Strange title, wot?

I love to write. And I miss writing for a living (sorry; writing test cases and bug reports aren't quite the same thing). And so (dum-dum-da-dahh!) I've decided to write a blog. Hmm... what to write about? Well, what do I know about? I know about gaming of all sorts, crock-pot-cooking, nutrition, parenting two little daughters and a stepdaughter, Funny or Thoughtful Things Kids Say, computers, reading, writing, language, classical music, old Broadway musicals, divorce, remarriage, blended families, asthma, food allergies and sensitivities, etcetera, ad nauseum. Jack (Jill?) of all trades, master (mistress) of none.

I'm also fond of bulleted lists, daughter of an engineer and a librarian as I am. So let's take these by category:

•  Parenting and Family: I am Jenn, 42, married to Laston, 45. We're each on our second marriage. We have three girls: His (Leanna, 10), Mine (Abby, 8) and Ours (Lizzy, 3). We get along passably well with the girls' other parents, our exes, through hard work on all four adults' parts. My mom is our primary babysitter; she's a lot cheaper than daycare.
• Wellness and Nutrition: Laston and I are both very overweight - a hundred pounds or more each. We're working on it, but it's slow going. Leanna and I both have asthma, Abby's deadly allergic to tree nuts, and Lizzy is healthy as the proverbial horse... except that she does not sleep. Which probably contributes to Mama's overweight; no sleep = more food to keep oneself awake. But she'll get there. I know lots about nutrition, courtesy of my stepmother and lots of online research. But I don't always practice what I preach and my besetting sin is salt (mmmm... salt). I have become the crock-pot queen of late.
• Hobbies: Both Laston and I game (board, card, pencil & many-dice, video/computer/console), although as far as video games go, he's far more of a graphics snob than I. He's a science nerd and I'm a word nerd. I am not actually fluent in any other spoken languages but American English, but I have a good accent in (Central American) Spanish, and I can usually make myself understood. I played the cello as a child and a teen, and I pick it up once a year or so and play until my fingers blister. I like to sing along to 80s rock and old Broadway tunes and dance.
• The Kids (now in their favorite colors!):
• Leanna: Leanna is ten ("and a HALF, Jenn!"), has started the cello in school this year, and has recently had a math breakthrough in school (5th grade). She lives with her mom and spends every-other-weekend and some holidays with us. She recently got her ears pierced and she's adorable in earrings. Out of the mouths of babes from Leanna recently: "Mom, Jenn's not a Wicked Stepmother. She does sometimes get snarky when she's stressed out though." (It's true)
• Abby: Abby turned eight in December. She's great at math, struggling a bit with reading (very auditory; sight words are the bane of her existence), and very popular with her peers (which is both worrisome and a great thing to her parents and stepdad). She's very excited to be a Brownie Scout for the first time and she takes swimming lessons once a week. Latest OMG-cool quote from Abby, regarding the Hanukkah story: "Mom, a miracle is magic when God does it for you".
• Lizzy: Lizzy was three in September. She's not currently in school but once our finances have settled a bit (I'm a contract employee) we'll send her to preschool. Because her birthday is three days after the cutoff, she may not get to kindergarten until she is six. She's a sweet child, quite bright I think, a poor sleeper, and she never walks when she could bounce. From her we get about a one-liner a day - most recently: "I don't want any chicken! I'm a vetwinawian!"

So... that's the summary of me and my life, upon which I shall expand in future posts. Enjoy.

JennTheGamerMom