Blog name...

Peapod and the Bean...this has always been my "company" name. If I had ever started any kind of home business. I came up with it after I had my daughter, Padget, and while I was pregnant with my son, Casden (whom I had nicknamed "Bean" while in the womb). I suppose that baby #3 will be jealous that he is not included in my "company" name, however, it's not really like I am ever going to use it probably on anything other than this blog!! But in case I do, I even had designed my own business cards during a slow day at work!

History...

My life in a nutshell...I married my high school sweetheart, Tim. We dated for nearly 8 years before we got married, at age 24. We actually started out our married life in Butler, PA. And even then I never thought I'd end up back here! However, back then, newly married, no kids, Butler didn't really bother me. I worked full-time for the PA Dept. of Health, up in Jackson Center, so I had a 40 mile commute. Weeks flew by. Enjoying married life, fixing up our little house, playing with our new puppy. We lived here for 3 years, until Tim was laid off from his job at the local steel mill. He accepted a position in Toledo, OH and so off we went. But not before finding out we were expecting our first baby!

Toledo was actually fantastic. There was a lot of stuff to do, some great restaurants, great Metroparks for walking the dog. However, Tim was miserable in his job so after 5 months, he quit and accepted a position in CT. We bought a house in Middletown, CT and 2 months later, Padget Grace was born.



We really settled into CT. While it was difficult to be away from our extended family, it was always a bit of a blessing. We became very self-sufficient and it forced me to assimilate into my community. When Padget was 3 months old, I joined the local MOMS Club. It's the best thing I ever did!! I met such an amazing group of stay-at-home moms. There was something to do every day if I wanted to. And I made some really close friends. I also took on a part-time job in the evenings at a local gym, working the front desk. It was another way to get out of the house and meet people. Things were tight in CT, where things were expensive. We actually went down to one car for quite awhile, trying to make ends meet. But we made it work.

When Padget was 25+ months old, Casden James was born. Having two was definitely not easy for me, but we muddled through. Tim and I just don't make easy babies!! As much as I loved being a stay-at-home mom, I was always looking for jobs to apply for in my field. Honestly, there was not much in public health that paid enough to make me apply. I think there really was one job per year that met the criteria. However, right before Casden was 1 year old, I interviewed for a position with the University of Connecticut Health Center. 'Lo and behold, by the time Casden (finally) started walking (at 16 months), I was back to working full-time and the kiddos were in full-time daycare.

I was finally settling into being a working mommy, and then Tim has an opportunity to interview for a position back in PA. He'd always wanted to move back "home", it was a bigger opportunity for him career-wise, so of course, he went for it. And, of course, he got it. After 6 months of working full-time, I had to quit my job (one of the hardest things I had to do!). And away we went, back to Butler. And oh, shortly before this all came to fruition, SURPRISE! We found out I was pregnant!

And so, here we are...

Trying to breathe...

Never in a million years did I see myself 1.) Living back in Butler and 2.) Living at home again. While living at my mom's house is merely a temporary set-up, living in Butler is a permanent (unless Tim gets transferred again...).

Coming back to Butler has been a bit of a culture shock. We lived in Middletown, CT for over 4 years. I absolutely fell in love with New England. The weather, the culture, the proximity to everything. Or maybe I fell in love with my friends, the support, and having lots of things to do with my kiddos. Either way, coming back to Butler has been suffocating. We've been back since December, so it's been 3 months. Tim, Padget, Casden, and I living with my mom and my step-dad. The living arrangements have actually gone better than I could have expected. The kids have done okay sharing a room. We've managed to keep most of the clutter in the "play" room (the extra bedroom/tv room). All in all, it's been okay.

However, Butler itself is....ugh....depressing. Seriously, it's difficult to breathe! There's just nothing to do here. So, I decided to start this blog about my kids and some of the funnier aspects of our lives. A way to look at the good things and a way to chronicle the goofy things my kids do before I forget it all. I guess be forewarned that many of these posts will just be snippets, in no particular organization and not necessarily related!

But I guess I ought to start with some history...just so you know how this family came to be!