Who am I?

I am a thirty something wife and mother. I live in the mid-west. I have a six year old daughter and a four year old son. Up until I had my daughter I was a teacher and hopefully will be going back to that before too terribly long. My husband and I celebrated our tenth anniversary this summer.

There are many things I would like to be but am not.

I'm not a very good cook, though I try. I've definitely gotten better since I've had kids. Before the kids started eating adult food I never cooked. I lived on cereal. I consider it cooking if I turn on the stove. Before the kids, I considered Hamburger Helper a good meal. I've since moved on from Hamburger Helper, but not much.

I blame the above for not being a very good menu planner. It just doesn't come naturally to me. I can not look at what is in the fridge or pantry and just figure out what to make for dinner. I have to have a plan and that doesn't always get done. Probably because...

I am not organized enough. The same goes for cleaning. I am not good at it. This also does not come naturally to me. I am trying really hard. I have some systems in place and am working hard at keeping them up. It is a constant struggle though, especially at a time like this. My house is a wreck, but Christmas was awesome.

I try to be green. I recycle whenever possible. I unplug unused appliances or use strips. I compost. But... I still use paper towels and plastic bags (though I wash and reuse the bags.) I think all the time about the amount of waste I put into landfills but don't how to live life differently.

I try to be frugal, clip coupons, spend wisely. Unfortunatley, the coupons pile up and expire. I sometimes use poor judgement when shopping. I buy something I don't need or buy the wrong thing. (Or get carried away at times like Christmas and birthdays.)

I don't say all these things to put myself down. I read one of my favorite blogs lately (Org Junkie, maybe) and she talked about why we women focus on the negative. She asked why we can't just focus on what is good. The reason I am doing this is to be honest and open. When I read some of my favorite blogs I feel inadequate. I've come to realize that maybe they aren't showing the whole picture. One blog I read a lot was by a mom who married her high school sweetheart, had a couple children and seemed to have this perfect life. Then, suddenly, she posted that she was moving out with her children and her husband did something that broke her heart and tore her family apart. You would never have thought that would be possible by following her blog.

If you want to hear from someone who is trying to be a good mom and wife but doesn't always get it right, someone who constantly strives to be better but understands what she is doing is good enough this is the place to come.