It’s no secret that I love Twitter. Am addicted to it (just ask my husband!).  My tweeps are always there to talk to, commiserate with, console, listen to me rant and rave and offer advice.  Twitter is also a place where I have found inspiration.  In particular there are two friends that I follow @BOREDmommy and @losingit_grl, who have both started new blogs, both on basically the same topic – losing weight and getting healthy.  Talk about starting the New Year off right!  Now I am not one to make New Year’s resolutions but they have inspired me to start the year off by taking charge of my own health and to start exercising and eating right. Although I’m not sure I am brave enough to blog about it!

I’ve been discouraged about my weight for years. I could blame the baby weight but since my “babies” are 3 and 6, I don’t think that will fly.  I have only myself and my relationship with food to blame. You could say that I am an emotional eater. I eat when I’m sad, depressed, happy, any old time at all. Problem is my choices aren’t always the healthiest (hello my friends chocolate and chips!). And never mind exercise.  That is one relationship I quit years ago.

But it is time to change all that. Besides I’m tired. Tired of not having energy to keep up with my kids. Tired of having to shop in plus size stores. Tired of worrying if I will be around long enough to see my kids grow up!

Oh sure, I have tried countless times to lose the weight.  Even joined a weight loss program years ago to take off the weight.  It worked but I went back to old habits and surprise, surprise the weight came back.  I have decided that instead of dieting (that really is such a dirty word) I am going to change my lifestyle and hopefully this will help take the weight off and keep it off. I know it’s not going to happen overnight after all it took me years to get to this point.  And now that I have put it out there in cyberspace, there is no taking it back and should keep me honest, because I need all the help I can get! So good luck Maria and Cherie-Lynn and good luck to me too

My poor blog how lonely and neglected you must feel.  I can’t believe  it has been over a month since my last post.  You must feel the same way my social life does, neglected and forgotten!

Sure I used to have one, a social life that it is.  Before kids I would go out with friends, have dates with my hubby, attend concerts, sporting events, spur of the moment weekend getaways, even the occasional upscale dining experience.  I was never a big partier, being somewhat of a shy, wall flower type I preferred to stay in the background but managed to have fun none the less.

Once I had kids, my social life all but disappeared.  Heck I can count the number of date nights on one hand, that I’ve had with my husband in the past 6 years! Life with kids gets busy and they are only little for so long that I have wanted to enjoy every minute I can with them.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my children and would sacrifice just about anything to make them happy.  I just didn’t realize how much of myself I have been sacrificing.  Seems I have forgotten about the me that existed before children.

Choosing to be a stay at home mom is something I do not regret.  But it can be very lonely and isolating at times.  Enter Twitter. When my husband first introduced the concept to me, I didn’t understand why I would want to use it. That quickly changed however,  when I discovered how easy it was to chat with other moms.  All of sudden I went from having no adult interaction during the day to being able to log on when I had a few kid free moments and find someone to chat and commiserate with.  I guess I didn’t realize just how isolated I had become and my husband was grateful I had other people to rant and rave to other than him!

Twitter is perfect for a painfully shy person like myself because I can actually have a conversation with someone without getting out from behind my keyboard.  I am the worst at going up to people and introducing myself.  And forget about going to an event or party by myself, where I have never met anyone there.  Gives me the shakes just thinking about it and my first instinct is to say no way am I doing that and run for the hills!  But what am I teaching my kids if I don’t step outside my own comfort zone and show them that even Mommy can do things she’s not comfortable with.

So my friends, it’s time to change all that.  I am taking a big step outside my comfort zone, getting out from behind this keyboard and attending Kathy Buckworth’s book party at Collected Works, next Wednesday night.  I will finally get to meet some of the wonderful women I have, until now, only chatted with online.  Hopefully my nerves won’t show, I won’t get all tongued tied and nervous and will be one step closer to regaining some sort of social life.