Then & Now  

Where were you a year ago? Five years ago? Ten? I love looking back and comparing my life then and now, so when one of my VERY best friends in the whole wide world wrote a post about just this topic on her blog, I had to do one of my own. By the way, my friend's blog -- Sloppy Joes and Tater Tots -- is brand new, so please visit her and give her some bloggy love!

THEN: red wine in a nice big goblet
NOW: grape juice stains on the carpet

THEN: my sunroom was a dedicated reading room
NOW: my sunroom is a dedicated playroom

THEN: high-literary works on my coffee table
NOW: five coloring books and a few dozen broken crayons on my coffee table

THEN: Gorgonzola, feta and brie cheeses in my fridge
NOW: string cheese in my fridge -- sometimes the cool "cheddar and mozzarella" twisty combo!

THEN: lacy bras with matching underwear
NOW: nursing bras and granny panties

THEN: romantic weekend getaways to the mountains or beach
NOW: overnight trips to the Great Wolf Lodge

THEN: matching placemats and fabric napkins on the kitchen table
NOW: three sets of matching placemats with fabric napkins with stains, and a fourth place setting featuring a plastic Sesame Street placemat

THEN: the dog slept in our bed
NOW: the dog sleeps in G's bed

THEN: our third bedroom was an office/guest room
NOW: C sleeps in the third bedroom, our computer is in the family room and our family is forced to stay in a hotel

THEN: I always had time to straighten my hair after getting out of the shower
NOW: shower? huh? haven't seen one in weeks...

THEN: working 50 hours a week and putting all my earnings into savings
NOW: working freelance from home -- when I choose -- and putting all my earnings to pay for preschool, dance and swim lessons, cloth diapers and medical costs

THEN: feeling like something was missing from my life
NOW: knowing my life is complete -- not only because of my two beautiful children, but because of all the amazing people I've come to know (and love!) because of them