Real World Mom

Happy Valentine’s Day!

To my kids, D, M, S & B~ You guys have amazed me from the day each of you were born, and you continue to do so to this day. I am very proud of all four of you for being the intelligent, caring individuals that you are. I’m very lucky to be your mom, and I love you very much!

To T~ On our second Valentine’s Day together, I can honestly say that I love you more now than ever before. You’re the best ‘significant other’ and tech support a girl could ever hope for, and I am beyond blessed to have you in my life!

To my blogging friends~ Thank you for all the support, kindness and friendship that you’ve shown me. By reading your blogs and exchanging comments and emails, I feel like I’m getting to know a lot of you, and it’s like I’ve got an extended family out there in the blogosphere!

“It’s ok. It’s so nice. It’s just another day in paradise.
Well, there’s no place that I’d rather be .
Two hearts, and one dream,
I wouldn’t trade it for anything .
And I ask the lord every night,
For just another day in paradise…”

Routines can be helpful in many ways. They can give a sense of security, in that we know what to expect. There’s also an aspect of comfort in knowing that we can go through many of our daily activities on auto-pilot.

A routine can help us accomplish a heck of a lot, cuz we know what needs to be done, in what order, and exactly how, because we do it all the time.

However, routines can also have a serious down-side if we’re not careful. I’ve become more aware of this lately in my own life.

Sometimes, we begin to rely so heavily on our daily routine that we forget about other important things that also need our attention.

I should have let the dinner dishes sit while I went and played a game with the kids more often.

I need to remind myself, repeatedly, to do special things for me. Even if that just means treating myself to an hour-long bubble bath!

I want to make more time for just T and I. Instead of putting work and other stuff ahead of us so much.

My point? The mountain of laundry, that phone call to be returned, and even the email (coming from me, that’s saying something!) can wait while we take the time to live our lives a little each day. Kids grow up, we get older, and life goes by way too fast. Remember to create and enjoy the moments along the way.

Opening paragraph is an excerpt from the song “Just Another Day in Paradise”, written by Craig Wiseman and Phil Vassar. Performed by Phil Vassar.

Announcing the Birth of~

Real World Mom Enterprises™

As some of you may know, I have been blogging here on realworldmom.com for a few months now. It’s become my passion!

Real World Mom was actually owned by my significant other, T (author and mastermind behind The Inflatable Soapbox™). He offered the project to me because he felt that blogging and building a site would be something I’d enjoy. I have to admit, I wasn’t so sure of this at first.

Let me backtrack (and brag) for just a moment… T is a total ‘computer guy’. He can build machines, write programs, design websites, etc., etc., etc. (He is affectionately known around here as “The Code Wizard”! And, let me tell you, it really comes in handy living with my Tech Support!)

So, for any tweaks or changes I want to make on realworldmom.com, I’ve always got his guidance and knowledge to make it happen. (My current project is working on getting a forum together so there can be lots of interaction here. Keep an eye out for that!)

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been playing working hard to build content and traffic to realworldmom.com, and I think I went and impressed T with what I’ve accomplished so far!

Last night, he transferred ownership of Real World Mom to me, and so, Real World Mom Enterprises™ has been born! My new ‘baby’! T says it’s my early birthday gift, and I can’t think of anything that could’ve come close to being more perfect (well, except maybe last year’s gift)!

To T: Thank you for always believing in me, even when I don’t believe in myself. Thank you for knowing when to hold me and let me cry and when to offer an encouraging word and a kick in the ass to keep me moving forward. Thank you for trusting me with your dreams and for wanting me to be a part of them. Thank you for loving me no matter what. Thank you for being you. I’m very proud of you too, and I love you with all my heart. We make one hell of a team!

One of our worst nightmares as a parent is to imagine our kids consuming drugs or alcohol. As uncomfortable as it may be to even think about, my mantra is, “Knowledge is power,” so the more informed we are, the better the chance we have to avoid that situation–or, God forbid, deal with it should it arise.

I came across a good article on Yahoo Health on this subject, and thought it was worth blogging about. “Teen Alcohol and Drug Abuse” offers insight on why teens try drugs and alcohol, what substances they may use, the signs of use, how to try to prevent kids from experimenting, some information on different types of illegal drugs and what to do if you think your child may be experimenting with these substances or have a substance abuse problem.

There are additional links from the story on how addictions develop, things that may increase the risk of substance abuse and information about treatment.

As much as the whole idea of drugs and alcohol may instill a feeling of sheer panic, it’s better to have the facts before a problem arises.