Why that name?

I have been considering starting a blog for some time now. I seem to always have something to say (much to the dismay of my family and friends, probably) and now that I spend my days almost entirely with a two-year-old, my conversation skills are waning. So, I got inspired to actually begin my own by some other bloggers and decided it was time to start.

My first job was to name my blog. A few suggestions from my March Mommy friends (more on them later *wink*) were "Life of a Gymboree addict" or "Musings of an anal retentive clean freak". Hmmmm...not exactly what I was looking for. Then, I noticed my daughter, Ava, flipping through one of her favorite books, "COOKIES, Bite-Size Life Lessons" by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and thought that it might be the perfect title for this blog. I plan to use it as a place where I talk about all things Amanda - in other words, whatever pops into my mind that I think is worth writing about. :D But, I feel as though beginning my 30's (GASP!) has been a very soul-searching and revealing time. I've learned a lot about myself in the past few years and I feel like I'm constantly thinking about life and its lessons. Sometimes, writing things out helps me clarify how I feel about a particular issue and sometimes I just need to put my thoughts down. A lot will probably have to do with my thoughts on parenting issues and current events. Because typing is so much easier for me (about 70wpm) and when writing, my right hand cramps up from the pressure of the pen, this is a much better format for me! Also, since I already have a private spot for Ava's pictures and updates, I will try to limit my postings about her basic well-being to that site. It is private and password protected since I don't necessarily want everyone on the 'net knowing all our specific details. But, you can be sure that Ava will pop up here on this blog, too. She's such a huge part of our lives!

I just read a post on a web forum, "Do you have an "if I die" letter for your children/husband?" However morbid a thought, it did make me ponder. Scrapbooking is important to me to preserve the memories of our family - but how much of me is really in those books of photos? Sure, I journal, but mostly about what happened - not how I felt about it. So, perhaps this blog will be a good way for me to journal in a different way. I remember seeing an episode of Oprah were a woman with terminal cancer video taped messages to her daughter before she died. It was heartwrenching, but such a lovely and meaningful thing to do for her. She talked about dating and makeup tips as well as what to do when her father re-married. Definitely put things into perspective...and made me think about how different life would be without my own parents. I have been so blessed to have such a supportive family - both my own and my husband's - and I will strive to do the same for my own children as they grow up. Wow - that was a lot of rambling to say that I plan to use this blog to chronicle my thoughts and feelings as life happens. Hopefully it won't be too boring or self-serving for others to read.

So, until next time, enjoy the beginnings of my blog...and be sure to leave a comment!