Saturday, December 4, 2010

Obligatory "Welcome and Hello!" post.

I'll admit it. I have zero idea of where to start. Starting a blog is always a bit like trying to start a conversation with a stranger that I may not have a damned thing in common with. Most people don't really want to hear about my son's latest epic dirty diaper or my daughter's latest school project, right? And here I am, purposely plotting to bore an entire internet audience with just that. I suppose it could be worse; I could be planning to write an entire blog about cleaning my toilet, or the latest season of some reality show. Not to bag on reality shows, but I think my kiddos are much more entertaining than The Situation's latest found-in-a-bar concubine. Having said that, why don't we start with a little about me? We can pretend it's like we met at a PTA meeting and are just schmoozing over some watered down Kool-Aid.

My name is technically Kimber, although these days I answer to "Hey Mom!" or a soft little baby whimper. I have 2 wonderful kids; Kallista, age 9, and Dexter, 6 months.  My life revolves around them, to the point that I quit my mainstream job and started my own little business so that I can be here for them. My husband (who I refer to as Brian, but soon enough will probably be know as "Hey Dad!") and I started In The DogHouse Pet Services in 2009, around the same time that I became pregnant with Dexter. Petsitting and Dog Walking aren't exactly rocket science, but it pays the bills, has a flexible schedule, and doesn't require that I deal with people on a regular basis. I'm not a "people person". I admit it. People scare me. Which is why you won't really catch me at a PTA meeting.

Owning my own business, although a complete pain in the ass at times, is the best thing I have ever done for my family. I see my husband more often. I have time to spend with my kids. Despite my general distaste for cleaning and laundry, I have time to bitch and whine about cleaning and doing laundry. And there's the added bonus of never having to be called into the boss's office or being written up over being 5 minutes late because the line at Starbucks was longer than expected. Granted, I have to deal with the pleasantries of quarterly taxes and coaxing clients to actually pay their invoices, but it's still better than working my ass off and slowly going nowhere. It also allows me the flexibility to get my daughter the help she needs. You see, Kalli has Asperger's Syndrome (a form of High Functioning Autism that effects social skills, motor skills, and emotional development), and needs Occupational Therapy, Social Skills Groups, additional instruction in writing, etc. Its all very time consuming, and when I was working out in the mainstream, I wasn't able to find the time for all of those things. That bothered me since she needs ALL of them in order to cope, otherwise she melts down, falls behind, and ends up being made fun of or bullied. And honestly she is so much more important to me than any job ever could be. I get alot of flack for being a petsitter/dogwalker since it's not a high powered career, but before you point and laugh, lemme just tell you that owning a business (we're incorporated, registered, insured, bonded and licensed just like any other legitimate business) isn't as simple as it seems! But hey, I'm not here to talk about the nuances of business, right?  Point is that owning this little biz helps me help my daughter, and that is priceless.

It's also allowed me to have all the time in the world with Dex, my 6 month old son. I went back to work when Kalli was 6 weeks old, and I missed all of her firsts. This time around I have the opportunity to be here for Dex's, and that means the world to me. I'm a big fan of attachment parenting, and working from home in a profession that allows me to make my own schedule as well as take Dex with me (Kalli is in school while we're working) makes AP much easier for me. Don't get me wrong, I practiced AP with Kalli and worked outside of the home, and it worked out well. But being home or taking him with me just eases my mind. Trust me, I admire the hell out of moms that work outside the home. I honestly don't know how they handle it without being sick with worry. Those women deserve medals.

I'm also breastfeeding. Yup, that's right. I use my boobies for what they were made for, and I'm damned proud of it. I was blessed with sabotage at the hospital in Dex's first days, as well as a milk supply that all but disappeared when Dex was  4 days old, so I had to work HARD to be able to breastfeed. I'm a firm believer in the benefits of breastfeeding (although I don't look down on formula feeding moms - that's not what I'm about), and plan on breastfeeding Dex for at least the first year. We'll be doing baby led weaning as well, so I'm prepared to nurse him for a good while. I know that's controversial (why, I'll never know!), but it's what I believe in and I'm sure I'll write about it often.

I'm also married to an amazing man. He's a wonderful husband a father, who somehow manages to tolerate my twisted sense of humor, increasingly strange idiosyncracies, and  raging PMS. I'm lucky to have him, although I fully expect him to start attempting to smother me in my sleep any day now.

There ya have it. The quick PTA approved version of me. It's not interesting enough for my own reality series, but it keeps me busy and just the right amount of stressed out. Hopefully I'll find some interesting things to write about. But I apologize in advance if all I ever write about is how disgusting that last dirty diaper was.

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