Catching Up

It has been a long time since I've posted anything. A long time since I've shared a MMSM post.

Most of you know I provide child care for friends of ours, a sister and brother who are 8 and 5 years old and have very much become a part of our family over the past 4 years. It will be really strange when J (my youngest) is in school full-time and it's time to move on.

You might also know I took on a second part-time job back in October. I wasn't looking for more work but I was offered a job where I could work primarily out of my home around my schedule doing something I'm passionate about. It's also a job that's very different than any other job I've ever had before.

At the end of February our family drove to Disney World. It involved a ton of planning, organizing and packing but it was an incredible trip (our first big family vacation) and so completely and totally worth the effort. Jason and I would really love to take the kids again!

In March the girls had a PA Day, so we drove down to the Niagara Region to visit my sister.  It was wonderful to see her and my beautiful niece and nephew. (Unfortunately Jason wasn't there with his iPhone so I didn't manage to get any pictures. oops! It appears I've become spoiled!) The 5 cousins had a blast together and we enjoyed dinner together before we left. An old friend welcomed us into her lovely home and let us spend the night. The kids got to watch Ratatouille and drink hot chocolate before bed. (Apparently L knows the way to a child's heart!) And then she and I (along with her hubby for the first part) just spent the night chatting before heading off to bed. It was really nice catching up. The next day before heading home I got in another visit with another old friend and her 3 children. The kids all played so nicely together and A and I got to have some more wonderful conversation. It was so nice to get a visit with my sister, L and A all in one weekend!!! :)

The next weekend Jason and I drove to Ottawa to visit my brother-in-law and watch Pittsburgh play Ottawa at the Scotiabank Place. (Both Jason and his brother are both big Pittsburgh fans.) It was my first NHL game ever and it was an amazing experience. We were three rows back from the ice and it was so much fun seeing the Penguins (translate: Crosby!) for the pre-game skate. I wasn't so sure I thought we needed to go as early as the guys thought we needed to go, but once we were there I was glad we did! I may not be a huge hockey fan but I am a Crosby fan and I'll be honest it has a lot more to do with his great reputation and the heart warming commercials he's in. ha ha! :)

I also got in to see another old friend of mine before leaving for home. It was a quick visit but I did get to see her looking super professional in her police uniform. I'm so proud of A, she's worked really hard to get there and it's a job that really suits her.

Over two weekends I got quite the visiting old friends fix. I didn't even realize how badly I needed it!

In March I also got hit with pneumonia, that part wasn't nearly as much fun, but I'm fully recovered now and things seem to have settled down enough that I can take a few minutes to write - hurray!

And we may not be far into April yet but we've already enjoyed Easter weekend which is also a busy weekend for our family.

I always feel really torn when I miss a MMSM post. I feel as though I've made a commitment to posting once a week and I struggle with feeling guilty when I don't post anything. On the other hand my family (and my health) comes first, so there will be times when it's not going to happen. So I'm thinking the best thing to do is just let you know that's how I feel. My blog is something I really enjoy. I always have ideas swirling around in my head as far as bigger posts. There are always at least a few issues I'd love to be writing about at any given time. But if it's between my family or a post my family is going to win hands down. All of that to say, if you've been wondering where I disappeared to, life had just got extra busy for a while and I couldn't quite fit it in. I'm sure this won't be the last time and I hope you haven't (and that you won't) give up on me. Rest assured that if I go on hiatus again, it's simply that life has gotten in the way and in time I will be back!

I hope you keep an eye out for Mondays post!