About Me

Contact me: casey@halfasgoodasyou.com

Hi, I’m Casey. As I write this (August 2008), I’m 31 and living in Florida with my husband Jamie, my two kids and two dogs. Graham is twenty months old (born December 2006) and Elliot is four months old (born April 2008). Yes, I know that having kids less than sixteen months apart is fucking crazy. No, we didn’t plan for them to be so close together but we struggled with fertility issues when getting pregnant the first time and we anticipated the same for the second go round. Not so. Wham bam, thank you ma’am! Family life is hectic at times but I try to take time to enjoy and appreciate the fact that I have two kids, and a great husband, and the ability to spend my days home with them. Enough cheese.

I am currently a SAHM, I worked part time (mostly from home) in the year between Graham and Elliot were born but I just can’t do it anymore and give my kids the attention they deserve. I went to school for Business and Technology and then morphed from Corporate America into the education world (it’s not noble, I wanted the kick ass schedule for when I started a family someday). I worked at a high school as the tech person, spending my days educating teachers on technology, fixing archaic government equipment and policing kids trying to get around the system. For the time being, the plan is to stay at home with the kids until they’re both in school and then think about working part time.

We are currently knee deep in the throws of toddlerhood. Our former sweet, jovial boy is growing up and he lets us know it every day. It is probable that Graham is the most active toddler I’ve ever met, if Energizer made a toddler version, Graham would definitely be it. We encourage his creativity, read a zillion books a day and play all day long. Our newest addition to Graham’s personality have been neurotic tantrums. Oh, the tantrums. He never went full-fledged screaming ape-like inconsolable until recently. I’m not a fan and neither is my husband. That being said, Graham is still an awesome kid. Don’t let my tantrum rant get in the way of the fact that he’s smart, inquisitive, super sweet (most of the time), has the absolute best belly laugh and is loved by all. And the curls, the friggin kid can’t go out in public without several strangers getting in his face and admiring him. “Look at those curls!!! And those blue eyes!!!! Oh, he’s so handsome!!!” Yes, I know all this, he can’t help looking so damn good, he’s my kid. Now please step away.

Elliot is our adorable daughter. Elliot? For a girl? Yes, her name is Elliot. Deal with it. No, I don’t call her Elle or Ellie, and you shouldn’t either. Elliot is our cute little smile head. When we found out we were pregnant again, we were hoping for another boy. Yes, I said it out loud. I’m the biggest tomboy you’ll ever meet, I don’t do makeup, don’t like pink, don’t do my hair or like to shop. I grew up with two older brothers and raced BMX. I honestly didn’t know what we’d do with a girl, I told Jamie HE would have to take her to ballet if she wanted to do it but I’d rather she play hockey, football or soccer. I really wasn’t sure how I could love a second kid as much as I love Graham. He’s my whole world, my favorite person to be around and my everything. I couldn’t have been more wrong. When we brought Elliot home, I instantly fell in love with her. I don’t care if she likes every girly thing in the world, I will do them with a smile on my face just to make her happy. That doesn’t mean that I won’t still try to sway her towards hockey or football.

We spend our days playing and laughing but the transition from working mom to stay at home mom hasn’t been an easy one. I was used to being the queen bee at my job, everyone depended on me.  When I quit to stay home, I didn’t have that adult interaction or dependency anymore there was a void. I started reading several people’s blogs and then linked from one to the other to the other and felt a connection with some of the people telling their stories. Here is my attempt at doing so. Let it be said that everything here is my opinion and my life and if you don’t like it you should probably go somewhere else. Simple as that. Also, I have a penchant for swearing. If that type of behavior offends, please click away.

Here’s Graham and a message he’d like to share:

Here I am with Elliot. And her boy pajamas.

This is the first sibling picture where Graham didn’t try to throw Elliot down and run away. Don’t worry, we were sitting close by.

Graham sharing his chair with Elliot. Begrudgingly.

Here is our first family picture together (before Elliot).

Here’s Jamie and I at our wedding. We’ve managed to pump out two kids and buy a house and car in the three years since we got hitched. That’s impressive!

And finally, these are the dogs. They were our first children and now the poor dogs have to contend with screaming kids all day. Durrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.