My name is Kate. When I was very young, it was Katie. And then in high school it was Katy. (It was something about the “y” making it sound more unique – you know, there’s nothing quite like a “sometime” vowel to translate awesomeness.) Nowadays, it’s just Kate. If you think you’re confused, just imagine my poor grandmother trying to write out Christmas gift tags.
I am in the part of my 20s where introducing yourself in the ‘About Me’ section of your blog sounds corny if you start with, “I’m Kate and I’m 27 years old.”
I am pretty much all those things that moms list when they have a blog. You know: Mother, wife, sister, friend, personal shopper, accountant, chauffer, and so on. I hate when people include “daughter” on this list because…duh.
Probably the most important part of that list is that I am a stay-at-home mom. And yes, I am extremely grateful that my husband makes enough money to support our family, and no, I don’t miss working outside the home, but I also wish there was a way for me to say, “But hey, we go without a lot in our lives,” without sounding petty every time someone tells me how *lucky* I am to be a stay-at-home mom.
Luck had a lot to do with it, but so did saving for a year before having a baby and cancelling our cable TV and buying a small home because that’s all we could afford and using cloth diapers and starting a retirement fund when I was 21 and cutting coupons for “Double Up” Wednesdays and breastfeeding and not owning a pair of jeans/shirt/dress that cost more than $30.
Before I became a mother, I checked a few items off my bucket list.
- I ran three marathons (and a handful of half-marathons, sprint triathlons, and other races);
- I got my motorcycle license and bought a motorcycle;
- I went skydiving;
- I spent a weekend in Vegas with 13 of my closest girlfriends;
- I bought a home and a Subaru Outback;
- I adopted two cats and two dogs;
- I graduated summa cum laude (hey, why make the grades if you’re not gonna brag about it?) from the University at Albany and climbed the ladder at a media company that published business-to-business trade magazines for five years;
- I was married while wearing blue jeans by a Justice of the Peace in a ceremony that took place in my parent's foyer and concluded with a high-five, and then while wearing a beautiful white wedding dress by a priest in a Catholic Church in front of all our friends and family. (In a rather boring turn of events, the same man stood in for the groom at both weddings.)
- I coached the modified field hockey team at my high school alma mater and worked as a referee for 2 years;
- And I drove across the country three times.
But not in that order.
Some of these things I did with my husband. Some of them I did on my own. He was definitely involved in the whole “getting married” part, but I can guarantee you he wasn’t in Vegas.
Some of these things I did with my husband. Some of them I did on my own. He was definitely involved in the whole “getting married” part, but I can guarantee you he wasn’t in Vegas.
In addition to my boast-worthy accomplishments, I also had a few not-so-proud moments. I won’t list them here because someday my mother might read this blog and then I would be very sad, because the worst feeling I have ever known is disappointing my mother. She is the kind of mother for whom you don’t buy the mug that says “Greatest Mom in the World” because it’s true, and that somehow feels tacky.
I started this blog because I used to love writing (and I also loved the reactions I got from people who read my writing). I think I still do. Also, it is a good hobby to take up if you’re trying to avoid other hobbies. Like working out or binge eating. But it won’t help you if your favorite pastimes are abusing punctuation and waving your fingers over the keyboard in angst as you try to get your thoughts to come out right.
I hope you enjoy reading my thoughts, and please, do leave a comment. I can’t waste nearly as much time if you don’t leave comments.
Cheers,
Kate
