Montco Mommy Returns to Patch

That’s right. I’m back in the saddle again. It’s been a long time coming, but I’m happy to announce the return of Montco Mommy.

During the summer of 2012, I decided to take a break to enjoy more time with my children. They were off. We had many planned trips to the beach, to see family, camping. It was a whirlwind of a summer.

It was a smart decision. My time is spread so thinly and the column seemed to be something I did largely for my own enjoyment. It hadn’t occurred to me that it would be missed. I, of course, aim to help other parents by venting my frustrations, offering my two cents and minimally showing you that nobody’s perfect and crazy things do happen all the time, to all parents!

As the children went back to school (pre-K and second-grade this year, my how time flies), I figured it would only be a matter of time before I would be once again writing my weekly column. But as football practices melted into homework assignments, Mommy got bogged down in the usual.

I started back to Home and School meetings for my son’s school. I was working as hard as possible at my job here at Patch. I was trying to keep my house neat and orderly, be a good wife, be a good daughter, please my friends, still have a “life” (whatever that means, haha) – you know, the usual routine.

By early November, that all added up to another bad sinus infection. That soon turned into the typical pneumonia (sadly a fairly common reoccurrence for me these days).

After rounds of antibiotics did not clear up the illnesses, I was still suffering from lacking the ability to breathe. Additionally, a sharp stomach pain began to plague me. After a quick stop in the ER, we found that I was actually in need of some major emergency surgery.

In my life, I suppose there have been many instances where I technically could have died. I’ve been in car accidents. I’ve played a lot of sports. I’ve zip-lined and hiked. Biked and camped. But, I’ve never actually for one tiny moment thought I could actually die.

No, I know I’m not immortal. I just think when you are “young” (don’t laugh), busy and living a chaotic life, you don’t stop to think about death too often. It’s uncomfortable and something you can’t dwell on. Sure, it happens to us all, and there is seldom much you can do about it. However, I for one almost never considered it. That is, until Nov. 4.

As I was rushed into emergency surgery, awoke too early and still intubated, and then proceeded to suffer for days later, with no pain medications and an adverse reaction to anesthesia, yes. I finally started to think about my own life’s eventual end.

I’m not what I’d call a morbid individual. I don’t want to dwell on it. But after recovering, there are a few things I have tried to focus on in my life. For one, I want to appreciate all that I have. I have a wonderful job, two beautiful and healthy children, a very supportive husband and a home to call our own. I’m blessed each and every day, and sometimes in the hustle and bustle of it all, I forget that.

I’m not big on resolutions, but I do vow this year, and in many to come, to try to remember how that day felt. I want to remember to be grateful. I want to enjoy each and every day I have.

This all likely sounds like a long-winded way to explain why I’m back with my column. But the truth is, in addition to providing what I hope is a community service, lending a shoulder to cry on, a soapbox to stand on and a forum to discuss, debate and even vent to me, I find this space therapeutic.

On top of all that, and perhaps more importantly for me, this space also chronicles my life. It shows the good times and the bad. It will be an everlasting collection of my family’s stories. It will show my kids someday how I thought, what was wonderful about my life and what I struggled with day-to-day. If someday, I’m not here to tell the story, I want them to have access to all of that.

I hope you will come along for the journey, too!