re-invention & re-introductions

The other day I was chatting with one of my dear friends about my little clickings at the keyboard; this tiny little piece of cyber-space I have here on blogspot. As our conversation went on, I wondered aloud if perhaps Monked & Fifed was not as popular as my first blog because I did not craft as much as I had before? My friend told me that while she was enjoying the occasional craft I posted, she was actually more interested in the transformation my life was undergoing. Indeed there has been quite a re-invention of self {or excavation of old self} happening and when she suggested that other people might be interested in this aspect of my clickings as well, I thought perhaps she might be right?

I have always been inspired by reading the blogs of other women who choose to live their lives and raise their children in slightly unconventional ways. When I was first crafting and clicking, I'll have to admitt that the influence of these women was pretty heavy. I am grateful for that time of learning and growing and for all of the good and perhaps not so good changes {in the cyber world and the real world} I experienced in that year. Sometimes it takes a pretty big catalyst to bring about the kind of change I was craving; I suppose it was the combination of many things that brought me to where I am today.

After all of the twists and turns my life has taken, I found myself reconnecting with a part of myself that I suppose I kind of ditched when I was focused on having babies and fitting in with "everyone". I've always been a person who enjoyed challenging stereotypes and resisted ever labeling myself or being placed in any kind of "box". At times, it is not always easy to go against the grain. The wallflower in me realizesthat if we lived a stone's throw away in New York City, we would blend seamlessly into the tapesty, where as here in suburbia, myself and my Mister can tend to stand out a bit. We stay here because this is the kind of beautiful, sweet, small town we want our three little one's to grow up in, because it is where our families and friends are and is where we transformed a house into a home.

I suppose that this is my re-introduction. My name is Alison. Wife. Mama. Psychology Professor {that's a new one!!}, daydreamer, crafter and clicker, artist and list maker. Sure, I may be a bit more punk-rock meets the 1940's than the authors of other blogs I read whom I usually think of {with affection} as nutty- crunchy in an Anthropologie sweater. The two are not really all that different, and who could not love anything from Anthro?

So while these days I might be a bit ostentatious and get a kick out of being a little controversial at times, I know that there are others who feel very alone where they are. I am beyond flattered to think that anyone would be interested in the things I create and would want to check in to see how things are sorting out! I hope that readers will find humor, inspiration and maybe even a bit of courage in my posts, as I click away in hopes of finding the same for myself. All I am certain of is that I have never felt more happy or content than I do right now living this "authentically me" life.

~a.