I've Had Two Babies and I'm 40...so LBL Happens

LBL = light bladder leakage.

That's right, I'm talking about pee.

You know, we are born unable to control our bladders....and then GIVING BIRTH lessons the control we worked so hard at age two or three to gain!

Full circle? Irony? Cruel joke?

Whatever it is, it's really darn annoying.

I promise you, I have done my share of kegel exercises. And I know I'm not alone in this. I think I have, like, one friend who claims to not have this issue even after having four babies.

I think she's lying.

Confessions of a Blogger: Spreading Bloggy Social Media Love

Bloggers love getting comments on their posts. As long as they're not from ugly internet trolls or spammers, that is.

I love them too, don't get me wrong.

But here's the thing, another aspect of this blogging gig is the use of social media to tell people about our posts so they will get read in the first place.

The social media platforms are busy, and different from one another. Twitter streams fly by right before our eyes, Facebook continues to change the rules on us and so many of us still don't fully get Google+....

Grieving for the Man He Used to Be

My husband is not the same man he used to be. Every health setback he suffers shoves this fact in my face.

It's been on my mind a lot lately.

After a good friend died seven years ago I participated in a grief counseling group with mutual friends of hers. I learned a lot from it.

One of the biggest things I learned, that I didn't already know, is that loss comes in many forms. Death isn't the only way we experience loss.

Mark is alive, but we are most definitely grieving the loss of the healthier man he used to be.

And all the changes.

5 Little Ways I Take Time for Myself

I have been asked about how I could possibly find time for myself with all I have on my plate as a mother, wife and caregiver.

I pointed this out in my first Ask Jen post, but I'll just say again, I'm not aiming for any sort of perfect. I'm not going to cry in my Cheerios if something doesn't get done.

In fact, I must admit I completely forgot about my son's school picture day earlier this month. The school sent home the order form and I fully intended to place an order online beforehand and send AJ to school looking sharp. But because I spaced it (the order form got lost under other papers and I didn't write it on the calendar), he wore some graphic tee and probably shorts that day.

That's a bummer, but it's not the end of the world. I got some nice pictures of him last year, and I can try again next year.

I may not be campaigning for the Perfection of Womanhood Award, but we all know it's a pretty universal female trait to think of ourselves last. We are natural nurturers.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

As soon as I saw the topic for this month's Old School Blogging, this song started playing in my head:

And it has been stuck in there for DAYS. Hopefully getting this written and done will purge it from my brain!

Is it in your head now? Mwahaha.

An Interview with a 14 Year Old

Last year I started a new tradition of having my kids answer the same 20 questions each year in order to watch how they change. I was inspired by Katie at Your Girls and Boys.

My daughter Camryn is 14 years old now and a freshman in high school.