If life were only as simple as a database.....

Manu's Coney Island

posted by DDK23 @ 7:01 PM 1 comments

Buddies watching Cailou

posted by DDK23 @ 12:01 PM 1 comments

So many topics, so much effort, so little return

Uggh.....this blog is still here. I used to like blogging. It was a nice way to update people on what was going on, it was a nice way to show pictures of the kids to people who care and might otherwise just see them in a Christmas card. Lately however it has become a big chore. From time to time people tell me "oh I read your blog"...and I guess I believe them. However lately traffic has dramatically died down...DRAMATICALLY. I have a site meter on here, and there is about one person per day (other than me) that comes on here. Also its now been a month since I received ONE comment. I seriously don't need comments every entry. This is not meant to be a request for comments, although feel free to say WHATEVER you want....I can always delete if I don't like what you say lol. I realize not everything I post even requires a comment. But....I do put some effort into each entry. Even for just sending a picture from my phone, I go back in add a title and maybe a comment, for one picture.
I have a lot of topics I kind of want to write about. But they are kind of big topics: 'the ugly side of facebook', 'being a work at home mom' (a two or three part....where maybe I should turn comments off lol), recent book reviews, dreams and nightmares.....plus lots of kids topics. But if I don't have readers, I would rather just write privately.
I am on facebook, I like the feedback you get on there. Plus there is no effort to the updates.
Again this blog has not been about "comments" really. I don't want to be one of those professional mommy bloggers that offer up free stand mixers. I am not looking for random strangers to start following me. I relaly just want to keep in touch, and keep track of our lives. I can do that without others seeing. Overall I am just kind of sick of the effort.
So I haven't made a decision, I just don't want to surprise anyone with this being closed out. I will wait until Daniel's birthday, and then I will figure out what I want to do.
Bloggers: anyone else seem just put off by blogging lately?

posted by DDK23 @ 11:21 PM 1 comments

One Year!

My sweet sweet baby Matthew is now officially 1. Its hard to believe a year ago I was in the hospital getting to know you. With him everything has been easier. I know some of it is my "experience" but a lot of it is because he is just an easier baby. He is so laid back and he loves to laugh and babble. Lately he plays a game where he looks at me and says "um...um...um" until I start....after I repeat "um....umm" after him he switches to "eh....eh....eh" we keep going until he laughs. Daniel still just loves him. He is always watching out for him. He also loves to say "No Manu". Although he is just worried about Manu getting into something he shouldn't he gets a little rough with pushing and shoving. Today however when he saw him getting to close to the stove (it was off or else I would have been there) he gently pulled him away and said "No Hot Manu"...so maybe he's getting better lol.
My favorite thing to do with Manu is to cuddle. We didn't cosleep really at all with Daniel, with Manu it was more natural those first few weeks. Although he is in his own bed now, I still love to cuddle with him a bit before bed. I also love it when I have the chance for snuggles on the couch during the rare downtime I have. So far he is just a mama's boy.
He loves bathtime. Daddy and Daniel make him laugh. He loves to feed the dog. He gets excited to see Papa, Grandma, and Sunny. He loves to say Kitty Cat. He also can say Mama, uh oh, up, Belle, and Daniel....probably some others I am forgetting. He is always getting into something, and he loves to climb stairs. He loves to laugh. Today Daniel and I made cupcakes during lunch while Manu napped. We will sing and have some cake tonight, but he has his big party on Saturday. I am so happy to be able to celebrate his first year!
On a side note.....happy birthday to my Father-in-Law Dan (Monday), and my mom(today)!

posted by DDK23 @ 3:19 PM 1 comments

Facebook

I have been lost to the world of Facebook......I knew Facebook existed, I have heard about it for years. However after being on Myspace (which I HATE!) I wasn't at all interested in trying Facebook. Well the other day I finally went in, and OMG....that is where everyone is. People I haven't heard from in 10 years, people I have TRIED to find....are there. I finally called my mom today after sending her a Facebook invite, telling her she HAD to try it. I knew she would find some people. It was funny to hear her on the phone "oh here is so and so,....oh I know him....look Red Hat ladies". I actually won't be surprised if she collects more friends than me.
It was a really rough week and it was nice to find old friends. It took a while for Chad to get why I needed to find some people. He kind of hates to reconnect ("what if they want something....or the conversation is uncomfortable?")
He goes into work and sees actual people everyday, they talk about work, talk about kids, talk about TV or whatnot. While I am VERY thankful to be able to work from home the conversations I have are mostly about work and its over an Internet connection, so I don't get to chit chat about personal issues. On rare chance we go out, it usually to see his family, or his friends (OK to be fair I like his friends, and we went to the same high school so I guess they are technically my friends too..... but still, the connection is still his). A lot of my friends are from high school and college. I have sadly lost touch with many of them. For the most part when I left these groups I had a phone number and physical address to contact them. Not many had e-mail, no one had a cell phone...I was never a phone person or letter writer......plus are they still living with their parents?......or are they still in college? I moved on started to work and just got into the everyday of life. For me a lot of the reason why I "need" to find people is so I can remember who I am. I need to find people who remember me......not Chad's wife.
However there is something else that feeds my search. I need to know my friends are "safe". I want to reconnect, but that doesn't mean I have to find them so I can hang out with them as soon as possible. I just want to know they are OK. What happened to them? Did they go to college? Do they need help?
For some reason it just bugs me to not know what happened to someone. At our last class reunion I found out one classmate died of cancer. I did not know this until the reunion. I was not really close with him, but I had known him since I was young. It bothered me that I did not even know he was sick. I wouldn't have been able to do anything other than offer up prayers.
Daniel likes to line up all his beloved stuff animals and put blankets over them, and he will talk to them and tell them night night. He also likes to line up all his trucks and has them watch his "Mighty Machine" movie with him. If one is missing he will enlist help in finding it. It may not be the favorite that is missing, but he still wants to know where the truck or animal is hiding. Its kind of the same thing with me. Well I am not going to line up my friends cover them with blankies and force them to watch a movie....that would be creepy.....I just want to know where they are, I just want to know they are safe.

posted by DDK23 @ 12:38 AM 0 comments

Why I love Detroit

Mitch Album just sums it up best:

Stardom is a funny thing here. You don't achieve it by talking loud or dating a supermodel. You achieve it by shyly lowering your head when they introduce you or by tossing the ball to the refs after scoring a touchdown. Humility, in Detroit, is on a par with heroism. Even Dennis Rodman didn't get really crazy until he left.

I have mentioned before how it's been "bad" around Metro Detroit for a long while. Slowly we are starting to see this recognized on national level. For my family I honestly have a much more positive outlook for the next year. However I know its just going to get more rough for everyone else around me. But like the article says, I say "when" Detroit will be fixed, not "whether".

posted by DDK23 @ 3:16 PM 0 comments