August 15th

So I got clearance from one of my cardiologists on August 15th (yes, I have more than one cardiologist!) to start training again. I can't tell you how psyched I am about this. I am just jumping up and down with joy. The only thing of which I have to be careful is not to get overly enthusiastic (may be too late), for I will risk injury. I've been running almost everyday, logging in some pretty high mileage in the last two weeks, well, ever since I got the ok from the doc. I can't help it - I've been super cautious for over a year, sad that I can't train, not knowing whether I'll ever be able to train again. So to hear that it is ok to move forward is a big victory for me. 

I have decided to train for a spring half-marathon 2013 and a full marathon in the Fall 2013. I have never run a "good" marathon; I want to redeem myself. I think I am more prepared at my ripe (old) age compared with when I first ran my other two marathons (I was in my early twenties). I've hired a coach again - the same one who've trained me for the last few years before the "incident" last June. He trained me for my half-ironman, so knows me very well. 

I think we are set to go for September, but in the meantime, I've just been running. Last week, I logged almost 40 miles! I don't remember the last time I did that. Of course, the soreness of my legs and calves this morning are reminding me of these miles. I think I may have to take a rest day today, though I hate having to do so. It is currently raining, but if it clears up later perhaps I'll take Ben out in the jogging stroller for a very light jog. 

So what have I planned for this week? Well, I'm up at our chalet, which means I can run on a trail (i.e., soft surface). That is great news, for I really am worried that I am close to injuring my left calf! My coach said he will incorporate cross training, which I know is a good idea, as much as I don't like doing much else other than to run.

Monday - off or light jog with Ben (always harder work to run with stroller!)

Tuesday - 45 minutes easy 

Wednesday - Tempo - 10 min WU, 20 min tempo, 10-15 min CD 

Thursday - 45 min easy

Friday - off or 30 min easy

Saturday - Long run - 70 min

Sunday - 30 min easy

Ben

He's 18 months this month. My youngest, my baby, is growing up, and I'm savouring every moment. I know that in a blink of an eye he will be all grown up. Just look at my other two. Turning 8 and 5 in mere months. Wasn't it just yesterday when my eldest, Nathan, was a baby?

Ben smiles with his eyes. Did I ever tell you that?

His eyes smile!

What a difference one year makes

As I reflect on the summer thus far, I can't help but feel happy and content. At the same time, I also can't help but be reminded of what a different summer last year was. Last June, on the 15th, to be exact, was the day I had a stroke. After that, things never picked up for me for the rest of the summer. I spent the summer at doctor's offices a lot, plus waiting on a potential offer, which never came through (until a year later, but of course I didn't know I was going to get it). When the offer did not pan out (at that time anyhow), I went into depression. It was a bummer of a summer, to say the least. I spent the entirety of it feeling sorry for myself and depressed about the fact that I didn't get the job that I thought I so sorely wanted. In retrospect, it would have been a grave mistake to take on that kind of role so soon after my illness.

A year later, I am sitting here in my office, in a new job. My health is still relatively precarious, as my most recent MRI seemed to have raised flags for my cardiologist, who is sending me to yet another specialist. But I am working!!! I have a new job!

Two months ago, I did end up getting the offer for the position for which I interviewed last July. The start date for that position would have been almost exactly one year from the date I had that interview. But instead, here I am, at another job for which I received an offer. 0 for 1 last year plus a stroke, but 2 for 2 this year, sans stroke. I think I will take this year.

Things can't be more different this summer. I am on a high. I feel like I'm on top of the world, and that once again, the world is my oyster. I just have to let go of the insecurity that the ball might drop. I didn't use to think like this, but after all that I've been through, it is hard to be completely secure that everything is going to be ok. At the same time, I have no reason to believe otherwise.

Our new nanny has been a God-send. Everythiing seems to be ticking along so perfectly. I'm happy working, I'm a better mother when I'm home, my nanny is great, husband is happy, and kids/dogs are content. What more can I wish for? I suppose that my heart is not in too bad a shape.

I have been working out slightly. I'm out the door most mornings at 6:30 during the week, and I put in a 20 minute run. Nothing major, but enough to get my blood and endorphins flowing. On the weekend, up at the cottage, I put in longer runs, generally in the 40-50 minute range.

My life feels balanced. My knitting has stagnated a little in the last 3 weeks as I adjust to work, but I picked it up again last night, and I'm enjoying it more than ever. Work makes me appreciate the things that I wouldn't appreciate if I was not working. That's the bottom line. Everyone has to find their own equilibrium. I am happy to say that I think I have finally found mine.

On Being a Mother

Today was Mother's Day, perhaps one of the most commercialized of all days, except for maybe Valentine's Day. But I don't care, for mothers do deserve to be celebrated. 

I did not know what to expect, to be honest, given that I have 3 boys. I always thought that girls would put more thought into such things, so I tried not to set my expectations too high. But my boys and husband outdid themselves today. I'm not a cryer, and boy, did I want to burst into tears of happiness several times throughout the day. 

The whole day was joyous - the air was filled with indescribable feelings of happiness. I felt so appreciated and loved, and it is not from one gesture or gift, but a collective sentiment. Today reinforced the powerful bond that our family possesses - not only how much the boys love me, but how much they love each other. 

My eldest made me a beautiful jewelry box. Ok, he painted it, but it was done with thought and love. He had painted the inside of the box with a red heart, and on the back, he had carefully painted the colours of a rainbow. My second boy gave me a handmade card that said "happy mather's day." He is just learning to read and write, and I will cherish that card. My 1 year old simply gave me lots of smiles and hugs! 

In the morning, we all went to a local running track after we had breakfast, which my husband made. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny morning. I ran almost 4 miles, while helping my eldest train for his upcoming 800 meters sprint at the same time. My second played with my husband and my youngest, and frankly, I'm not sure what they were playing. All I know is that every time I ran by them they were grinning from ear to ear, having a blast. My eldest was working hard, training, but extremely proud of his accomplishment. I was thrilled to be running, out in the beautiful sunshine, spending time with my whole family. 

So you see, it is not one thing in particular or one event that made my day today. It was the scenes that were flashing in front of me - scenes of joy, contentment, love. I can see them so clearly in my mind. I keep replaying them in my head because they give me so much joy. They make me feel that despite of life's hurdles and what are sometimes thrown our way, we are ok. More than ok, in fact. We are a strong unit, and have much for which to be thankful. 

Today, I am reminded of the reason I want to live.

Brioche is not just yummy egg bread

I learned a new stitch - it's called "brioche." And here I thought brioche was just one of my favourite breads. I first heard of this stitch from the Purl Bee, which is Purl Soho's brilliant blog (ever wonder how on earth they manage to churn out so many beautiful projects??). While I was perusing said blog, I came across this beautiful cowl in said stitch. I was mesmerized, and even though it was a warm spring day, decided that I must purchase the recommended yarn (cashmere!), and knit the cowl, even though we were heading into warmer weather. 

I'm now about a third into the cowl (the Brioche cowl), and I just love how soft and squishy it feels. The brioche stitch is like 1x1 ribbing, except much stretchier and squishier (are these words??). The stitch is not hard to learn, though I studied the instructions as per Purl Bee quite carefully before embarking.

I also love the colours of the cowl. The contrasting colour - sort of a bright pink fuschia - is not one I'd normally purchase, but it goes very well with the ivory. 

Healthier Meals

I am determined to make healthier meals for my family. Raising 3 boys is no small feat, and nutrition, what they put into their bodies, is so important. It will become increasingly so as they eat more and more as they get older. I want to instill good eating habits into their lives. I have a fast metabolism, and historically have eaten pretty much anything I wanted. But I realized that I am not setting the best example for my boys. So recently, I decided to trash all junk food in the house, and start stocking the pantry with healthy foods and snacks exclusively. 

What surprised me most was how easily the boys adjusted to the change. It really is "what you see what you eat" around here. Instead of chips and cookies, I always make sure I have fresh fruits and veggies on hand. Now, I'm not perfect, and I certainly have some processed snacks around, but they are nowhere near as sweet and laden with fat as what I had before. For example, I now stock cereal bars and granola bars instead of chocolate chip cookies. Slight difference, one may say, but in my opinion, enough of a difference. As a busy mom, I do need some quick fixes and portable foods. Plus, I do not believe in total denial. I do have a secret compartment where I keep one box of cookies, and on rare occasions, I will dole it out.

So what is for tonight? I'm thinking sliced steak with rice and a spinach salad with chickpeas on the side. Sounds pretty good I think. Last night, I was really proud of my kids. They had halibut with homemade terriyaki sauce, brown rice, and spinach salad. Given that my boys wouldn't touch vegetables just a year ago, I would say great progress has been made!

First (adult) garment!

So I FINALLY knit up a cardigan for myself. I can't believe how rewarding it felt to finish it, and how much I love wearing it! I loved the pattern - it was brilliantly designed and written. It is Vanadium by Lisa Mutch. The yarn is a sport weight, 80% superwash merino, 10% cashmere and 10% nylon (or "MCN") blend. The colour is called "Raven." I used only a little over 2 skeins, and had I not made a mistake in length (explained later), I would have used less than 2 skeins. 

I can't recall exactly how long this took me, but I do remember taking lots of breaks in between. If I knit this straight through, it probably would have taken me a month, if not a little less. It was not a long and tedious knit. I think my Juneberry shawl was much tougher. But then again, lace always is. Without further ado (and excuse the crappy photos), here is my finished product:

The cardigan actually looks much better than what this photo portrays. The lighting was horrible, and frankly, it was difficult to take a decent self-portrait while trying to showcase the garment. The angle of my camera arm is unflattering and there was nothing I could do about it. I probably should have dug out the tripod. But you get the idea of the cardigan here, which was the whole point anyway.

The middle photograph shows the back, and it is a good thing that I'm relatively tall, as I made a mistake and knitted an extra 3-4 inches!

The buttons are really cool - it's probably hard to see from the photograph (the last photo of the set). They're ceramic and the purple matches the cardigan perfectly.  

One thing I forgot to mention earlier is that the yarn for this cardigan is by Viola Viola, who is one of my all-time favourite dyers. Unfortunately, she is taking an extended break from dyeing. Good for her though, as she (Emily) is spending a year (or more) in England learning more about fiber and mills. Emily is such a gifted dyer, and so passionate about her work. Thankfully, I have a massive stash of her yarn hoarded away, which will likely last me until she returns. She has made no promises to dye again, but I (and quite a few others) are keeping our fingers crossed.

Trip to Boston

This weekend, I took two of my boys to Boston to visit a friend. The last time I went was when I was in highschool, where we went for a school trip! I can't believe I haven't visited since. Boston is such a beautiful city, and of course, home to some of the best universities in the world. 

Our flight landed early afternoon on Friday, and we wasted no time. Our hotel was very close to the Fanneuil Hall marketplace, so we walked over to check it out. That day, there was a local market stands set up, with lots of fruits and veggies. Before we went there, however, we visited this structure:

The glass on either side had stories of holocaust survivors. I read them out loud to my kids, who were a bit horrified to hear of some of the atrocities that occured. 

The next morning, we visited the Museum of Science. My boys loved that place. The exhibits were very interactive and hands-on, and the highlight was the planetarium, where we caught a show on cosmic collisions. The gist of the show is that though collisions of asteroids seem violent, much of what we know today as earth would not be what it is without these cosmic collisions. Fascinating stuff for the boys.

We then went to Harvard Square in the afternoon, where we met up with one of my Ravelry friends. She took us all to Clover, a neat lunch spot. 

Here is a photo of me and Mollie:

My friend in Boston took us to a fancy spot for dinner within the Liberty Hotel (definitely staying there next time) called Clink. All I can say is that the food was very good. In fact, the whole weekend was indulgent. I ate and drank way more than I should (of course). But it was worth it.

We also did a lot of walking, and surprisingly, the kids were ok with it. We walked from Kendall back to our hotel (Onyx) in Beacon Hill, and en route we had to cross the Charles River via Longfellows Bridge. It was so beautiful and picturesque. The weather was cool, but sunny the entire weekend.

Finally, some relaxation was also to be had of course.

In all, it was a memorable trip, and we left wanting more (always a good thing). We will definitely be back!

Thank you to my dear friend A. and her son I. for your hospitality!

Random thoughts

I really don't know what title to give to this post. All I know is that I have neglected this blog for far too long. I always have good intentions when I start a blog (and Lord knows how many I've started), but with blogs, I really seem to have "startitis." I can't quite figure out why that is. I enjoy writing, and I do find it an outlet. I think part of the reason is that deep down, I am scared because blogs are public. I find it tough to truly be myself and say the things I really want to say when I know that anyone can read this if they stumble upon it. But they won't know who I am, one can argue. True, but isn't there a way for people to find me if they want to? Perhaps I simply don't understand enough how the www works. 

I started this blog out as a "craft journal" because surely I can freely share my crafts. And I can, except that a lot of the times, when I want to write, the content is often about how I'm feeling. With that in mind, I will have to modify the theme of this blog to it being more than a craft journal. 

In time, I hope that my writing will also improve. I am going to try to get over the fear of others reading this. I don't care if what I write is crap. Why should I fear of others judging me? Who cares? This is my blog! 

So what has happened in the last 4 months since I've made a post? Lots! It is inevitable to have lots going on when one has 3 kids. That, and also the fact that I can't sit still. A list is the easiest.

1. We went on a family holiday to Turks & Caicos for March break.

2. I discovered juice cleanses.

3. I took up the cello again and am loving it.

4. Nathan got into our school of choice starting next September.

5. Ben finally took his first steps on April 18.

6. I've started to earnestly look for work.

7. I took up spinning.

8. I've bought more yarn.

9. I've knitted my first adult sweater.

10. I started running again. Slowly and short, but it's a start.

11. I'm weighing in at the lowest weight ever, without trying.

12. We are hosting a bible study group in our home.

I'm sure I've forgotten something, but this is a good start.

Welcome 2012

I can't let today go by without a post.

Yesterday, on New Year's Eve, we hosted a party up at the chalet. We've never had such a big event on NYE, and we had so much fun that we are going to make this an annual event. But today, we were all a bit subdued; the kids were tired as they went to bed late, and I was tired because of the partying.

So although today is the start to the new year, there was no big fanfare. But I wanted to sit back and reflect on how I am hoping that this year will unfold, knowing full well that things often don't go as planned. 

What am I hoping for 2012?

Good health for myself and my family, including my parents, would be a great start.

I'm going to try to enjoy not working, and not constantly worried that I won't find a job in future.

I want to be less hard on myself, and not be so critical of myself. 

I think that really is it. Short and sweet.

Happy new year!

another year gone by

It is almost time to say goodbye to 2011. It has been a year of tremendous highs and terrible lows, to say the least. Of the former variety, there was the birth of Ben. He came into this world with a bang, a full six weeks and a day early. He has brought so much joy to us, as only babies can. But the low, was indeed low: the stroke I suffered in mid-June still haunts me. 

This has really been a bit of a strange year. I really don't know how to feel about it. On the one hand, I really would rather not re-live it, but on the other, it is not without its merits. The good did outweigh the bad overall, I think. The reason I feel this is that I can safely say that at this moment, I feel I have a lot for which to be thankful.

I have a lovely family of healthy boys, a loving husband, a great life. I am relatively healthy, and life is easy. I don't have to work, and have the days to do as I wish. What more could I want? The year ended with a memorable and fun trip with my parents to Vegas. I brought N and M, and although I missed B greatly, we all had a great time. It was like an early Christmas present. 

Sylvia was able to come for a visit, which really was quite unbelievable to say the least. 

In all, the challenges I was faced in 2011 has made me a stronger person, and more appreciative of my life. 

Fingerless mittens

Crappy photo, but I merely want to prove that I did indeed finish another knit - this time, a fingerless mitten for my eldest son N. The only person around to take my photo was my 4 year old, hence the slightly blurry image. As you can see, the yarn is the same one used on the hat for M. from my previous post, Briar Rose's Fourth of July. It really is a lovely yarn to work with. 

I have a few things still on my WIPs pile, but I'm going to have to cast on Carina Spencer's Scalene as it is a Christmas present, so I must be able to finish it by then. I also really need to do a WIP list, along with goals of when I plan to finish them. I especially want to finish Umaro, which is Ben's baby blanket. He is 10 months already, so I better get right on it.

Mojo is back!

Sometimes (well oftentimes), I find that if I've lost my knitting mojo, I just have to pick up a completely different project, and it'll come back. I was knitting too many shawls, and I think I just got bored. I should rephrase that: it's not that I was knitting so many shawls, but the shawls were so time consuming, and used fingering weight yarn, that it just made me crazy after a while. I needed to put the shawls away, and work on something totally different. 

By the way, I did manage to finish B's sweater. It is really cute, and I've even blocked it. I just haven't found the right buttons yet. 

Going back to what I was thinking...I knit a cute hat for M in a matter of a couple of days, and if I may say so, it is so darn cute!

I love the yarn - it's the first time I've used it. It's from Briar Rose, and it's called Fourth of July. The colours are so Fall! I'm working on a pair of fingerless mittens for N now. I don't want him to feel left out. That's the thing wih having three kids - I'll never run out of things to knit!

Loss of Mojo

Ok, so it is of the knitting kind. But given my large stash, this better only be temporary. I've been trying to figure out why I have all of a sudden lost interest in picking up my needles. I find myself making excuses. You see, I knit mostly in the evenings after my kids have all gone to bed. Often, this means 10pm onwards. But lately, I find myself wanting to either watch TV, visit Ravelry, or simply just go to sleep. But the amount of WIPs I have is gnawing at me, and I am feeling unproductive and stressing out over the fact that I can't seem to finish anything. In short, berating myself for my knitting shortcomings. Not healthy. Knitting is suppose to be my outlet for relaxation. Not stress. I know it is just a matter of rewiring how I think. Who cares that I have lots of WIPs? So what? Why can't I just "let go"? 

I think that once I learn to "let go," i will have a lot more fun with my knitting. Instead of counting what I have not finished, I need to look at what I have. Incidentally, I did finish B's baby sweater - it is gorgeous! It just needs a button, and I have not had a chance to go buy one. But it has been blocked and photographed. I only need to post a photo. 

Ok. Deep breath. It's ok to have lots of WIPs. It's ok to have lots of WIPs...

Baby Knits

So here's the thing. My baby B is now over 8 months old, and I have no knits to show for. I had started knitting Umaro when I was pregnant with him, but when he decided to show up 6 weeks early, plans of having it ready and waiting for him flew out the window. Instead, Umaro has become a WIP which I am vowing to finish before winter arrives (I better get on it). 

In the meantime, I really want to knit something for B. before he gets any bigger. After all, it is much easier to knit for a small being than a larger one. It's much faster anyway. I haven't knitted a sweater yet, but I thought it would be a good idea to start with one for B. A mini one for practice if you will. I chose the Small Things Sweater by Carina Spencer. So here is my progress:

Unfortunately I made a mistake while picking up stitches for the sleeve, so now there are these big holes:

 

I thought about frogging it, but in the end decided it was easier to just try and patch it up while weaving in ends. When I get to the other sleeve, I will have to be more mindful not to make the same mistake again. I will post more photos when I'm done. 

Unfamiliar Territory: SAHM

For the time being, I am a "stay-at-home-mom." This is a new role for me. Ever since I've graduated from university (a LONG time ago), I've always worked, whether it was working in the corporate world or running my own business. Furthermore, I've always vowed to never become one of those women, or exactly the type of woman I am now. 

What type is that exactly, you ask? Essentially, I am a homemaker - I take care of the children, make their lunches, make sure they get to school, pick them up, drive them to various after school activities, arrange play dates, do groceries, cook, and manage the nanny. I no longer bring in an income. (Wow, that was tough to admit.)

Here are where things get interesting, even in this day and age. Stay-at-home mothers (SAHMs) will be the first to argue that their "jobs" are the most important that they can have. What can possibly be more important and rewarding than taking care of your children and the family home? To make sure that the kids have healthy meals, that when they're sick mom is home to take them to the doctor and to take care of them? However, to many people, we are  merely "just" SAHMs, the implication being that we are somehow not quite as good as (presumably) those who bring home the bacon. 

I am the first to admit that I used to be one of those people who think SAHMs are not as interesting nor as smart as those who work outside of the home. I now regret that I ever felt that way, and having been in both shoes, I understand how wrong I am. 

Staying home with my children is extremely rewarding. It is also extremely HARD. It is by far the most challenging "job" I've ever had. Our job is never done. The ability to multi-task is critical. I am a driver, cook, housekeeper, mom, manager and wife all wrapped in one. Some days I'm simply exhausted with all the different things that I have to do and to keep track of. I daydream about my old day job where I spend 8 to 5 in an office. The only time I have to myself is after all the kids have gone to bed, which often means 10pm onwards. 

But...being able to take my baby to music class, watching has face light up to the music. being able to watch all the little milestones as they occur, being able to kiss my boys goodbye and wish them a good day at school...all these little things add up to something much greater than their parts. Whenever I tell my eldest that I may go back to work soon, he always pleads with me not to do so. I KNOW it means a lot to him that I'm in their lives the way I am. I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to stay at home. I am thankful that my husband is able to give me this gift. 

However, after taking only 2 months off, I've already interviewed for a position, one that I would like to get. I am torn - on the one hand I know the opportunity is a good one for me. On the other, I am in no rush to go back to work. My baby is a mere 8 months. I'd love to be able to be with him at home until he is one. But I know that if the company gives me an offer today asking me to start right away, I will say yes.

Why do I feel so compelled to go back to work? Why can't I feel complete doing what I do now - being with my children? Why do I sometimes feel embarrassed when I tell people that I'm a SAHM? My only comfort is that I know I can't be the only SAHM feeling this way. Do you feel completely at ease being a SAHM? Or do you work but really want to be a SAHM? 

Yarn Stash

When I first told my husband that I'm taking on yet another new hobby, he looked at me with fear. "What now?" was his answer. However, when I told him I wanted to start knitting, he heaved a sigh of relief, and gave me two thumbs up plus words of encouragement. To the uninitiated, knitting sounds harmless enough. After all, other than time, knitting does not seem to require much else. "Certainly it is not an expensive hobby" is the thought that I know was at the forefront of my husband's mind, especially given the history of my hobby selection, such as wanting to learn how to play the cello ("I need a cello!").

Even myself, who seem to have a special talent in sourcing out all things pricey, thought I had stumbled upon a relatively humble type of hobby. Little did my husband and I know. It wasn't long before I discovered indendent dyers and luxury yarns. Soon, I was completely drawn into the world of artisan dyers who claim to hand dye all their yarn with love. What's more, the yarns being dyed up comprised of fibers such as Mulberry or tussah silk, Mongolian cashmere, royal alpaca, and Italian fine merino. Furthermore, the different dying processes by these different artisanal dyers produce unique colours, all beautiful to behold.

Every indie dyer has a compelling story on what makes their yarns special, why we must simply try them out. Needless to say, I got sucked into it all quickly. At last count, I have over 800 skeins of these luxury, hand-dyed yarns. I bought a bookshelf unit from Ikea to house them all, a unit that my husband lovingly assembled for me. (He has been surprisingly restrained in his "don't you have enough yarn?" comments thus far.)

The problem I now face, and all those who have a yarn stash face (and believe me, they're out there), is how to catalog the yarn so that we know what we have. One thing that I DO know is that I should use Ravelry to do so. Ravelry has a very user-friendly system where you can enter all your stash yarns, with all the details of said yarns, plus photos. The issue I'm facing is that it would be extremely labour intensive to take photographs of all my yarn and then having to input them all. But if I do so, I'd be able to sort them easily on Ravelry. Since my yarns are stored on a 5x5 bookshelf with 25 cubes (as you can see above), I decided to do one unit each day. So today I did the lower right corner cubby hole. 24 cubby holes left...

So Ravelry would take care of keeping track of all that I have (I also have to remember to add any new purchases right away). But how should I organize the yarns at home? By brand, by weight? How do you organize your stash?

I can't tell you how many blogs I've started in the last two years; the operative word here, is of course, "started." I always start a blog all excited, imagining all the things I'll be sharing with others, but not really thinking it through about why people would be interested in what I have to say. Then when it came time to actually write the posts, I'd be in limbo. Most of the time I'm afraid to share too much, and when I am not being myself, I know for sure that no one would want to read what I've written. Thus the blog dies a quick death. I've read so many engaging blogs where a mom openly shares about the trials and tribulations of being a mom, for example. But when I try to do the same thing, I either can't seem to make the story sound interesting enough, or when I feel that I have an interesting story to share, I'm afraid that it is too personal. I think this is just something that I have to overcome.

With this new (and hopefully final) blog that I'm starting here, I'm going to try to use a slightly different approach. The fact that it is a "craft journal" makes it less intimidating in that if nothing else, I can share what I've done that is crafty. I don't necessarily have to be writing about my family or my personal feelings. I also will have a plan for each post, in that each post will be more focused, as opposed to jumping all over the map. In other words, there has to be a theme or goal to each post. 

The hardest thing for me is to post regularly. With three young kids, it is hard enough trying to find time to knit, but to find time to sit down and write a thoughtful blog post is nearly impossible. By the time I can do so, which is usually late at night, I am so tired that I can hardly think straight, let alone write cohesively. But my goal will be to find that time, for I know it is there. Now that I am no longer working (I'm taking a few months off work to re-energize), I should be able to manage my time such that I can find a chunk of it for my blog. Like anything, you get out of something what you put in. Trash in trash out right?

For those who have young kids, a job, a crafty hobby, and a lively blog, I wonder how you manage to find time to blog? Is it not easy to place blogging at the end in terms of priorities?