Stone Age

My internet is back on. It seemed like it has been off for FOREVER

even though it was only two days.

What did people do before internet? Really? I'm asking FOR REALS because I have no clue.

Did people actually hang out with each other and give each other a status update IN PERSON?!?!

STATUS UPDATE: Now that our internet is connected again it truly feels like 2011.

The good news is the cloth diapers arrived and I love them! I've been cloth diapering, reading, cleaning the house and baking bread. You might not be into chicks with internet but without internet I'm sounding all kinds of sexy right?

Okay really WHAT DID YOU do before internet? I need ideas in case this ever happens again!

Blogging Moms have Internet Addiction?

It wasn't long after I found out I was pregnant when I quit my job. The friendly skies were not so friendly to my pregnant, morning sickness self. I sat in the jump seat next to passengers with a barf bag in my lap. Every take-off I threw up. After reading a pretty detailed occupational report regarding flight crew and miscarriages, my letter of resignation was in two days later. Nothing was going to lesson my chances of seeing this baby grow inside of me. I needed to go.

A new resident of Denver and recently married, I found it difficult to make friends versus anywhere I have been before. I never blamed Denver for this. I think when you are in a relationship, making friends is just a different experience. You make friends with other couples or you pretty much don't make friends. Being pregnant didn't help either. I wasn't invited to the bar for a girls happy hour. I wasn't invited to the margarita parties. So many social events are wrapped around drinking and when you are the odd one out, well, other's don't really want to make you feel uncomfortable. So, you are either awkwardly invited with a, "I know you can't drink, but..." or you simply don't go. Winter time hit and when everyone hit the slopes, I guess I hit the internet.

I knew no other preggos, I was the first of my friends to be 'with child' and I was completely engrossed with everything that was happening within my body. I loved it. I wanted to learn everything I could, understand all the odd/amazing/absolutely disgusting things that was going to happen to my body. I researched every ache and pain. I read article after article. I brought books home from the local bookstore and read what round ligament pain was all about, why I had to pee so much in early pregnancy, what to do if the cramps worsen. I devoured all the information that I think was humanly possible and eventually happened upon a site, I-am-pregnant.com. There were detailed pictures of the fetus growing inside of you, weekly updates and the best part, people writing in below about what they were feeling or experiencing at so many weeks pregnant. I know there are many sites like this, but I-am-pregnant had site monitors kicking off anyone that had anything mean to say. A very different story than most pregnant sites. We've got hormones RAGING in our bodies, we are uncomfortable, we are worried, we are excited, we are nervous, we are elated, we just don't know how we feel and those hormones can make a pregnant girl not very nice. This site was not filled with hateful comments, or reasons why one girl was smarter or better than the others. This site was polite. This site was informative. I loved this site. I was on it daily. I read what was going on with the other girls, we compared our experiences and I made a few friends. I think it's safe to say, I spent an excess amount of time on this one site, however, If it wasn't for this site, I'm not sure I would have made it through my pregnancy even slightly sane. I had to tell my stories to other pregnant woman that would understand, I just simply did not have that in the real world at that specific time. Do I regret spending that much time online at that period on my life? Not a bit.

This morning I read this article on moms with an internet addiction.

When my husband got home from work, I was clingy and dying for someone to talk to. I started to feel like a crazy person. I was becoming depressed without any interaction," she says. Desperate, she went online and found the community she needed. "I'd talk to people in chat rooms for hours." But not about babies or parenting. "I needed to feel like a normal person who could have normal conversations that weren't about breastfeeding or how many ounces my son gained." Soon, she was spending as many as eight hours online every day.

Though I believe that anything done in excess is not healthy, I don't think finding something outside of your children is.

Fast forward to today and I visit the site maybe once a month and blog here pretty regularly. I am online daily checking emails from professors and realtors, working on my online classes, researching travel deals, reading your blogs and researching the next random thing like the consistency of my son's poop and what that means. More milk? More fiber? I don't think the amount of time I spend online is unhealthy, I just feel that the direction of the world has moved online instead of in person. My classes for example, instead of being in a classroom, all of that time is transferred to my couch and laptop. Does that make me unhealthy? Does that make me a bad mom? Does that mean I have an addiction?

The article goes on to say that one mom quit blogging after six years to spend more time to meet new people. I just feel that some people move from one extreme to the other very quickly and just because moms are finding something to do outside of their children refusing to just be defined as only a mom is not a bad thing. I don't want an article to make any mom feel bad about not spending 24/7 with their children. You need balance. You need other adult time. You need a release but more than anything, you need to do what works best for you. My blog helps me release the words in my head and throws them out to whoever feels like reading them and after I press publish, I feel a littler lighter.

Thanks for making me feel lighter.

My question is, how do you feel about the article? How much time do you spend online? Does it interfere with your life or does it enhance it? How do you differentiate a good habit with a bad one?

25 Random Things

So everyone is tagging me on this facebook note.  Since I'm not smart at the whole facebook thing, I'll do it here and then post it there.  I know, I'm lame.  

1.  I once socked (no, not punched) my brother in face to show my friend how strong I was.  I knocked out a tooth.  Moral: Don't mess with me.

2.  I am completely out of date with what is cool on T.V.  Heroes, American Idol, and whatever shows everyone talks about are beyond me.  Turn on the Cosby Show and I'm happy.

3.  I got voted 'Most Shy' in high school.  I know, I still can't believe it.  

4.  I think Dairy is the devil and would happily talk your face off about it in hopes that you will one day agree.

5.  On the whole talking subject: I got voted the #1 persuasive speaker at a Cal State Debate against a bunch of communication majors.   Ha, take THAT 'Most Shy' award!

6.  My brother once burned all my toys and blamed the fire on me, like I would burn my own toys.   My strawberry shortcake kitchen set was forever ruined and I'm still upset about it.

7.  When I'm under the influence of too much wine, all of a sudden I think I'm fluent in French.  I blame Turks and Caicos.

8.  I can't help but have an air competition with you if we were to go scuba diving together.  I want to be the one on the boat with the most air left in her tank. I blame Holly Scuba.

9.  I say I would love if my house were haunted because I think I could talk the ghost into doing chores.  Really, I think it would totally freak me out, even if the ghost did do dishes.

10.  I am absolutely clueless when it comes to makeup.  I don't know what to do and would rather not wear any then end up looking like Sawyer got me ready to go out.  

11.  There is some sort of nerve that runs down my face, so when I tap my cheek, my upper right lip twitches.  This is my greatest talent.

12.  Speaking of talents, if I could get plastic surgery on one thing, it would be my vocal cords so I could be an amazing singer.  I long to sing and dance on Broadway.  I imagine myself on stage and choreograph dances during my runs down the Cherry Creek bike path.  Yes, that is me running with jazz hands.

13.  I not so secretly want to write a book, I just don't know what it would be about and who the hell would read it.

14.  I remember being interviewed for a friend club (BFC!) and being asked if I would laugh if a fellow member tripped and fell.  I said yes and still hold true to my answer.  I think falling and/or embarrassing yourself is one of the funniest damn things.  I still love you, but I really love you when you are my form of entertainment.

15.  Holding hands is one of my favorite things in the world and feel insanely lucky that my husband feels the same.

16.  People ask what my worst experience was as a flight attendant.  If you haven't heard this story yet, you are in for a treat, just make sure you have an empty stomach.  I think I'll hold off on this one and make it a blog.... stay tuned for that one.  AND don't tell me this doesn't count as a fact, I'll elaborate soon.

17.  I hate motorcycles.  I am sooo nervous every time my husband wants to ride his to work and wait anxiously by the computer to receive his, "I'm here!" email.

18.  (Okay, seriously you guys, 21 is a lot.)  I do squats as I blow dry my hair.  I hate to dry my hair and I feel like if I'm working on something else (like my tushy), it will make me actually complete the drying process, instead of walking away and having frizzy hair all day.

19.  The only person that has ever got me to change much of anything is my friend Janice.  Thanks to her I like to cook.

20.  One of my goals is to be able to do a standing back handspring on my 30th birthday.  The only thing I've done to accomplish this goal is a handstand against the wall once a few months ago.

21.  (Finally, it's HERE!)  I can make my tongue in the shape of three loops. You know, like the taco, but three of them.  When I showed my husband this a few months ago he said, "Don't ever do that again!"

-Dedicated to Debra because she said I'm funny.-

Twitter huh?!

Okay, I'm a little cranky. What the hell is this Twitter stuff?! It's like every time I finally get myself familiarized with something you ALL say is just sooo great, and oh Holly, you HAVE to do this, it's just soooo great, you change it up on me! WTF?! First it was this thing called e-mail. Okay I get it, e-mail is all important and stuff. Then it's cell phones. I think I was the last person in the state of California to own one. I just didn't understand why I wanted to ALWAYS be available for my work to call me... TO WORK! Then it was myspace. It took me a long time and a friend had to set mine up. Other people called me on their CELL PHONES to tell me to check my myspace. FINE. THEN! I get all into myspace and do stuff on it like post pictures and even click on those emotion face things and you guys are like, oh myspace sucks, go to facebook. What is facebook??? I didn't go on facebook until another friend set one up for me (Knowing that I would never do it myself.) and I start getting these e-mails saying, so and so wants to be your friend, and blah, blah, BLAH! Treating facebook like ice cold water I will eventually have to be swimming in, I step in slowly, toe first. People are poking me (not cool, don't poke me, that's just not cool), people are like, oh, click here I bought you a drink. I click and it's a virtual drink. Drink up, it's virtual. DON'T GIVE ME A VIRTUAL DRINK, IF YOU ARE BUYING ME A DRINK IT BETTER BE REAL, AND STRONG. REAL STONG! But, I'm getting into it. It has taken me a LONG time, but I'm getting it. You know I start to get something if what? That's right, if I post pictures and sometimes do my little mood thing. Facebook, I feel like ;-5. What is that anyway?! Now I'm hearing everyone is about Twitter. TWITTER? Internet, can you please stop making all this stuff that people get all involved in and then make me do it. Because I am a sucker for peer pressure I do it but WAY later than you all and by the time I understand this virtual friendship circle crap you switch it on me. Stop switching it on me! So, I'm trying to be a little non cave girl with technology and googled Twitter. This is the explanation I get...

Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

Is it just me or does this sound absolutely riduculous?! What are you doing? This whole network for a 'what are you doing?'?!?! Most of the time, I don't even know what I'm doing let alone sitting here pondering what the world's population is doing. I don't know about twitter, but if I want to know what your doing, most likely I'll call you. Maybe even send you a letter, as in from the mailbox outside your house. Remember that thing? I miss that thing.

So, seriously, um, I'm dying to know, what are you doing?!?!