Good morning!

My name is Brandy and I am proud to say that I am one of your newest PTPA Blogaholics!

I am super excited to be a part of this great community! I cannot wait to get to know the panel of blogaholics better as well as the many readers who visit this very informative web site.

I live in a Northern Manitoba town with my small family. I grew up not to far from here. Actually only a half an hour away. I swore I would never return “home” after leaving for university but guess where I ended up settling?

I had a tough but good childhood. If that makes sense. My mom was an alcoholic and passed away in 2001 because of it. My dad, who I admire so much, is now re-married to a lovely woman. He owns his own business, a sawmill, along with his brother. The sawmill was built from the ground up by my grandfather. And I have one sibling. A younger brother. He used to be my sister. I also have a step-brother. I guess you can say I am part of what is truly considered a “modern family.”

I ended up meeting my husband in 2000 and we were married in 2003. My husband is a great support to me and an awesome father to our children. We have two crazy but wonderful sons. Big Boy is six years old (going on 16 I swear), attends first grade and excels in every sport he tries. Little Man is two and a half years old, has a humorous personality, and is affectionately known as my little monkey as he literally climbs on everything he possibly can. We also have a dog. Her name is Willow. She was our first “baby” and she is turning 11 this Fall.

Before having children, I used to be a young adult librarian at my former high school. I absolutely loved my job at the library. I had finally found my perfect place in life. I have a great passion for reading – yet – I have a hard time getting into certain types of books. I mainly tend to stick with young adult literature. What can I say? It’s an occupational hazard!

When I finished my maternity leave after having my first child, I did return to work for a couple of years. However, all of the travelling back and forth as well as the expenses were taking it’s toll on our family. My husband and I decided that it would be best if I became a stay-at-home mom for the time being.

Since leaving work I have taken on a few part-time jobs from home. I sold Usborne Books for a while. If I couldn’t be a librarian, I thought that was a perfect fit. I sold Avon products for a short time as well (just as my mom had when I was growing up). I also took on a couple contract positions performing web site creation, desktop publishing and other computer related projects.

I recently went back to school. I am enrolled in an Administrative Assistant / Bookkeeping program that I am taking via distance education.

In my spare time, obviously I love to read. I also enjoy listening to music and singing to said music (although I can’t really carry a tune).

I have a passion for learning. I strive to learn something new everyday if possible.

I also love technology. I spend entirely too much time online. I just have this constant need to be in the “know” and search for neat things online. Give me a tech gadget and I can figure it out in a matter of minutes.

I began blogging last Fall and have enjoyed it immensely. I have met so many great people through the connections I have made. Plus, I have had many sleepless nights because of all of the great ideas for posts floating around in my head.

You can find my blog, Insane Mamacita’s Musings, at www.insanemamacita.com. Please pop by and say hello!

As for my little corner of space over here at the PTPA, you can expect more of the same as what you find at my personal blog. I will write about the adventures in our family life, the things I have learned while figuring out this parenting gig, the struggles I face dealing with anxiety, recipes that I try and are actually edible, and more! From time to time I will also write and share my opinions on products that I review for the PTPA.

If you want to connect with me, I can be found here on Twitter and on Facebook.

So stick around!

I cannot wait to share my stories with you!

Brandy