It’s Wednesday! And don’t stop here — you’ll have to go visit Blair’s gorgeous Carnival of Beauty. She’s so creative! Now we’re really getting to see her design talents. She’s presenting you tickets to a showing of 12 posts on the topic of “Order” today — and what a variety!

Here are a few catch-up details about my blog — in case you’ve noticed some new things in my sidebar. (As if you had nothing better to do! Right…)

I’m not really crazy and I’m definitely not hip, but I AM a Mama, and I LOVE being around other moms who like to write, so I thought, why not? I joined the “Crazy Hip Blog Mamas” webring. And they somehow accepted me. Now here’s a group of women who say: “We are blogging/ journaling Mamas who know that even though we have children we’re still hip and cool, no matter what anyone else says! … We’re fun loving, a little crazy, a lot hip and all MAMA!! … This is a site about real moms who try to balance who they are as a person with who they are as a mother. This is the real deal folks!”

I like that.

Every other Wednesday, I can join in a writing prompt — so that sounds interesting. A little easier for me to handle than all of you brave souls who tackle the Thursday 13 meme every week. I’ve tried to think of 13 things, but get lost somewhere around 7, so I’ve never participated. But one question? I can handle. (I think. Depends on the question.)

I discovered this group from Holy Mama! who says, “Really wanna know why I joined Crazy Hip Blog Mamas? I saw it on someone’s site that was way cooler than me – can’t remember who. I just figured if she was doing it then I was, too. And? I really don’t know who that was, and I wonder at how impressionable I am for a reasonably confident adult woman to be so easily swayed by a little HTML in a sidebar of a blog. Scary.”

How could I resist? Holy Mama! is way cooler than me, so I had to check it out! Anybody else care to join us?

Other Bloggity Blog activities:

I’ve also signed up to be a member of Women4God Blogs, which has quickly become one of favorite places to visit. It’s run by Catez of AllThings2All (who is currently enjoying her summertime in NEW ZEALAND!) and is a gathering spot for the latest updates from Christian women bloggers. And I’ve become a friend of Best of the God Blogs, where I’ll be sending some links to cool things. (You can too.)

And thanks to Mama B, I’m trying out this world map that has red dots to show where everybody’s coming from. So far, you’ve visited here from nearly 70 countries — how’s that for my contribution to world peace? (If everybody in the world had a blog, we’d be too busy reading and commenting to have time for war, right?)

Since there are around 30 million blogs out there, this is the best I can do to find myself among like-minded company. Eventually, my blogroll is going to get so huge, I’m going to have nowhere to write my own thoughts! (That’s OK — I’ll be too busy reading yours!)

P.S. If you’ve not visited Jenny at LJCFYI lately, you’re missing out on the world’s most adorable Oscars Party. Check out this menu: she served Charlie and the Chocolate Cupcakes, Wallace and Gromit and the Welsh Rarebit, Memoirs of a Geisha Sushi, and Brokeback Mountain Dew. Her friends brought Constant Gardener Garden Herb Bread and Turkish Delight. Of course, she posted the cutest pictures — so go visit if you need some kitchen inspiration!

This week’s Carnival of Beauty is being hosted at Scribblings by Blair, so if you’d like to participate, you’ve still got until 3 pm today to post on the topic of “The Beauty of Order” and send Blair your link.

I confess, I’m shooting two birds with one stone here. One of my high school friends is co-authoring a book on the subject of “Breastfeeding,” and she’s asked me a couple of times to send her some tips. Well, it’s one of those things I keep meaning to get around to but haven’t. Then yesterday I realized my #1 tip for nursing moms also relates to the theme of order, so here goes.

First of all, if you’re one of my guy readers (and I know you exist, though most of you never comment!), you may just want to click on out today — because this is woman stuff here. That is, unless your wife is taking care of a newborn — in which case, what I’m saying here may make you the hero.

I don’t like to talk about controversial subjects in my blog (got too much else going on in my life!), but I do have strong opinions about the importance of scheduling a routine in homes with newborns — and toddlers for that matter. This is something that doesn’t come naturally to me — we were so blessed to be invited to take a class before our first son was born. The couple who taught the class were our neighbors, and they were the experts for me — with three happy, orderly children.

The first thing we learned was how important it was to establish a schedule for feeding your baby. This is especially important for nursing moms. Why? Because if your newborn nurses more often than every two hours, he or she will be “snacking” and not getting the rich hind milk that comes from nursing long enough to have this released. Plus, you’re going to be exhausted if you’re nursing a baby every hour around the clock.

When you can establish a flexible routine of nursing every 2-3 hours (aiming for 3), your life will start to have some order, and your baby will learn how to sleep longer at night. Getting a full night’s sleep is important for you and your baby — if a baby continues to wake up several times a night, he or she will probably be a toddler who can’t sleep well either. This makes everyone grumpy!

I’m not the kind of mom who likes to nurse out in public, so I liked to schedule my feedings when I knew I’d be at home — or in a quiet place (as much as possible). I didn’t carry my newborn in a sling and let him or her nurse all day. I know there are moms who do that, but I think this can be exhausting, especially when you’ve got two or more siblings who want to sit in your lap and be held.

With each baby I brought home from the hospital, I scribbled out a very flexible routine — that I adapted and changed each week as it became more apparent how this baby’s personality fit into our family. This schedule helped me keep my sanity, and I can’t imagine if I’d had to survive the first six weeks without having something written down to go by.

Moving on from feeding your baby, here are some other advantages of establishing daily routines. It’s very easy when you’re home with only one baby or toddler to fall into a slump of “I have nothing I really need to do, nowhere I need to be, so I think I’ll stay in my pajamas all day.” This is OK every now and then — even fun! But it shouldn’t be routine, or you’ll start to resent your husband for being out in the “real world” of adults, while you’re staying home day after day in your pajamas.

You should plan something for every day, and write it on your calendar. “Today, I will get dressed and go to the grocery store.” Or plan out a little schedule of weekly activities that you can do with your baby — or even something that you can do without your baby. I specifically joined a gym and church Bible study that both provided great child care!

Even when we were pinching every single penny in graduate school, I kept our two little ones on a routine. We didn’t have the financial means to take expensive Mommy-and-Me classes, but we looked forward to daily walks with our neighbors, free library storytime, and a couple of mom playgroups. At least three times a week, I tried to plan something that involved getting out of the house for a little bit — even if it only meant for a walk down the street.

Why am I writing all this? Because I have such a tender heart toward new moms. Sometimes I felt so alone during those early years. It’s so much easier when you have older children because they’ll have schedules that dictate how you spend your time — the baby will just come along for the ride wherever you have to be.

But it’s easy to fall into depression when you’ve got a newborn, and you’re home alone. Since many women don’t make up a schedule to live by — they feel like they’re bored or on the verge of going crazy, and they end up heading back to work as soon as possible. This makes it even harder for the moms who stay home because you really have to seek out like-minded stay-home moms.

Wow — I feel like I’m just getting started. Yikes. Blogs should be quick to read — sorry! Can you tell I’m passionate about this topic?

Well, I’m probably breaking all book reviewer records today, but I can’t wait another second to tell you about this book. Only two days ago, it appeared in my mailbox, wrapped inside a padded white envelope with that oh-so-familiar Mind & Media return address. I knew instantly what book it was, and I could hardly wait to get inside and unwrap it!

I first heard about Barbara Curtis’ book on Amy’s Humble Musings. I love Amy’s blog and when she said, “Reading this book was like a cup of cocoa on a cold day: Barbara’s warm candor and not-so-perfect stories were a treat to me, a mother in the trenches,” I knew I’d enjoy this book too. Also, one of Amy’s commenters said she read the book cover to cover with a flashlight at night! So, when I found out Mind & Media was offering this book for review, I was all over it.

This is how I spent my quiet Sunday afternoon — reading this delightful book. It’s the perfect length for busy moms, and oh-so-full of wonderful words of refreshment. Barbara Curtis has a passion for inspiring mothers like me to see our roles as a calling. I can tell you my book is already dog-eared, underlined, and filled with stars and scribbles in the margins — which means I’ll be quoting from it every chance I can get!

First of all, this book is rich; it’s not fluffy. I’m so tired of fluffy books written by authors who must produce a new book every year, even when they have nothing new to say. Their books are full of cutesy graphics and quotes from other people. The same old thing I’ve read dozens of times. Instead, this is written by a woman who finds deep, spiritual joy in the GREAT ADVENTURE of motherhood. She loves her family; she loves her life. And after reading it, you’ll understand why — and you’ll want what she has for yourself.

Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room is Barbara Curtis’ life story — her long, drawn-out answer to the question she probably hears several times a day: “So, how do you DO it?” Barbara is the mother of 12 kids — 9 of her own and 3 adopted. What’s more, she and her husband purposefully adopted three children with Down’s syndrome since one of their sons has this “little extra” chromosome. Need I say more about her qualifications to write a book?

In the first chapter, Barbara describes how her laundry room became the one place in her home where she could have a “Quiet Time,” where she could pour out her heart to God as well as listen to the “still small Voice” of the Lord. She says:

And so my laundry room became my prayer closet. For years it’s been the place I meet the Lord each morning before my children awake, and at intervals throughout the day as I transfer clothes from baskets to washer, from washer to dryer, from dryer to baskets again … I never have trouble finding God in my laundry room. He is always ready to receive my praise, my thanks, my prayers for family and friends, my joys and heartaches too.

Barbara’s journey to motherhood has taken plenty of twists and turns — she didn’t have a good role model growing up, as she was transferred between divorced parents and even in foster care at one time. She moved to California and went through a period of embracing the ideals of radical feminism. Then she discovered Christianity for the very first time while listening to James Dobson’s gentle voice on her car radio, then through attending a Focus on the Family marriage retreat. From that point on, her life changed forever, and she’s never looked back.

Despite what the world tells women, she considers motherhood the highest of callings, and she loves sharing her heart with her readers. She says:

If I had my druthers, we’d be sipping tea or coffee together, and I could take your hands and give you this special blessing: May God bless your motherhood as He has mine. May He give you the courage to see your mistakes and the assurance that He can use every one of them to His advantage. May He give you a vision of the glory of your motherhood, so that even while doing the lowliest tasks, you will not forget the privilege of your calling.

I have the feeling that one day I’m going to be reading that message out loud to a group of fellow moms — and I’ll have to practice it plenty of times beforehand so I don’t get all choked up saying it!

If you have a child who is a “challenge” or has special needs, this book is definitely for you. Barbara calls this “a little extra.” She describes what it was like to be surprised on her delivery day when she found out her newborn son had Down’s. While the nurses and doctors feared her reaction, instead she described the “joy and exhilaration” she felt at being chosen by God to raise such a special child who would always need her care. She shares how this “little extra” in some of our children motivates us to depend on God more.

She writes, “What a privilege to be so dependent, so connected to Him. And no doubt about it, it’s the connectedness to God that’s key in realizing that being a mommy is a completely worthy — and unique — calling.”

If you’d like to read an excerpt from this book, you can go to Barbara’s blog at Mommy Life and read her post, The Chapel of the Wash and Dry. You can also enter her Love that Laundry Room contest by sending her a picture of yourself having a “Quiet Time” alone in your laundry room. (Hey, some of these laundry rooms are fabulous — no fair!)

In case Barbara Curtis has a chance to read my review, I’d like to say thank you for writing this book. You’ve reminded me what a blessing it is to be chosen by God to be a mom, and how my calling is unique and wonderful. In return, I hope to find ways to continue sharing this message to people God puts in my path as well.

[Note: A condensed version of this review has been cross-posted on Amazon.]

My thoughts and prayers today are with the family of Missey Gray, a 31-year-old homeschooling mother and blogger who passed away unexpectedly during childbirth on Wednesday, March 1. I read about this on Spunky Homeschool, and I have been saddened at this loss.

Missy was an avid writer at Heartschooling, and it’s apparent through her words how much she loved teaching her children and encouraging other families. Please pray for her husband, Tom, and their five children, including her newborn daughter who survived the birth. She’s been named Melissa Kate, after her mother.

If you feel inclined, there are many ways you can help this family. A memorial post has been set up at the Homeschool Blogger Company Porch with information. You can send a card or financial gift to her family’s home in Arkansas or take part in an heirloom quilt project for her family.

This news has been shocking to me because it’s so rare for women in the U.S. to die in childbirth these days, and she had so much to live for! Only a year ago, I was about to give birth to our fifth child, and the thought sometimes crossed my mind that something could go wrong and I wouldn’t make it. I gained a greater understanding of God’s grace during difficulties reading this beautiful post, Heavy on My Heart, written by a grandmother of five who was in an email group with Missey. On the Friends page in Missey’s blog, one of her friends wrote in and said this:

As a tribute to her short life, I have decided to keep her memory afresh by choosing to live in the moment. I know I will fail, but I want to try to do it. I see so many sad and unhappy people every day. They mope through life, complain about what they don’t have, and spread negativity in all they do. There is so much in life to be thankful for and to give praise and honor to the King. There is no reason to spend one moment of any day not giving thanks and praise. There is nothing in my life to warrant a bad attitude. My time is precious here and only the Lord knows the number of days He has set aside for me.

I choose to REDEEM the time and live in the now. I choose to stop putting off until tomorrow what is best done today. I choose to LOVE those around me and tell them how much they mean to me. I choose to THANK the Lord today and always for His care and compassion. My heart is sad but it also rejoices. She is home with Jesus and knows first-hand what it means to see HIM and Praise HIM face to face.

Beautiful words to live by.

Here’s another interesting blogger quiz. Answer the questions to find out “which literary classic are you?” I enjoyed this one. Hat tip to Sally at All About Children’s Books. I didn’t realize until I was about to post my results that she and I are the same book. Guess that’s why I enjoy reading her blog so much!

Umberto Eco: The Name of the Rose. You are a

mystery novel dealing with theology,

especially with catholic vs liberal issues.

You search wisdom and knowledge endlessly,

feeling that learning is essential in life.

Which literature classic are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

I’ll have to update you on my plans to have a Japanese tea party with my daughters yesterday. Well, it didn’t quite happen like I’d hoped. After school, I had two hours to prepare a meal to take to a friend’s house whose toddler just came home from nearly a month in the hospital. So I was busy every minute.

Yet because I’d blogged about the Japanese Doll Festival, I remembered to pour the girls apple juice in pretty teacups. I couldn’t sit down with them because I was making my usual poppy seed chicken and a few side dishes. While I chopped and stirred, we talked about this Japanese celebration, and I asked if they remembered my small origami Hina Matsuri craft.

“Do y’all remember?” I asked. “It had a little drawer that opened, with candy inside?”

“Oh, yeah. I remember. I ate that candy that had all the swirls in it.” my second grader informed me.

So, it’s confirmed. One of my children has eaten ten-year-old candy and lived to tell about it.

We did eat with chopsticks last night — probably because the rice I made turned out a bit clumpy, and my son noticed it would be easy to eat with chopsticks. Actually, he got out the wooden shishkabob skewers and ate with those. The girls used my pretty painted chopsticks that are made of plastic — but the rice is more slippery to eat.

My kindergarten-aged daughter lost her first tooth yesterday. I ended up pulling it before dinner. She had me laughing so hard — every sentence she said throughout the afternoon included something about her loose tooth. Here are some examples:

“My tooth got loose today at school because I ate an apple … I hope we’re not having apples for supper because I have a loose tooth … I think I’ll look like a first grader if I lose my tooth today … Will the tooth fairy come visit me if I lose my loose tooth? … Does a loose tooth hurt when it comes out? … Do you think Daddy knows that I have a loose tooth? … I better call Daddy and make sure he knows I have a loose tooth.” Etc. Etc. About 900 more times.

You know, I just realized we don’t have a Daughter’s Day here in America. We have a Mother’s Day of course in May. But why not a special day to celebrate daughters?

I found this little Japanese song that is enjoyed on Hina Matsuri. I got out my dictionary to look up some of the words, then I found a translation online. I would translate it a little differently:

Akari o tsukemasho bonbori ni. Let’s go light the Japanese paper lanterns.
Ohana o agemasho momo no hana. Let’s offer the peach flowers.
Go-nin bayashi no fue taiko. Five musicians will play tamborines and flutes.
Kyo wa tanoshii hina matsuri. We enjoyed today’s Doll Festival very much!

What do you think, Momkori-san?

We enjoyed our Doll Festival very much too! 🙂

I think you must know by now that I’m completely hooked. If I’m not blogging, chances are I’ve got about five posts running through my head, and I’m wondering when I’ll get a chance to write them down before I forget.

So, I was out grocery shopping — in the frozen food aisle picking out juice — and I thought, Today’s March 3rd! I’ve got to blog about Hina Matsuri! But then I thought, I’ve already blogged once today … people are going to KNOW I’m really obsessed if they check back and see something new.

Then I finally decided, I don’t care. I want to show everybody a picture of those dolls!

So here’s my news: today’s a really special holiday in Japan celebrating the JOY of having daughters! Now, I apologize to my Japanese readers who may have already read my blog today and think I’d forgetten. How many hours ahead are you? About 12? You must be asleep by now. (Gomen nasai — sorry!)

Anyway, when I lived in Japan, every family with a daughter had some sort of display set up for this happy celebration. People loved telling me about the dolls — each one has a very special meaning and place to be set up. Some of these elaborate displays are worth thousands of dollars and have been passed down from generation to generation.

Here’s a picture:

Here’s some information I’ve copied verbatim from this beautiful website:

“The Doll’s Festival, also known as the Peach Festival, Momo-no-Sekku, takes place on March 3. Hina matsuri (hina means dolls and matsuri means festival) is a time to pray for the well-being of young girls.

Most homes with young girls will set up a display of hina ningyo (hina dolls) like the one you see above. The dolls were originally handmade, but have since become mass produced. Around the display peach blossoms, rice cakes, special colored and diamond shaped rice cakes called hishimochi and white sake are placed as offerings. This festival has been celebrated in Japan since the Edo Period (1603-1867).

The main dolls used in the displays are Odairi-sama, a prince and Ohina-sama, a princess, who sit at the very top tier, surrounded by their courtiers.”

Please go visit here if you’re interested because she has tons of links and adorable craft ideas.

Here’s another site with gorgeous paintings of Japanese holidays from the book, Floating Lanterns and Golden Shrines. On May 5th, the boys will have their turn. This is called Kodomo no Hi, and families with sons will display samurai warriors and carp flags. I’ll have to remember to blog about that in May.

On a personal note, I recently discovered a miniature Hina matsuri orgiami craft that someone had given me years ago. It was packed away in a box with all sorts of treasures. In this display, a tiny little drawer opened, and inside was some colorful candy, which I’d never eaten. My kids found it and wanted to know if they could eat the candy!

I wonder what I can do today to celebrate having daughters. Maybe I can dig out one of my Japanese tea sets that’s been packed away, and we’ll have an apple juice tea party in honor of all the little girls in the world. (Now see, if I hadn’t blogged about it, I wouldn’t have thought of this.)

How about you? Do you have a daughter? Tell her you love her today!

Well, I normally post about FlyLady on Fridays, but I’m going to have to hold that thought until next week. EXCEPT! The “Shoe Controversy” is still raging, so if you haven’t left your preference, please click here and tell us whether you like wearing shoes at home or not while you’re working. You will have to read comment #11 to see who visited here on Wednesday. I was FLABERGHASTED!! In complete AWE! And she DOES NOT wear shoes!

Today, I don’t have anything to say that can compare with the comments left yesterday — and I’d like to keep that discussion going if possible. I’m so sorry I seem to have a hyperactive moderator; I turned off my comment moderator several weeks ago, but for some reason it held the comments in moderation all afternoon. I didn’t get email notification until this morning, so I didn’t know these were waiting.

So, let me step aside today … and let you wise moms talk amongst yourselves.

I know many of you are parents of teenagers, and I’m sorry I haven’t had much to offer you here since my own kids are still years away from that stage. Yet I’ve been seeking out some “experts” whose advice I highly value. Recently, an author contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in reviewing her book, which deals with the adolescent years. I thought this was perfect timing!

But when I looked through her press materials, something struck me. In a list of tips, she cautions parents:

Don’t snoop to find out about your tween’s love life … violating privacy by reading diaries or on-line blogs will build a wall, not a bridge of trust. Without trust you cannot effectively guide your tween through the risks and revelry of adolescence and romance.

Now maybe I’m way off here, but I feel like a paper diary is NOTHING like a blog. A diary that is kept private is one thing — but if a teen is writing online to the public, I think parents have every right to see what their teen is telling the world.

What do you think?

This whole issue began to bother me. Is it good for teens to be chatting in the blogosphere? For one thing, whatever is published in a blog is out there permanently. In real life, people grow and change; they get older, wiser, and move on to a new chapter in their lives. But if they’ve kept a blog, their 16-year-old thoughts will forever be cached in a search engine somewhere. (The same goes for adults blogging, but that’s a whole different topic.)

What if a teen later wants to interview at a prestigious university or apply for a scholarship? Will a high school blog help or hinder? Later in life, there may be job interviews, promotions, award applications … any number of opportunities. Yet if a potential employer checks the search engines, will those teenage words reflect a positive image?

So, I felt like it would be better for me to find a Christian expert to answer my questions, someone who looks for Biblical solutions to issues that parents face. I’ve approached an author who has published hundreds of magazine articles and several popular books for and about teens. She also travels and speaks to thousands of teenagers a year. I’ll be reading one of her books soon and interviewing her, so I’m looking forward to sharing her ideas with you here.

Meanwhile, I was browsing yesterday and discovered a few answers to my questions at the most amazing place! I ended up visiting Agent Tim Online, a blog written by a teen who is helping to launch a new organization called Regenerate Our Culture. Here’s what he says:

Regenerate Our Culture is an organization with the goal of regenerating our nation’s worldview away from the post-modernism holding it and back to the Christian worldview it was first built on. We believe that America is the most Godly nation on the face of the earth, but it can’t be denied that many in our nation have turned away from God in politics, religion, and their everyday lives. Our vision is to help bring about a positive change in these three important areas, and equip others to do the same.

When I read through some of his posts, I began to realize that teens who are writing with focus and a mission can have a positive impact online. Their writing can serve not only to help others; it can also enhance their own future opportunities. Yet Agent Tim offers caution to his teen readers about the potential hazards of sharing too much online. I encourage you to read this whole post, which is carefully researched and written. He says:

What is scary for many of us is this: our friends all have a MySpace, which [are] easy to find, easy to read, and sometimes easy to hack into if you know them well enough. I decided to go in and do a little investigation. My mom has done a lot more than I have, but here’s what I’ve found.

Almost everyone…no…everyone, puts a picture of themselves on their profile. Usually fine, yet it can pose a problem, especially when you consider the fact that most of the kids post not only their pictures, but also post their city, state, and country. Others post their telephone number, their school name, their full names and their friends full names, wonderful details about themselves, and other things that just shouldn’t be there.

Wow. As a parent of future teens, I find this downright scary. I’m glad those of you who are ahead of me are pioneering a path for those of us who will follow you.

Another one of the Regenerate Our Culture founding members wrote an insightful post about the use of Xanga among teens. She says:

One of the most used blog sites for teens is Xanga. Over half of my personal friends have Xanga’s and even more are getting MySpaces. While these are fun to read, there is no real purpose. When I used my Xanga, I didn’t do anything but ramble. It’s not productive.

Later she continues:

I’ve also noticed that many people who use Xanga also are disrespectful to parents and/or those in authority. It seems to be a breeding ground for irreverent thinking.

So for now, all I can say is — if you’re a parent of a teen, you should be aware of the prevalence of MySpace and Xanga — and I think you should most definitely know what your teens are writing online. I would also encourage you to find places like Regenerate Our Culture, which is launching soon and will support a whole community of talented teen leaders. (You can also sign up to become a “launch sponsor” and get this colorful button on your site as well.)

I’d love to offer my Comments section as a forum today for any of you who have concerns or ideas about the whole topic of teens in the blogosphere. What do you think? Are parents snooping if they read online journals? What are the pros and cons? Where can parents go for answers to their questions?

If you’d like to email me privately with questions for the author I’ll be interviewing, please feel free to do so. I have a policy that whatever you email me is kept private, unless I ask for and receive your permission to publish online.

My husband told a friend yesterday, “Heather is happy in Blogland.” So I had to clarify, “It’s not Blogland; it’s the Blogosphere!” And yes, I’m pretty happy getting to know all of you here. It’s an interesting, most-of-the-time friendly place.

Well, I hope you’ll take a few minutes and click over to visit Just Marla who is hosting today’s Carnival of Beauty. She’s done a wonderful job of gathering 14 posts sent in by women bloggers writing on the topic, The Beauty of the Bible. I’ve already read a few, and I’m feeling greatly encouraged.

I also want to say hello to several OLD (But not OLD) friends who have discovered my site lately. I’ve been getting a steady stream of out-of-the-blue emails from people I haven’t heard from in years, some even nearly 20 years. That’s what happens when you put your thoughts out there for everyone to read — you never know who you’ll connect with.

My high school class is in the planning stages for putting together our 20-year reunion (now you know how old I am), and we’re emailing each other with this big list of names. So I invited everyone to visit me here, and it’s been pure JOY to reconnect with friends I’d lost touch with. We have so much in common now that we’re not stuck in those silly teenage clicks anymore. Most of my friends also have a house full of little kids (one sweet, soft-spoken friend has a daughter and FIVE sons! I would NEVER have dreamed that!)

Along the same lines, several college friends have discovered my site lately as well, and I love hearing from you and catching up with your lives too. We’re spread out all over the world — yet we can stay in touch better than we could in school when we had to see each other to pass notes. I’m hoping some of my old friends will join me here in the Blogosphere soon — though people are still asking me, “What’s a blog?”

Just as there are all types of people, there are all types of blogs — and many of my favorite bloggers are gathered over at Marla’s, so go visit her Carnival of Beauty and enjoy reading!

P.S. For those of you who’ve asked, my wrist doesn’t seem to be broken, only badly bruised. I fell “up the stairs” on our back porch Monday afternoon, though thankfully I wasn’t carrying our baby. Our back stairs are actually a rock and a cement block because we haven’t had the finances to hire a carpenter to build us steps. I never tripped while pregnant, but now that I’m wearing my FlyLady lace-up running shoes every day, I’m trying to get from here to there too fast. Thanks for your concerns — it’s an ugly, painful bruise.