Cary Grant said, "I pretended to be someone I wanted to be, and finally I became that person." I’m going to follow his lead and pretend I have everything under control. I think wishful thinking will help get me through the next few months as we figure out baby girl’s schedule and settle into a routine. In the spirit of hopefulness, here is my goal:

I’m going to be the mom that gets both children bathed, dressed, fed and ready to go by 8 a.m. The beds will also be made, of course, and it goes without saying that I, too, will already be ready for the day. It would be a nice little bonus if it was a good hair day for me. 

I will be the freelancer that manages to meet all deadlines without a late-night crunch the night before. I will meet all of my current clients’ needs while also pitching my wish-list publications. I will get interviews with all the right sources, who don’t ever stand me up or refuse to answer certain questions. 

I will create happy memories for my kiddos, keep a tidy house, cook healthy meals and give my hubby a kiss each day before he heads out the door. I will also be cool, calm and collected each day when he gets home–so will the kids. I will be the friend, sister and daughter that remembers all birthdays, sends thank you cards on time and calls just to say hello.

To top it off, I will do it all without ever feeling frazzled. It may be a tall order, but I figure I might as well dream big. Wish me luck! And, I’d love to hear more about who you would pretend to be! 

Let us, then, be up and doing
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.  
–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I didn’t intend to let this little blog languish for almost a whole month, but, well…things got busy around here! We have been “up and doing,” which has taken every ounce of energy I can muster.

I had (somewhat) perfected the art of juggling a toddler, a freelance career and a household. Adding baby girl into the mix has meant I needed to adjust my stance and find my footing again. It is important to know how many balls you can juggle at once and which ones you can sit down from time to time. The blog is one I had to sit down. Now that I’m finding my stride, I’m ready to pick it back up again. 

Regular posts will resume again next week. I have lots of ideas and can’t wait to share a few stories. Thanks for reading! 

Baby girl joined us this week! Posting will be light as we’re busy falling in love! 

Whew! This weekend went by in the blink of an eye. Somehow I’m still recovering from it. I have so many things I want to talk about! Finding the time to get it all out of my head and onto the screen is my problem. Here are some quick updates:

Family: 

We took my little guy to the Baltimore Aquarium on Saturday. He commandeered the camera, leaving us with great shots like these: 

My baby bump:

Our lower legs:

My hubby’s wedding ring: 

 
The lower halves of people we don’t know: 

True gems, I tell ya. We finally had to put the camera away and didn’t get it out to capture any images of us as a family. Don’t worry, though, the memories will live on in my head. 

Baby Girl Long is still staying put and hasn’t shown much interest in joining us. If she was awake to hear the tone of my voice when putting my little guy in a time out yesterday, she just might stay put for a few more weeks. Since my guy came early, I’ve been ready for weeks now, but I’m trying to remain patient. I keep reminding myself that she’ll come when she is ready. 

Freelancing: 

I’m using these last few days/weeks/hopefully not a whole month to get a jump start on a couple of projects I have in the works. It is nice not to have a crunch right now and working ahead feels great. I have about 15 freelancing blog posts floating around in my head and even made a list so I don’t forget them. I hope to get them written up this week. 

Reading: 

I’ve been using every spare minute to squeeze in as much reading as I can. I know I won’t have much time for novels after Baby Girl arrives, so I want to pack it in now. I’ve finished some great books over the past few weeks and can’t wait to tell you about them. The problem is, the books are keeping me away from the computer! It is quite the Catch 22. But, I do plan to share the details on my latest favorites soon! 

Thanks for catching up with us! I hope you all had a great Memorial Day. 

My little guy and I got to visit his daddy at work yesterday. The trip was made complete with a Happy Meal and an ice cream. My guy also enjoyed entertaining his daddy’s coworkers for a bit. After an adventure like that, he is going to think being a CPA is the best job in the world! 

"Pursuing what you want to do and achieving your goal is not like finding the burning bush or discovering a gold mine. There are usually no epiphanies, no sudden reversals of fortune. Fulfillment comes in fits and starts… Fulfillment comes in many guises, and it can come into our lives at any time… But only we can make sure it will be fulfilled. If we feel empty, no amount of water can fill our well. It has to come from within, from the underground springs and streams." — Mary Morris

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable. — Helen Keller