I <3 my pc, my friends are in there!

I admit it. I'm an addict. My name is Katie and I'm addicted to my computer. My friends and family are in there, honest! I "see" and talk to them every day....ALL day.

I became an addict about a year ago. I decided to start searching for my biological mom after taking some time off (it's emotionally exhausting). Santa brought the kids a computer for Christmas and we put it in the dining/playroom. This made it easier for me to monitor what the older 2 were doing on the computer. It also made it easier for me to search online while keeping an eye on the younger two.

Once again, I joined Soaring Angels on Yahoo groups and registered on every free adoption registry I could find. After getting my biological parents’ names, I was able to start searching for every tiny bit of information on them (kind of scary when you find out how much info is actually on the internet). This led to me creating a MySpace account so I could share pictures of me and my kids before meeting Cindi and Louis. This led to me adding my bio mom, my sisters, brothers, aunts and cousins as “MySpace friends” as we all began getting to know each other. My computer time increased as I was making my page pretty and reflecting my mood, personality, or whatever I was interested in at the moment. I was constantly adding pictures and checking out what new pictures my family had. Take away my computer, and you take away my family.

I tried to get my high school friend, Kris, to create a MySpace but she planted her foot down and said she was happy with Facebook. Sooooo, I joined Facebook. Holy crap! Talk about addictive. She had been pretty much invisible on there using it mostly for the kids in her youth group. Then she added me. On FB, every person who ever spotted you in a grocery store, said "hi" in passing in the hallway at high school, sat behind you in a class in junior high and/or pulled your pigtails in elementary school is on there. And they will find you and your "friends". Sorry, Kris!

By the time I deleted my account I had 200 "friends." If they had an email address, I added it to my yahoo email contacts. I discovered who really wanted to find me, who wanted to know how my life was compared to theirs, and who just wanted more "friends" to their list. I found some old friends that I was so excited to reconnect with and we still stay in contact through email. One grew up across the street from me and now lives here in Tampa! We get our kids together for play dates while we play catch-up.

One of the best things to come out of my short stint with FB was finding 2 other friends Melissa and Beth, both from high school. We weren't that close then, but boy are we close now! We email each other all day. So much so, that if I go exercise for 30 minutes, I come back and have 20+ new messages! I got tired of typing in their addresses so they are now in the group I call "9 to 5 Ladies" because this is when we email the most. After 5pm, we switch to texting! We offer each other advice, support, laughs and tears. Take away my computer, and you take away my friends.

Sometimes, Carson and Maisie want a turn on the computer. I use this time to tidy the playroom, do dishes, vacuum, exercise, etc. Ok, not always. Santa brought Kelly and Reyna laptops, so I'll load the dishwasher and then check my inbox on the lap top. Switch the laundry and check my inbox. Boogie on the mini-trampoline with the laptop in front of me so I can – yup – check the inbox!

This is my story. I'll see you at next week's meeting unless I need to attend another one in-between. Off to do the dishes – well, after I check my inbox!

Slacker Fattie Tip – This actually comes from my friend, Kim, who always has great exercise and nutrition tips for me when we get together. I have knee pain from all the dancing I did when I was younger (tap, jazz and modern just to clarify). Kim suggested working on my quads (why are squats the cure for everything?) and doing the standing quad stretch – where you pull your foot behind you to kick yourself in the butt. For my lower back pain, she suggested stretching my hamstrings which Hubby helps me do because I don't go down far enough when I do it by myself (cuz it hurts!).

Sexy Meal Plan Tip – Search the internet for low calorie recipes. Fitnessmagazine.com has a ton and I’ve tried several of them. It's helped me find new exciting foods to try and helped me discover there are cheeses other than mozzarella, cheddar and American (which Kristi keeps trying to tell me).