Not With a Bang, But...

Of course, right after deciding to start up blogging again, I must leave you for a bit. 

The hubby and I will be heading to Europe for his MBA school trip for two weeks, sans kiddos. I'm so excited...and also overwhelmed. I have sooooo much to do before we leave and have fewer items checked off my list than I would like. But, I will do what I can, and then I will board the plane and breathe deeply, knowing I did my best and all that is left is to enjoy ourselves. 

It's been almost 15 years since my husband and I have enjoyed a vacation away, just the two of us, for more than one night. I'm not sure we'll know what to do with ourselves for the first day or two. But I'm sure we'll figure it out. ;)

Let the Learning Begin

And, by that title, I'm sure I'll mostly mean my learning. I hope you'll glean some useful information and tips from my adventures but I am sure that I will be learning a great deal through trial and error.

First, an intro.

My name is Roberta. I am a wife of 14 years, stay at home mother of 3 kids, and a woman of many tastes. Of course, you can surmise all of this from my sidebar. Now, more detail.


I am a budding DIY-er, meaning the hardest/biggest task I have taken on, to date, is probably a mudroom remodel. I will confess that my husband took care of the plumbing tasks of that. 


I can paint really well, I can troubleshoot home appliance issues (and sometimes fix them), and I actually know how to repair large holes in drywall. Granted, I haven't demolished anything to the studs yet, but give me time. I plan to photograph and share any and all DIY opportunities that my house presents, in hopes it will help others know what and what not to do or try. Don't worry, I have a list of them.






Now, to the MMA portion of my blog. MMA is Mixed Martial Arts. Ever hear of Ronda Rousey? 




Miesha Tate? 

Georges St. Pierre? 

Yes? Great.

No?...Ever see the movie "Here Comes the Boom"?

Yes? Great.

No?...Google MMA and try not to be frightened off by the images of blood and brutality. It's a sport of incredible skill and discipline.

So, no, I do not fight.  I train. See me? In the back right? That's me kicking pads and not people. Well, I do kick and hit people sometimes in class, but the difference between my training for fitness and other's training to fight is that I'm not afraid of getting my teeth knocked out.

I have been in MMA classes at my local gym since April of 2013. After another boring run on the treadmill, I headed upstairs and saw two women doing some serious working out in a cage. I was intrigued. The trainer, Tracie (in the yellow shirt), had to be one of the most fit and nicest women I'd ever seen. She invited me to try a few classes and I figured I had nothing to lose, especially if I could somehow end up looking like her in a tank top. I came, I sweated, I huffed and puffed, and I couldn't move normally for a few days after. But I was hooked. I will share with you some of the aspects of this sport that has kept me coming back for a year now.

Moving right along...I am a Pinterest addict. I love the inspiration, the ideas, the resources to awesome things. I like to try some of the finds on there such as recipes, decor, and crafts. I may share those and show them off like a proud kindergartener, sometimes with the same level of skill. Bear with me.

Next...uplifting items. Ellen Degeneres is my positivity icon and I love that all she does is to uplift others. 

I hope to do some of that with you while I have your full attention for 5 minutes a day. I love touching stories, funny vids, and just all out awesome things people are doing and sharing around the world. Hope those will make you smile.

And finally, my family. They are pretty great, bias aside. I have a hard-working husband that is fun to hang out with. I have two teenagers and a kindergartener, which makes life varied, crazy, and most of all, entertaining. We also have two cats and a dog. Don't expect any tutorials on how to get the animals to get along. Still haven't figured that out yet.

So, that is seriously just a chunk of me and my life. But I will focus on these for your entertainment and learning (and mine). I hope you find it all worthwhile.