Today is gone, today was fun.

Hello there! Hello? Um... hello? Anyone? Oh, I guess to keep people coming back to a weblog, you have to actually post regularly. OK, well, despite the fact that most who have checked in here from time to time have probably long since given up on any kind of content appearing here, I'm going to go ahead and post. Even if it is to an audience of zero.

After giving the matter a lot of thought, then making up my mind then changing it then making it up again, I have finally decided not to continue Once Upon a Story. At least not for a long while. I have mixed feelings about this, of course. I will miss it, even though my posting here has become more and more sporadic, because I love children's literature and have been thrilled to share it with many kindred spirits. But I know I just don't have the time to put into it anymore, and it's time I admitted that to myself.

Life has been pretty hectic around here lately and it hasn't whispered any promises of letting up in the near future. My husband's schedule has been all over the place which makes for chaotic family time, we are looking into relocating to Missouri to be closer to family, and oh yeah, we have a baby due in October.

But aside from some of those Big Change reasons, I often find myself too tired to think by the time I have a quiet house (late at night, when my son is in bed) on the rare ocassions I have that quiet house at all. You know that sleepy-drugged feeling you get after Thanksgiving dinner? Or how about feeling that someone removed your brain and replaced it with moldy cheese after a particularly draining day? Well, that's how I find myself by the end of most days, and that's not ideal for sitting down and writing book reviews. Or, um, thinking.

Plus, I have two small but worthy goals for the rare times I have both time and brain power on my side. One is that I'd really like to start using what little free time I do have to plan some basic activities and projects for my son. Not just because we are looking at another long, hot (Texas) summer, during which it becomes Very Important to find ways to keep a 4-year-old entertained indoors, but also to get myself in shape for our first year of homeschooling. For me, this means learning the fine art of becoming a more disciplined individual and planning ahead a little better. The other is that I'd like to keep a more consistant journal of our family life right now, because there is no way I trust my mind to remember the details--funny, sweet, and yes, even maddening--of the team husband/wife effort of raising a son. And soon, a new baby, too.

So, while I may pop in to post something very, very, rarely, I am officially hanging up the blogging hat for the time being. Thanks to all of you who have commented here and talked kidlit; I have really enjoyed being a part of this little weblogging community, and look forward to continuing to visit my favorite kidlit weblogs even though I no longer have time to maintain one myself.

In the words of Dr. Seuss, today was fun. Thank you all for making it that way.



P.S. For those who have linked to Once Upon a Story, my humble thanks. Please feel free to remove the links now that there will be even less activity around here.