More questions answered.

Let’s just get right back to this.  No introduction necessary.

(I answered one in its own post here for those who missed it.)  Onwards and upwards!

// I know you use a camera for your blog pics.  What about your IG pics?  If you use your phone for those, what camera apps do you use?

I use VSCO Cam or Afterlight.  For VSCO, my favorite filters are 05 or F2!  For Afterlight, I love Russ (in guest filters).

// How do you manage it all?

I really don’t!  I really enjoy cooking, I really enjoy vacuuming.  So, I’m good at those things and I keep up with them.  I also really enjoy certain TV shows so I find time to do that too.  You can bet if I’m doing some things well, other things are being neglected!  Like my bedroom.  My bedroom is a perpetual mess.  Bathroom isn’t far behind.  I shower two to three times a week and rarely do my hair.  I think “managing it all” is a ruse.  And yet, I have the same question of certain blogger-Moms who look like they have it all together.  So, I guess we all put on a good show?  (Or they really have more hours in the day then the rest of us.  Yes, that’s it.)

// Do I have a day-to-day routine that I stick to with Parker now that the big kids are in school?

Yes and no.  This is all very weather dependent.  But for a long time, we would have our breakfast (usually an apple and peanut butter or yogurt with granola and blueberries or egg and cheese on toast or cereal) with Steve after the kids left for school (they leave around 7–so early!).  Then, we’d go to town and play on the playground for awhile, run an errand, then head back for lunch (or grab some lunch while out) before naps.  Naps are soooort of being pushed out right now so the schedule’s changing yet again!  Plus, it’s getting colder and we’ve had a lot of rainy days lately.  So, I guess to make a long story short, there’s no day-to-day routine!  I do much prefer the days when we get out of the house, or have a playdate.

// Do we have a name picked out for the baby?

I think so.  Not sharing it till he’s here though!

// Did you have any serious relationships before Steve?

Yes, I did.  I know I’m giving no detail, but that’s just how it’s going to be!

// How do you feel about sharing stories/pictures of your children?

Good question.  Obviously I’m fairly comfortable with it, otherwise this blog would look a lot different.  This changes all the time though.  These days, I don’t share a lot about William or Lindsey  (and I should make it clear that that’s my own decision and not because they’ve ever asked me to refrain.  I think, in fact, that they really like being on the blog.) because I want to give them their privacy whether or not they’re asking for it.  As for Parker, there’s a lot I journal about him that never makes it on the blog.  But there’s a lot less at stake sharing a cute or silly story about him at three than as a teenager (though, can we all agree that the internet is no place to share pictures of your naked children, pleeeease?).  So, there’s no real rule of thumb I follow, you figure it out as you go.  When in doubt, don’t share it?  I hope that, above all else, when my kids look back on this blog they’ll see that I loved them a whole heck of a lot and that’s they’re grateful for the memories that are here.  And if I did make any mistakes, I hope they’ll forgive me.

// How do I shake criticism I receive on the blog?

Ah.  I think a lot of criticism stems from misunderstanding and insecurity and that, more often than not, it’s more about the person giving it than the person they’re giving it to.  I suspect that, if I had the chance to actually meet someone who decided I should go to hell based on my blog/the things I write here/the pictures I post, we’d get along.  Maybe that’s way too simple-minded though.  Maybe they really aren’t misunderstanding anything and they really aren’t at all insecure and they really would like me to go straight to hell.  So to that I say, you can’t please everyone?  Don’t even bother trying?  And yes, criticism hurts but it doesn’t hurt forever.

//   Do you ever feel burdened by needing to post regularly?

Yes!  Sometimes I have little to say, so that’s probably a day I skip.  Or I don’t and you can tell that it was a half-assed post that you probably didn’t enjoy very much.

// What’s your relationship like with the older boys?

It’s changed so much over the years, it’s hard to even answer this question.  When we first were married, the age difference seemed much larger than it does now.  Now they’re entering adulthood (21 and almost 20) so we’re on a more even playing field than we were when I was 21 and they were pre-teen!  Thus, it’s always sort of shifting and finding its new normal.  They’re also out of the house in college living independently for the majority of the year.  So, I think they’d agree, I’m something of a person they respect and who has their back?  But they certainly wouldn’t think of me as Mom in the same way that William and Lindsey do.  (They have always called me Bridget, too.)  And, for those wondering, they’re both doing very well!  I just saw them last weekend!

// If Nathaniel came home and said he was marrying his professor with four children, how would I react?

I’d throw him out.

Just kidding, obviously.  I’d support him.  I’d tell him it’s going to be really, really hard and then I’d support him.  And yes, I might even wonder why in the world she was interested in such a younger guy.  The irony here is not lost on me.

That’s just about all of ’em.  Thank you for answering my questions, for asking a few of your own, and for reading my blog!  I read every single one.  Now I’m going to catch up with the first half of Parenthood.  Thank you to the DVR, too.

{pictures from my IG account}