The Blog That Almost Wasn't

As we sit at the local coffee shop, trying to figure out how to create this inspiring blog, we have been called by both of our husbands asking things such as, where's the Tylenol? Do we have any pasta in the house? What time are you coming home? Is Kraft Mac and Cheese dye-free? etc., etc.

You see, we don't live the fairy tale life of those on Facebook. Instead, we live the realistic life of wives and mothers who are stretched and pulled and our bodies are proof of that.

Jan (that's me), is, let's just say, in her forties, with three children ages 10, 15 and 17.  She has lived in Chicago, San Diego, Seoul, and Beijing - following her husband around as he climbs the corporate ladder.  Her oldest, a boy, has ADD, her middle child, a girl, suffers from middle child syndrome and her youngest is going to cause her to drink...more. It was a rude wake-up call when a friend de-friended her on Facebook because her life seemed too perfect. Well, her life is anything but perfect although, it's been a great ride full of ups and downs. At her age, she finds being a conformist to society's expectations exhausting. What she recently realized was she really needs to surround herself with women who fight the same battles every day. She hopes that this blog will be anything but normal. She may go as bold as posting less flattering pictures of herself or how her house really looks when no one is scheduled to visit - you know, REAL life. She's excited to be working in tandem with her much younger sister-in-law Kat who she knew before Kat turned four. She is married to Kat's brother.

Kat is the sister of Jan's husband which proves her brother can do some things right since he married someone similar to his sister. I know, weird, right? At two and five, her boys keep her on her toes, out of bed, and drowning in laundry, toy trains, and snotty tissues as well as hugs and slobbery kisses. When she is not running her mom's group at church or writing you can find her behind a loaded grocery cart, stuffing a resistant two year old in a car seat, dragging an equally resistant five year old into a kindergarten classroom, and answering questions such as why do moms sit down to pee? why do I have to go to bed if I'm not tired? and how do I boil water. That last one came from her husband. She doesn't usually let her kids use the stove, although isn't it about time they learned to make their own damn macaroni and cheese? Efficient and organized are not words that describe Kat, but she has learned to juggle the demands of motherhood, her husband's long work hours, three cats, and a fixer-upper house with the help of a caffeine addiction, doting grandparents, a few good friends, beer, and of course her sister-in-law.

So, if you desire some validation that you are not losing your mind and that it's okay to be human, then you have come to the right place.  Feel free to comment, vent or go ape-shit here - we will not judge! This blog isn't just for the stay-at-home mom. This blog is also for the stay-at-home dad as well as working parents and people who don't have any kids at all. We hope to host a wide array of topics such as child rearing, friendships, ailing parents, wine and beer, why we need wine and beer, etc.