again) she has developed a rattling cough and super runny nose.  It could be the congestion from this ear infection breaking up or it could be due to the quick change in weather (80s last week, 60s this week) but whatever the reason..........she's a little miserable.  A little whiny.  A little more prone to temper tantrums over the tiniest things.  She's not running a fever so technically, by the standards of health my mother held while I was growing up, Natalie is fine to go to day-care with Ms. Rebecca.

But I'm not going to lie or mince words here........

This is where being a working mom (and coach) really sucks.

This is where I sit and wonder why on Earth I am working such long hours.

And for what?

The kids?  Perhaps.  They are lovable little buggers at times.

The paycheck?  Possibly.  We couldn't live our life without it.

The fulfillment?  Most of the time.  I enjoy what I do and I know that I'm good at it.

Volleyball season was hard.  I felt like I was missing out on a lot of her life.  And now that we've switched over and Daddy is working more hours I thought that this would be the perfect time to reestablish the Momma-Natalie relationship and have all that fun bonding time that I missed during the season.

Nope.

First person she asks for in the mornings when I get her out of bed is "Dada."  When we get home from school at 5:00 she is itching for Dada to come home.  If she is upset the only person that can comfort her is Dada.

I feel like a failure.  I feel like all the Attachment Parenting propaganda was true - since I didn't co-sleep, baby wear, quit my job and stay home, or breastfeed long enough I failed to establish a secure relationship with my daughter.

There.  I said it.  That's my greatest fear.

Judge away.

My fear is that I've sabotaged my relationship with my daughter forever because of the Postpartum Depression I suffered in the very beginning.  And then I think....maybe if I parented her "right" (whatever THAT is) from the start maybe I wouldn't have had PPD at all.

And then I realize that I'm falling every so quickly down the rabbit hole.

This is what bothers me about "parenting experts" and all the books and theories that are out there about the "right" or "best" way to raise a child.  When you propagate that THIS way is the BEST or ONLY way to successfully parent a child...........if that plan doesn't work for your family or child, then what happens next?  Are the parents and children doomed to failure?  Are all hopes of the children going to college dashed?  Will there be no fun family reunions over Thanksgiving and Christmas?  Should we call the local jail and get the orange jumpsuit ready?

I guess I could psycho-analyze myself and say that all this anxiety stems from me wanting desperately to do things RIGHT and follow the rules so that everything goes according to plan.

And I feel this more so with Natalie than with any other thing in my life.  When I say that she is my greatest accomplishment, I don't mean it in a creepy living-through-my-child or my-life-revolves-around-my-daughter kind of way.  I mean that I fully understand the immense importance that God has placed upon me in raising my daughter.

This is serious stuff.

This is a little girl's life and future that for right now........is held in my hands.

Do I respond with grace and compassion or anger and frustration..........

Do I hold fast to the expectations and boundaries that I feel are appropriate for our family or do I give in to the exhaustion that goes along with dealing with a temperamental toddler and just let her do as she pleases.............

I feel as if everything I do (or don't do) directly affects her mental and physical well-being and that it's my job to live in a manner that will set her up for success later in life.

For example, Craig and I were eating dinner the other night with Natalie after a high school basketball game.  It was late, she was not so hungry but a little wound up and definitely sleepy.  I was just anxious in general.  Part of it was having been around his family at the game, another part was the late evening and Natalie being squirmy and some of it was just me being me.

Craig handed Natalie his iPhone to keep her occupied during the last few minutes of dinner so that we could eat our dessert and then pay the server.

My stomach ached and my brain frizzed out on me.

No, no, no, no, NO.  This is against the rules.  The rules say that our toddler does not play with electronic gadgets such as iPhones to keep her occupied.

I was practically twitching.

Because in my mind, it wasn't just Craig getting through the last few minutes of an already frustrating dinner with a toddler.  To me, we had just shown her that obeying the rules and behaving appropriately isn't important and that if she behaves badly during dinner, Daddy will reward her with getting to play with his phone.

And it's all downhill from there.

See how quickly things can escalate in my head?

I know I'm irrational.  I know that I blow things out of proportion.  And I most certainly know that when I am tired (like I have been all week) my brain begins to play tricks on me which can result in the ramblings you just read.

But be assured that I'm okay.  I'm just really ready for a week long break.

Sick Day

So....volleyball season is over.  Like I told the girls, I will miss spending time with them, but not getting to school at 7:15 and leaving at 5:45.

But life has not returned to any sense of normalcy yet.

Craig and I went to PF Chang's for dinner before seeing the newest James Bond movie, Skyfall.

Which, on a side note....was AWESOME.  I know that the creative forces behind the franchise caught a lot of flack for casting Daniel Craig as the new 007 but I think it was a genius decision.  I highly recommend it.

And on a second note, apparently Craig "isn't that into James Bond" which I found out AFTER seeing the movie when I wanted to watch Casino Royale on Saturday night.  I feel that this is the sort of information that we should have discussed during our premarital counseling.

Alright.  Back to our weekend.  About 45 minutes before the end of the movie, Craig's mother texted and said that Natalie was running a low grade fever - hovering around 100.  We finished the movie and Craig called his mother but by then Natalie had settled down and was sleeping.  But as parents we still had a decision to make - pick up our possibly sick daughter or let her sleep over at Grandmama's house.  Quite frankly, it was a tough choice to make.  I don't want to pass my sick kid off on anyone else but at the same time....she was SLEEPING and one of my major rules is - DON'T WAKE A SLEEPING BABY.  So we decided to let her stay asleep at Grandmama's house and if there were any more problems, Craig would go pick her up.

Which is precisely what he did at 12:30 that night.

Saturday and Sunday were spent at home, trying to get her fever to break.  We would give her the Tylenol and she would cool down but then right before her next dose, she would be burning up again.  The fever never rose over 101 so I didn't think an Acute Kids appointment was necessary.

Until Sunday evening, that is.  Since volleyball season is over and basketball season has begun, I'm on Natalie sick duty if the case arises.  Last year taking a day off from work wasn't so bad because I taught strictly PE and there were four other coaches there to help take care of my classes.  But this year I'm teaching two sections of Texas History which have definite lesson plans that need to be taught.

So I was in a bind.  I didn't want to send her to Ms. Rebecca's house possibly feverish and definitely cranky ESPECIALLY with the new baby boy that has joined our little daycare group.  I didn't want to be called out of class at 10:00 to come get a sick little girl and then have to scramble at the last minute to get my classes covered.  BUT I also didn't want to stay home with Natalie and then have her be perfectly fine and have nothing wrong with her.

I laid it all out for Craig and convinced him that we should probably take her to the Acute Kids place near our house.  And it's a good thing we went because the little miss has an ear infection in her right ear and lots of fluid in the left.

So we've been home today.  Playing and staying in pajamas well past the time that is appropriate.  My mother came over and brought lunch and then sewed up my aging Cabbage Patch Doll Ellie who is well past her prime.  Natalie watched carefully as Nonna fixed Ellie's "boo boos."

She took a great three hour nap followed up by lots of chasing, giggling, coloring and playing with her baby dolls.  After a Sunday spent being mentally attacked by the "she doesn't love you because you had PPD" demons....today was exactly what I needed.

And then this evening happened.

In the span of practically an hour, my child.............

- ate her father's deodorant and declared it "yucky."

- tried to bite my face mid-tantrum

- slipped bottom first into the sink and then proceeded to turn the water on all over her.

I daresay she is feeling much better, don't you think?




And about that face biting incident.  Let me expound a bit.  She was at the top of the stairs and wanting to carry a large bag DOWN the stairs.  Mmm.  Not gonna happen twinkle toes.  I took the bag from her while explaining to her that she could get it back at the bottom.

Apparently my logic did not compute with her plan and a mini-tantrum commenced.  I picked her up and was trying to calm her down while, again, explaining my thought process.  (Usually if WE stay calm during her meltdowns, she calms down rather quickly.  Well, as of right now at least.)

She tried to hit me and I held her arms back and said "No hitting Natalie.  We do not hit because that is mean and it hurts Momma."  Which is our mantra for pretty much everything discipline related.  Short and to the point.

So what was her next choice?  She came at my nose like Hannibal Lector in Silence of the Lambs with her mouth wide open, ready to chomp down.

I couldn't help it.

I put her back down at the top of the stairs and collapsed into a fit of giggles.  Her reaction was priceless - she knew that she SHOULD be getting in trouble for her actions, but she couldn't quite figure out why Momma was laughing hysterically.  She just kind of stood there with her eyes wide while wringing her hands awkwardly.

Classic.

And that's life with a toddler.

For the newbies...

1. Don't underestimate the power of a solo trip to Target.  The baby is fed and slumbering peacefully?  The hubs is resting on the couch flipping through sports?  GO.  TO.  TARGET.  Don't ask questions, don't think twice, just wave good-bye and zip on down the road.  Trust me on this.  Target is a safe haven.  While perusing the candle and other assorted home decor aisle, there will be a moment when you hear a baby wail from across the store and instead of your heartbeat picking up at the thought of having THAT crying child in the store, you will revel with relief in the fact that this one time - IT'S NOT YOURS.  You don't even have to buy anything, although if you have the will power to resist all the various and lovely sundries Target has to offer, I would gladly shake your hand in awe and admiration.  Just slow down when you're in there - pick up the books and read the back covers, close your eyes and inhale all the candles and don't forget to hit up home decor and talk yourself into that one teeny, tiny little piece of fabulousness that the shelf in your living room is just crying out to house.

2. No one is on their best behavior at 2:00 am.  Not you.  Not your husband.  And certainly not that bouncing bundle of joy that is awoken like an angry little monster begging to be fed, rocked, cuddled, snuggled, fed again and that finally falls asleep on your chest while you're sitting up against the pillows with the nightlight JUST out of the reach of your fingertips.  Ignore your husbands ignorance and insensitivity at this time.  Pray that he ignores yours as well.  Exhaustion plays tricks on your mind.  Words, phrases, statements and tone filtered through an exhausted mind can turn into insults, tirades, anger and venom.  Not to say that your thoughts and feelings (and the hubs as well) aren't important and that communication isn't vital to a healthy marital relationship and parenting partnership......but perhaps all grievances should be aired when one or both parties aren't drunk with exhaustion, fatigue and frustration.  So.......maybe when the child turns five?

3. Baby OxyClean.  Babies poop.  Frequently.  And although little tiny baby clothes are absolutely adorable, I just didn't have the budget to go out and replace every single outfit that my darling daughter had a blow out in.  Baby OxyClean has helped me to scrub poop, spit up, blackberries, more poop and even maybe a coffee stain or two out of my own clothes.  Spray it generously

4. Buy a portable baby swing.  There is a ton of crap throughout the aisles of Babies R Us, each item seemingly shouting "buy me or your baby will be stupid, sick and unsafe" at you, placing the fear of God (or the CPS) into your soul.  When they're really tiny, they don't need much and most of the larger items you can find at your local Goodwill or neighborhood garage sale (just check that it's in good condition and douse it in bleach when you get home).  One of the most lifesaving items that we were gifted at one of our showers was a basic portable baby swing.  Initially I was disappointed because it looked kind of lame and didn't have all the bells and whistles that the one on our registry had.  I sorely underestimated the intelligent design of a portable baby swing.  It's one o'clock and I haven't showered yet?  Just strap her in and carry that sucker into the bathroom and plop her in front of the glass door to my shower.  Natalie was kept entertained by the solo bright fish hanging down but yet still comforted by the fact that she could see Momma.  Most brilliant plan ever.

5. Repeat this phrase: "She will not graduate high school ______________________" and then fill in the blank with whatever newborn or baby activity is frustrating you at the moment.  For example, the most frequent one that came out of my lips was "waking up in the middle of the night for a bottle."  Or how about the "by crawling across the stage - she will learn to walk eventually."  And then you'll turn around one day and she'll by zooming down the hall screeching gleefully wearing only a diaper and slinging her sippy cup full of milk all across the tile and you'll think to yourself.........can you be tiny again?

6. Off Duty Hour.  There are articles and pictures on Pinterest out there that wax poetic about how a mother's job is never really done and how even though it's a 24 hour job, it's the most rewarding blah, blah, blah.  You know what?  There are some days that I am quite happy to plunk my child down into her daddy's lap for her night-night routine so that Momma can be off the clock.  I go into the bedroom, turn on the lamp and click over to Bravo to catch up on Real Housewives.  And I don't worry.  I don't feel guilty.  I don't stress.  I don't do much of anything.  8:30 is my off duty hour.  Whatever laundry or other household chore didn't get done during the day.........isn't getting done.  Sometimes I even have a glass of wine and read a book or blog.  Whatever it is that I'm doing, the most important thing is - I'm NOT doing anything for anyone else but instead doing something exactly for me.  It might sound a little selfish but I work very hard during the rest of my day and I'm just the type of person who has to have down time before bed in order to truly get a great night's sleep.

Compulsive Counter

Last night while playing with Natalie and her kitchen toys, I noticed something disturbing.

Well, not NOTICED as in.......never knew it before, but more like a habit of mine became painfully obvious.

I don't even know if I would call it a habit, more like a compulsion?

I count.

I count EVERYTHING.

I can tell you how many zoo animals Natalie has in her Zoo Talkers collection.
Thirteen......originally twelve but then Bear went missing and we bought Flamingo to bring it back up to the "right" number for me and of course Murphy's Law states that as soon as you replace something, you find it so Bear was located and now we're up to thirteen.

I can tell you how many pieces are in her kitchen collection.
Six milk bottles
Two old plates, two old saucers, two sets of old silverware, two new plates, two new bowls, two new cups, two new sets of silverware
Three spice bottles
Three potatoes
Two cookies
And so on...

I can tell you how many of each kind of block she has in her collection and which one is missing at any given time.
Two purple bridges
Two orange triangles
Three small pink bricks
Two long green bricks
Equal numbers of small hot pink and yellow bricks
Two long turquoise cylinders

I know that right now we are missing a monkey from her train and an egg from her kitchen.

Whew.  And that's just the tip of the iceberg.  Everything is counted.  Everything is listed.  Everything has to be accounted for in my world.  I know how many pens should be in my desk and how many pads of different colored paper sit in my organizer.  I wouldn't say that I have a "photographic" memory but I remember things.  Everything.  Where things are located.  What people wore.  How I felt at any given time.  A conversation.  What I am supposed to do next week on Thursday at 4:00.

My brain makes me tired.

My penchant (or obsession) for everything organized and structure has always just been a quirk of mine.  Something people always pick up on and think is kind of cute, but a little weird.  Never anything that truly impeded my life but instead helped me be prepared for everything and anything.

But now I'm starting to see it in Natalie.  And it terrifies me.  This can be an exhausting way to live.  Anxiety sparks up anytime something is missing or out of place.  Shutting off my brain is nearly impossible.

I can't stop counting and keeping an internal list of everything that she has.  No wonder she feels the compulsion to clean and pick up.  I couldn't just sit on the floor and PLAY with her last night.  I used my time with my daughter to count her toys and make sure that everything is accounted for.

My chest has tightened up just thinking about it all.

I guess the good news is that I recognize the pattern.  I am relatively self-aware and hopefully since knowing is half the battle, I can wage the rest of the battle by trying to shut down the compulsive side of my brain that says to count, organize and clean.

At least when it comes to afternoons spent playing kitchen and babies with Natalie.

But my desk at school?  You can bet I'm keeping track of my colored InkJoy pens....7th graders can be sneaky little boogers.

Chores

I used to joke with my parents that the only reason they decided to have children was to have free child labor.

Now I understand....it wasn't so much a joke as the absolute truth.

That's why we've decided that Natalie has been living off our paychecks for FAR too long and it's high time that she start pulling her weight around the house.

Just kidding.

Kind of.

But in all honesty, she isn't too young for chores and it's never too early to start teaching young children about helping with a generous heart and gracious attitude.  I want Natalie to learn that she is a contributing member of our household and there are tasks around the home that she must help perform in order to one day become a functioning member of society.

Now.  She's not out mowing the lawn (yet) or ironing my dress pants (that's next week) but there are plenty of small tasks that Craig and I have taught her how to do.  My hope is that if we start her on "chores" early enough, they will become part of her daily life and routine and she will never know a life without helping unload the dishwasher or hauling laundry up the stairs.

Granted, I'm not under any delusion that she'll always do these tasks with a wonderful attitude....but all that will matter is that the work is done, right?

Right.

So without further ado....Natalie's chore list, as of 20 months old.

- Pick up and put away toys in the play room.  Usually this action is accompanied by the Barney "Clean Up" song but she does a great job all on her own.  She knows where the blocks, Little People and kitchen stuff does and we hardly ever have to fight her to get things straightened up.

- Pick up and put away dirty clothes into the hamper. I tried this one out the other day out of sheer laziness.  I told her to pick up my socks and put them in the basket in my closet.......and she did.  So while I straightened up the bathroom and made the bed, she picked up all the dirty laundry lying around our bedroom and plopped them all in the hamper.

- Help load and unload the dishwasher.  This gets a little tricky and hard to manage because there are some sharp knives and breakable bowls that get washed in our dishwasher.  Luckily our kitchen isn't too big so there is always someone close by to help actively monitor the progress.  She is great at picking up HER dishes and the smaller plastic cups and Tupperware that won't break or get damaged by little hands.

- Help set the table for dinner.  This one started the other day and in a very limited and controlled setting.  She can put up butter knives, forks, her plastic plate and napkins......and that's about it.  But it does give her something to do while I'm finishing up the preparations for dinner.

- Put away Tupperware.  Her favorite and the absolute easiest task for her to complete.  Maybe it's because I'm lazy or possibly due to the fact that she's grown out of the "must get into every cabinet that I can" phase, but the Tupperware cabinet is totally unlocked at all times.  Since Craig and I both take our lunch to school every day, we accumulate TONS of dirty (and then clean) Tupperware throughout the week.  Natalie knows exactly where all the pieces go and she shuttles all the lids and bottoms to the cabinet.  Now let me go on record and say this - my Tupperware cabinet is NOT organized by any means, but I'll deal with a little bit of mess if it means that Natalie learns a new task and I have one task taken off my hands.

- Get out and put away dog food.  Our girl loves her puppies.  She also loves routines.  And one of those routines involves feeding the pups in the morning and the evening.  The dog food is kept in a Rubbermaid container with a spout on a lower shelf in the pantry.  She can go to the pantry, get the container off the shelf and carry it to me (or Craig) standing at the kitchen island.  Her job continues with picking the dog bowls off the ground and handing them to me and then returning the container after the food has been doled out.

- Clean up spills with towel.  This is one that I totally did not teach nor anticipate.  The other day when she spilled the tiniest bit of milk onto the floor, without provocation from Craig or myself, she ran into the kitchen, grabbed the towel hanging on the side of the sink and then ran back and wiped up her spill.  Craig and I just sat in stunned silence.  I'm not sure whether to be proud or terrified of her penchant for cleanliness and order.

- Wipe down the table after dinner.  Give her a Wet One and Natalie will go to town on the space in front of her chair after dinner is over.  She will also attempt to wipe her own face and hands, but she's not nearly as successful with that.

- Put trash into the garbage can.  Again.  This one originated out of laziness combined with the fact that Natalie is pretty adorable when she knows she did something good - she claps and cheers for herself.  Craig was the one that really got her going on trash detail this summer when he would be wrapping up his baseball card orders and he would have her pick up all his trash.

I'm really hoping that by putting this stuff out into the universe that karma isn't going to circle around and bite me in the butt by having my child boycott all helpfulness that I just seemingly bragged about.

And on the bragging note....I'm really not.  I'm just sharing with you stuff that we've found works for us with our daughter.  Most of these chores that she does started out by her showing an interest in and a desire to help us around the house.  And then from there, it was easier for me to engage her in the task than to try to keep her entertained in something else while I finished working.

Perhaps the overarching theme is that I want my daughter to feel productive, competent and successful.  But she won't learn how to encompass any of those traits without us as parents providing opportunities for her to try new things, carry responsibility and contribute to the family.

Book Club

Before the end of the school year last May, I was asked by a fabulous former co-worker of mine to join the neighborhood book club for the upcoming fall.  I screamed and hugged her while shouting in her ear that I had always wanted to join a book club.

Not the sort of thing that usually makes women jump up and down with joy, but what can I say?  I'm a nerd at heart.

But in all honesty, I always figured that people didn't think to invite me into their book club because I am a coach and therefore couldn't possibly be a rabid reader?!

Or maybe that's just my own insecurities.

Regardless, I'm three months into the book club and I am absolutely LOVING it because not only is it a fun night with great food, wine and women that I enjoy being around....but it has also forced me to pick up books that I would never choose on my own.  

Quite frankly, I've surprised myself by having found the time to get these monstrous books read and digested but then again, Craig and I did spend about two days in the hospital plus a weekend of "bed rest" for him so I did have time to sit around and get caught up on reading.  

I've still got a stack sitting on my nightstand and bookcase that I'm ready to devour this winter.  What is it about cold weather that makes me want to curl up with a good book?

But this is my quick and completely biased review of what I've been reading this fall.

Book Club selection #1: Anything by John Irving

A Widow for One Year by John Irving

This one was long and complicated but I'll try to boil it down for you in a few quick points.

- Father and mother have two sons that die in a car crash which devastates them both.  A few years later they decide to have another child, a daughter against the wishes of the mother.

- When the daughter is four years old, the father hires a young man from his alma mater to be his writing assistant for the summer.  He chooses a boy who looks eerily like one of his dead sons.

- The mother has a summer affair with the boy before running away from the family and leaving the daughter with her philandering husband.

- The boy will never go on to marry because of his intense obsession with the mother.

- Years later the daughter has grown and she is a world famous author who forms a friendship (kind of) with her mother's teenage (now grown) lover.

And that's kind of where I got bored.

Apparently John Irving is a favorite of many of the women in Book Club.  Unfortunately, I cannot share their same enthusiasm.  None of the characters in this book were the least bit redeeming.  They were shallow, unrepentant and morally repulsive....and John Irving is a tedious writer.  Too tedious for my taste.  Sure, you can vividly picture the scene in your head and almost feel the emotions radiating off the page but if you don't particularly care about the people and how they are reacting to their own poor life decisions.......well, all the descriptive words in the world aren't going to hold my attention.  I plodded through the novel but I had to force myself to read for an hour a night just to get through the dang thing.  I'm nothing if not a dedicated (or is it stubborn?) student.

Book Club Selection #2

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Synopsis:

- Boy falls in love with girl who happens to be the daughter of famous authors who have developed an entire book series on "Amazing Amy."

- Boy's mother becomes stricken with cancer and boy moves girl from New York City to Missouri to help care for his mother.

- Girl disappears on their fifth anniversary leaving no trace.

- Boy is implicated in the murder but maintains his innocence despite a mountain of circumstantial evidence.

And that's all I can tell you because anything more would give away MAJOR plot lines.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into with this author.  Although the book was deliciously salacious and had plot twists and turns at every moment.........I also felt like I was in a schizophrenic nightmare the entire time.  If you ever have wondered what goes on inside the head of a sociopath, this is the book for you.  It was a little jarring and creepy but very good.  It's like all the best crime shows on ID....on steroids.

Book Club Selection #3

City of Women by David R. Gillham

It's set in Berlin (one of my favorite cities) during the end of World War II.  The city is full of women because all the able-bodied men are off fighting the Fuhrer's war.  Sigrid is a young woman living with her bossy mother-in-law while working as a stenographer all the while trying to ignore the loss and devastation around her.  But she's got a secret lover.....who has secrets of his own.

I cannot recommend this book to you enough.  Oh my goodness.  It might be almost 400 pages, but I read it in two days over this weekend.  Granted, I am a total World War II nerd (complete with a trip to Berlin AND a concentration camp) but it was compelling, heart wrenching and moving all at the same time.  I cried and worried and had to take mental breaks.  I'm not going to lie.  It's some heavy stuff.  But good.  Powerful.  Cleansing in a way, I suppose.  Delicious and captivating for sure.  This is a good one for the Christmas holidays - not because it's uplifting or anything of the sorts, but because it's cold and dark and foreboding.  Great for a cold winter's night.

Birthday gift from a friend

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

A young woman leaves a halfway house of sorts, having been a ward of the state for her entire life.  She has only one great talent - the knowledge of an old Victorian flower language which she then uses to help out a local flower shop.  By working in this shop she reconnects with her past and then is thrust into an uncertain future.

This was another one that I read in only a few short days.  It's an easy read but one that will touch your heart.  Not going to lie - I cried at the end of this book as well.  

So there you go.  What I've been up to lately.  All in all, I've been pretty pleased with the Book Club suggestions and looking forward to even more new books!

Mind Officially BLOWN

I generally consider myself a pretty intelligent and quick-witted person.

Some other people would probably consider me conceited.

But I also know that I'm smarter than them so their opinion doesn't really matter.

Just kidding.

But in all reality, I discovered something today that should have been completely obvious from….about two years ago.

Did you know that you can write a blog in a Word Document and then post it to Blogger?

Hush. I hear you all saying "duh, Laura…of course you can you idiot!"

Well. I always saw that little "New Blog Post" when I would open up a new document in Word, but I never really gave it much thought.

Until today.

And then it happened. My mind was officially BLOWN.

I can add a signature.

I can change fonts with ease.

I can upload and organize my pictures.

And then I felt a little sheepish. Whoops. Apparently I've been doing everything on this blog the hard way for about the two years that I've had this computer.

Sigh.

So there you have it. I might have all the book smarts in the world, but sometimes I could use just a little bit more common sense.