Ah…the dreaded “about me” page. What could I possibly say about me that would make you get who I am? It’s difficult to talk about yourself because you want to make a fabulous impression and have people you’ve never met think awesome things about you, right?

So I will be brief. (right) First and foremost, I am a mother of two. I have a 19 year old daughter whom I adore and a fabulously energetic 8 year old that has my heart in his hands.  I have been a single mom and now a married one. I have been a working mom and am now a stay-at-home work harder than I ever did mom.

I worked as a legal secretary and a medical/legal transcriptionist for years but left the industry after the birth of our son.  We found out through ultrasound at 17 weeks that our son was going to be born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate.  I had planned on returning to work after his birth but this news really rocked our world and we realized early on that I was going to need to be here with him throughout his feeding struggles and first year of surgeries. Daycare would simply not be a feasible option with his special needs. So we made some adjustments and had the time to really figure everything out until the end of the pregnancy.

Another important fact you must know about me is that I prefer dogs. Currently,we have a beautiful, very LARGE Boxer, Rocco. His role in our family is to force me and my husband out of the house for walks and to be my son’s constant playmate. When he tires of being harassed he heads for salvation with my daughter.

I’m sure you are riveted at this point and want to know that I enjoy gardening and ending my long days with a hot cup of tea. When I want to check out and bathe myself in other people’s drama I simply turn on the Housewives of whatever. It doesn’t much matter because you can pick any one of them and realize you are just NOT that crazy. I love to read but simply do not have as much time as I would like to dedicate to it. Realistically, when I read a book I have a tendency to become one with the book and my new friends. I must finish what we started so everything around me falls apart because I am completely immersed in my new friends and all of their trials and errors. My kids will catch me crying profusely because my new friend’s heart has been broken and my husband gets upset because I wish he were more like Edward. Or Jacob. Or both.

Sci-fi is my thing though as I love freaking out over zombies, vampires, wherewolves, droids, etc. I am the mom who is just waiting for my youngest to get to a more acceptable age so that we can have the most awesome Walking Dead Halloween party EVER!  Besides, I already have his outfit picked out…and mine. I mean, who doesn’t have a Katana hidden in their closet at this point?

So…I’ve covered the basics. I’m just me. I think that reading through my posts you will become familiar with my underlying sarcasm, eye rolling, and hopefully my incredibly witty sense of humor. (smirk)

I started this site to help other families on their cleft journey. All Smiles is what I want for any cleft child and their family!