What the What?????

What's going on here? (I'm in your brain right now). This chick was all, "I'm going to challenge myself once a week and then tell you about it blah blah blah. And then she got pregnant with twins... and she told us she'd still blog - but she's a liar - 'cause she left us all high and dry. Keeping Her Cool? More like Playing Too Cool for School!" It's all good, anything that you're thinking about me is probably 10 times nicer than what I've thought about myself.

A few months ago, a well-meaning (and very good) friend told me that she's noticed that I never finish what I start. Ugh. Who wants to hear that? I realized that in the case of this blog - that was true (however, in my defense, I complete a lot of tasks. Like, just this morning, I set out to take a shower. Guess what, I did!) Here's where I got stuck; I wanted to challenge myself once a week. I wanted to do a great, big, impressive challenge. Once a week. I wanted to really stretch myself. Once a week. And I did, until the stretching became less metaphorical and more literal. That is to say, that once I found I was expecting twins (who are now born, 7 months-old, and affectionately called "the Twinstroms") I realized that the whole pregnancy was stretching me. This is an ongoing challenge.

I wasn't sure how to come back to this blog and have something unique to say each and every week. I didn't know how I could face another challenge each week deliberately, when I had found myself accidentally in the midst of a huge life challenge. So, I disappeared from the blogosphere, but privately kept the blog dream alive.

Time has passed, and yes, I have two beautiful babies (a boy and a girl, for those keeping track) who are thriving and making each moment two times more interesting than they once were. I have been constipated with musings. It's the truth. I'm all stopped up. I am constantly seeing the world with different eyes, and I am dying to share it with you.

So, Keeping Her Cool is coming back at you. With a little makeover - and an even fresher perspective. I'm not going to lie, it will likely fall squarely in the category of "mommy-blog." I have tried so desperately to avoid this label in the past. I didn't want to alienate anyone. However, in trying to avoid the label, I am avoiding who I really am. Right now I am deeply entrenched in the role of Mommy. I eat, sleep, breathe MOM. I LOVE it sometimes, and despise it others. After all, I am a mom. I hope you'll take a peek into this new world. Expect to find a challenge here and there (because I've definitely still been stretching myself), but mostly I want to invite you into this world where I try to keep my cool, both as a woman, and as a mom. Getting back in touch with that fearless person I once was, and combining her with this crazy, at the end of my wits mommy who is just trying to make it through the day without blowing a gasket.

I hope you'll hang with me on this journey. I encourage you to laugh with me, laugh at me, laugh at yourself, disagree with me, respectfully argue with my perspective, see my flaws (believe me, there are many), cry with me (hopefully because you're laughing so hard), and genuinely enjoy the joy that I choose to embrace every day. I invite you to walk with me (and occasionally crawl through tight spaces) and to see what we have in common as we face our greatness!!! Ready... Set... GO!