Apologies and clarifications

Beloved Readers, both folks and people alike;

I broke my own rule, and, for the first time ever, wrote a blog post that mentioned my mother. I wrote about some negative things that happened at the Christmas Day gathering at her house and I didn't write about anything nice and it upset her. I think she reads and hopes that I will mention her and I never do and then the one time I ever did, it was to relate some frustrations I had over the electronic gifts we got our kids this year and nothing else positive was said.

I am not sure if this will be considered too little, too late but we did have fun over there. The kids were happy to see everyone, the house looked splendid as usual, the lights display was the best in the neighborhood, and the present exchange went really well, very smoothly, and we had tasty snacks. Their entire basement has been redone by my step father and it is a playworld of fun and a lovely room to be in, built in fish tank and working kitchen and everything, even a train track you can really ride on. We even got to see her amazing beautiful cat, who usually hides when kids come around, but showed her face for the Holiday, much to the delight of all 7 grandkids who have never ever seen such a fancy kitty.

My sister did ask me about my pregnancy and it was great to see her little 3 month old baby girl who is growing so fast, as well as her 2 other sweet children who I wanted to sneak into my van and take home, I miss them so much.

I am writing this entry to not only clarify that good times were had at Mom's, but for a more important clarification, one that will hopefully mean a lot to straighten out lots of misunderstandings for my mom, and for anyone else who may wonder, so here goes:

When I say "Folks", "People", or "My friends and Family", I do not mean my mother. Repeat: When I say things about "Folks", "People", or "My friends and Family", I do not mean my mother.

I have a pretty good sized bunch of friends in my life, some gone, some here to stay. I also have a decent sized family, with a Mother, a Step-Father, a Mother-in-Law, a Father-In-Law, a Grandmother, 1 uncle, 2 Aunts, and several Aunts and Uncles-in-law, a sister and brother in law, and a brother and sister in law---so the one time last spring that I referred to "My Family" on the Breast and Belly blog, it was this extended group to whom I was referring, not Mom.
I will continue to blog in '08 and I hope that many people can get something out of what it is that I have to say and that I choose to share. I made the decision on pretty much my 2nd blog entry ever to make this be so much more than just a little update-y diary of what we have been up to lately, as I find those sort of boring to read and more importantly, just not what lit my fire. Sure, there will be lots of entries about field trips or sick days, but in the vein of HipMama, Bust, Home Education Magazine, Ready Made, Etsy.com, Mothering, and so many more publications that inspire and enlighten me, I try to put out a product that will resonate with folks much more than a dry "report" or Newsletter would.

The best writers will have the most critics, and I have never shied away from criticism or disagreement--but I also never mean to go too far and hurt or attack anyone personally. Thats not cool and I would not appreciate it if it were done to me. That being said, I do not live in a void, I live in a world of people, I come from a family, I have friends, and (hopefully!) daily interactions with human beings from whom my experience is gleaned and my path continues on as a result of these relationships. So when I refer to my life and its experiences, FOLKS and PEOPLE will come up, probably alot. It is not some secret code for "mom", it truly is not.

I do not see my mother very often, and it has been this way for a long time. So the vast majority of my adult experiences do not involve her. Most of my stories, even the ones that include "family" are not about her. I now know that she was hurt by what I wrote, and that is why I am writing this. I forget who reads and I tried to put my frustrating Christmas experience out there, imagining, as I always do, that other moms, other readers, other homeschoolers, homebirthers, homemakers, DIY-ers out there might understand, might see their own experiences through mine, might not feel so alone. I was not trying to shame her or the Christmas party that she threw for us.

Working towards a wonderful new year of blogging!
Thank you for reading!
Mama Joy