[Celebrating their 8th birthday last year]

As May 10, of yet another year, comes into focus, I can feel the excitement and curiosity surrounding me as I busily put the perfect finishing birthday touches on each and every detail, preparing for the big day -- this year, my sextuplets turn NINE years old!! It's so very hard to believe!

This past weekend, I decided to experiment a little ... and it ended up being quite a family bonding challenge with a reward sort of experience. I honestly had no idea how it would turn out, or if it would even turn out good, but always up for a challenge, I decided to present it to my little kids anyway to gauge their reaction ...

Recently, I wrote about the joy that our family pets add to our lives, how they teach my kids responsibility and love us all unconditionally. Today, I'm sad to report, we have experienced a first in our family: the death of one of our pets. Our favorite fish friend, Fabio, who we all loved as much as you can love a fish, passed away, from natural causes ... (?)

I had written my blog post this week immediately after the tragedy that occurred in Boston. A few days later, I am glued to my TV, watching as a standoff surrounding the second suspect is being televised live. All I can think about is how long and harrowing this week has been for Boston and our entire country. My heart goes out to everyone involved, and I'm praying for the safety of our law enforcement and innocent bystanders.

My thoughts are in Boston. I know I'm far from alone in this. As a runner myself, the tragedy on Monday hit way too close to home. I, like everyone else, am left with many questions and also many things to be angry about following this latest senseless tragedy.

I've often wondered what life must be like for our pets: Shoka, our almost-5-year-old (half king) German Shepherd, our two beta fish, Fabio and Felicia, and our pair of tiny frogs, Leon and Neon.

I've been known to blog about Shoka's “thoughts” on specific events or happenings, but I would love to imagine what he thinks of our home life in general, as we rush around in the morning getting ready for school, and do our routine filled with tons of noise, some chaos, and (on a good day) a smoothly flowing schedule. He never seems nervous or bothered by our fast pace, but definitely pays attention when the schedule affects him. You know, meal time, grooming day, play time, and snack time!

Today I am especially glad to be alive. This renewed feeling of gratitude comes in the wake of a recent, very scary, personal experience. One day, over a week ago, I took my “little car” in for normal service and new tires. No big deal, right? While they had my car, I borrowed a loaner from the car place (and, as a side note, I fell in love with it) but nothing was unusual up to this point.

The making of the cover of my new book, Love Is in the Mix, was quite an experience! I always get really nervous about photo shoots because I know that it takes a lot of energy and preparation. It's also always a long day for everyone involved in the planning and organization -- and there is that hope that we can manage to pull off ONE magical picture, and if we are lucky, a bunch more that capture the day exactly right -- so we have more than just the "cover shot" image. For this shoot I had a vision of what I wanted for the cover of my long dreamed of cookbook, but I knew carrying it out would take a lot MORE effort than what I saw in my mind's eye.

So many of you over the years have asked me about potty training -- and since it's a topic that all moms, at some point, find themselves reading, listening, and asking a lot about, I thought I'd walk you through my experiences on the subject. It's definitely nerve wracking for everyone and can be very frustrating if you're not prepared and aren't in the right mind set.