Who I am and Why I'm here.

I am Ashlei. I have two children, who I will call Bubba and Keegie. Bubba is 6, he starts second grade this year and he turns 7 in October. I was the ripe old age of 18 when I gave birth to him and it's been a struggle at times, but being his mommy is the best thing I've ever done. Keegie is 4, he will be in preschool this year and turns 5 in December. Keegie was born 11 weeks premature, had bleeding in his brain and now has cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus. His hydrocephalus is treated with a magnetic VP shunt that has been in place for 4 years and hasn't malfunctioned yet, despite a couple of urgent CT's due to vomiting. I am married to their daddy, Matthew, my first love. I work in an entry level position in the health care field and I am returning to school this fall to pursue a nursing degree. Matthew is a cook in a restaurant. I spend a lot of time at home alone with the boys in the evenings.

I am here to share my journey with motherhood. I love to be crafty and try new things with my kids. I'l share the back to school gifts I make for their teachers. I'll share the new recipes I try. The treats I make for the birthday celebrations at school. The little science projects we do. Etc, etc, etc. I LOVE throwing parties and I'll share the awesome ones I've already done for my boys and then the ones they have to come as well. I will talk about my struggles, and joy, with raising a special needs child.

I also want to share some of me, not just me as a mom. I am also a wife, daughter, sister, friend, student, employee, and so many other things. I have very liberal, and sometimes very unpopular, opinions on most subjects. I will likely share those opinions here if there's any big thing in the news, or just if I feel like sharing them. I am currently struggling with trying to conceive my third child and I will probably share a lot about that as well.

I will talk about my children, work, school, my husband, my opinions, anything and everything that pertains to my life, that I feel like sharing. Mostly, it probably will be about the kids, because regardless of everything else, they are the biggest part of me. I'm far from a perfect mom, but I sure do try my hardest.

I hope I can gain some followers and even make some friends.