Oops...you know how Mommy Brain goes! Sometimes I call the dog by the kids' names. Oh yes...I am Alyssa and let's get one thing out of the way...that's Alyssa, sounds like Teresa, not Alyssa sounds like Melissa. Sorry, but that's been a source of infinite angst for as long as I can remember. As far as the fine Mommies of this blog are concerned...I would be the AMA one. In case you are scratching your head...that's what a Mommy's called when she tips 35 and the medical community declares you "advanced maternal age". Yep, I'm the old fart. I'm also the one who decided, after being married for 10 years, that there was never going to be a "right time" to have kids...so at the ripe young age of 33, I got pregnant with my daughter. Three and a half years later, I'm now a Mom of a four year old girl and a two year old boy and still trying to figure out why the hell I waited so long to be a Mom.
Since I got such a late start in "Mommywood", I had the opportunity to do the whole career girl thing. I got my BA in English Lit from the University of Hawaii, only to discover that editors and publishers were not knocking down my door with job offers the day after graduation. I trudged out to get a "practical job" and somehow fell into working in Health Care Administration. In 1995 I met and married my husband, Dominic, who was in the Air Force and stationed in Hawaii. From there we hopped all over the country until finally settling in Boston in 2001. In late 2007, Dominic got offered a really nice job in Houston, Texas ...where it happens he grew up...so we packed up (moving while 6 months pregnant...not fun) and to Texas we came.
For three years I had the pleasure of being a stay at home Mom. While I was home with the kids, I took some time to "set free" a lot of creative energy I had sidelined years ago. I began making jewelry, sewing embellishments and accessories, and selling them in my Etsy shop, Stitch N Stones...I began writing my own personal blog, AlyGatr's Everywhere...and I fell in love with crafting. Honestly, there aren't too many crafts I won't try. Recently I began dabbling in writing children's picture books too. In August 2010, I completed an online Graduate Certificate program at the UT Health Science Center in Houston and within weeks, had applied for and got offered a job back in the health care world. So, now I'm a full time working Mom all over again and learning how to juggle a work life and a family life, all while trying to keep my creative projects alive.
What do I like to do in my free time (ha...funny), well I'm not only an old Mom, but a geek too. I love watching The Big Bang Theory and Dancing With the Stars, I love all things Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. Oh yeah, I'm big time into science fiction and fantasy. I love music, but am stuck in the late 80's and early 90's rock and alternative music era. I am a movie addict, but don't get out to the movies like I used to. Oh yes, I also have an encyclopedic memory (OK, maybe semi-encyclopedic nowadays) and have a knack for remembering frighting amounts of trivial information that no one cares about but me.
I'm looking forward to blogging with all of the other Mommies and I hope you enjoy the blog too!
Happy Weekend!
