WOW!! I think I'd use a photo like that for everything - driver's license, school ID, 15 by 20 portrait over the fireplace, etc. Of course, I don't have a picture where I have ever looked that good, so....

Glad you're not stressing as much =) And you should definitely plan a trip to NYC. I try to go at least once a year - all that energy it recharges me.

Yes, I'm living the dream. Part of it, anyway. Balancing work and parenting.

I did the SAHM for awhile and I felt terribly isolated and unfulfilled. Loved being at home with my kids but didn't like daily tedium of it. Chopping veggies into small chunks, cleaning high chair trays, picking up toys, all of this extra housework was stifling. I missed adult contact. I missed using my brain for work challenges.

As for other dreams? To travel more. I'm disappointed that my life doesn't include more travel. Like you, I'd love to have a vacation spot (time share? weekend condo?) in NYC or San Fran. I'd love to hike in mountains. Do more seashell hunting at the beach. But I try to focus on all that I'm grateful for,which is a LOT, rather than what is missing, as you say.

Wanting what you have instead of having what you want.

Thoughtful post!

have I mentioned to you, that you are hot?

no?

ok, you are HOT

It's nice to be able to admit that--I think a lot of mom's feel guilty when they admit that, and I don't think they should. While being a wife and mother is my most important job, it's not the only facet of me. I am a SAHM. I used to work, and I hated it... every minute of being away from my kids. I LOVE being a SAHM. That being said, the part of me that really likes spending money hates the fact that I'm not pulling any in. I want to be able to make enough money to justify paying someone to clean my toilets for me. I don't ever want to go back to the 9-5 thing tho. I want something fulfilling, and creative. So I'm very thankful to my hubby for the chance to just be a mom and wife right now, and explore options for doing something that I would truly love, be good at, and be able to make ok-to-decent amounts of money when I'm ready. The New York thing, so not for me. I want like 3000 acres in the middle of nowhere, with a luxurious lodge, speedy internet service, and NO PEOPLE, other than the one's that bring me groceries, and clean for me. I'm a recluse at heart, I guess.

You are one HOT mama, girlfriend. Even hotter for the exploration you are doing on what you want. You have much talent. Find what works. And we'll cheer you on.

Hey Andrea! As I sit here looking at my silver wire structure of the Empire State Building that Jacob bought me from Target with his birthday money, I am thinking of how alike we are. NYC is my dream. I always say drop me in the middle of Times Square and I"m happy. I would love to have a loft apartment and do the whole Manhattan thing. It's where I live in my mind. Too bad I'm stuck here in the muck of Savannah, GA when my mind is filled with musicals and neon lights. BTW, I LOVE Wicked. Saw it in NYC for my 40th birthday. We should plan a trip sometime and meet up in NYC. Wouldn't that be a hoot and a holler?!

great kodak moment, the matching shoes! I remember wondering what it would feel like, to have same size shoe as my kids .. I still wonder. two of my kids bypassed my shoe size in a seconds flat. came and went..zip!