Tomorrow is the first day of my last year of college (for now anyway).  I’m excited, nervous, and sad.

Excited about the new challenges, new discoveries, and new people I will meet.

Nervous because, well, that’s the way I always am!

Sad because this will be my last fall semester at OCC.  I feel at home there.  I’ve learned so much on that campus; not only academically, but about myself, and what I’m capable of.  I’m proud of me, and I owe part of that to my soon-to-be alma mater.  On May 26, 2011 I will graduate.  Hard to believe…

Hoping for a rewarding and successful school year for all of us!

Seems like forever since I’ve written (it’s actually pretty close to that long!).  It’s been a somewhat challenging year for me, so I’ll use that as an excuse I guess.

Let’s see…  The last month of school was a difficult one for me on a personal level, but, thanks to the understanding and cooperation of some great professors, I finished with a perfect grade point average!  I also received two awards.  The one I’m most proud of was for “Academic Excellence.”

It seems the summer has flown by, and now I’m trying to mentally prepare for my next-to-last semester of college.  As usual, I’m a bit nervous.  New professors, new challenges, etc.  Hopefully I will continue to do as well as I have thus far.

I’m feeling a bit rusty at this, so I think I’ll keep this post short, and consider it a warm-up for the days ahead!

Summer (my favorite time of year) is less than two weeks away!  Not sure about you, but summer brings to mind days at the beach, not waking up to an alarm clock set way too early, day trips to the park, and the zoo, and spending more time with the kids!  Ah, bliss!

That is, after I finish the vacuuming, dusting, cleaning the kitchen and the bathrooms, taking out the trash, etc., etc., etc.  Ok, why do I feel a little less excited about summer’s arrival now?  I still want to go out and play!  (/whine)

But, as we all know, motherhood also includes the mundane (and sometimes yucky–why does a five-year-old think leaving a half-eaten popsicle under the sofa cushion is a good idea?! ) chores of keeping the abode shiny clean (even if there is almost always the toy maze on the family room floor, shh!).

What if we could find an affordable cleaning service to deal with all of that boring stuff for us?  I bet that’s near the top of most moms’ wish lists!  I know I’d love it!  I can imagine leaving for the beach in the morning and coming home after a day of  fun in the sun to a clean house.  Yes.  Definitely a dream come true!  Think I just found one more item to add [to the top of] to my ‘to do’ list!

Happy almost summer!

Face it, we’re all busy (which explains my lack of posting!), and when we have a glitch in our blog code, want to tweak a theme, or add a complicated plug in (among a thousand other potential issues), what do we do?  Some of us are brave and try to tackle it on our own; sometimes we’re successful, and sometimes we just screw things up more (myself included).  Or, we can begin searching for a knowledgeable, affordable techie who can do it for us–not always an easy thing to do!

I am here to tell you that I have found the perfect solution!  Tim realized that I wasn’t the only mommy blogger who needed help and guidance when it came to blogging-related issues (beyond writer’s block), so he decided to launch MommyBloggersBestFriend, where a limited number of members can receive technical support for their blogs whenever they need it.  How cool is that?!

Not only can all of your technical needs be met, your MommyBloggersBestFriend membership includes hosting on TimburyDotNet at no additional charge if you would like it.

The launch date is Sunday, May 9 (Mother’s Day–what could be more appropriate?), and if you sign up before then, you will receive a significant discount on your membership!  Please feel free to refer friends, as there is a referral bonus available as well!  Membership is limited so that the highest quality service can be maintained, so don’t wait!

For more information, visit MommyBloggersBestFriend or contact me.

Happy early Mother’s Day!

I’ve known Kim Dorwart and her family for most of my life.  I was good friends with her older sister, beginning in fifth grade, and I remember Kim running around the house in her footie pajamas.  Years later, my brother began dating another of Kim’s sisters, and she eventually became my sister-in-law.  This family is also my family.

Last Thursday, Kim’s daughter, Vanessa, was tragically killed.  (See more of the story here:  philly.com)  No parent should ever have to deal with the loss of a child.  This incident has rocked me to the core.  Not only did I know and love this family, my daughter is almost the same age as Vanessa, and that adds another element of fear.

But this isn’t about me; it’s about the family getting through this horrible time.  There are several ways that you can help, and I hope that you will.

• You can visit the R.I.P. Gina Gentile and Vanessa Dorwart Facebook page and offer words of encouragement to the family and friends.
• If you are in the Philadelphia area, you can attend a benefit for the family.  More information can be found here:  Benefit for the Gentile and Dowart Families.
• Donations to help cover funeral costs can be sent to:  The Vanessa M. Dorwart Memorial Fund, c/o Beneficial Bank, 1862 Delmar Drive, Folcroft, PA 19032.
• Wired 96.5 is collecting donations and will be holding a benefit as well.

Hug your children close.

Vanessa’s obituary.