Ahhhhh, finally. The fresh start I've been waiting for.

I'm sitting here right now with a big old sense of relief.

I just hit the publish button on my last review that I committed to do, and I feel like I've finally got the freedom to get back to the basics on my blog - to write for the reasons I began writing, and to not be bogged down by other obligations.

Recently I wrote about how I want to head in a new direction on the blog - stepping away from doing so many product reviews and giveaways (yet not being closed off to them completely), and actually sitting down to figure out exactly why it is that I have a blog in the first place.

I felt the need to establish a clear direction and clear set of goals for myself so that, in the future, I won't get distracted by all the other stuff that's out there that I don't necessarily need to be a part of.

Doing this final review on my to-do list was a huge wake up call to me. I agreed to do a book review, and it didn't take me long to decide that I was so not into this particular book. But, I was committed, so I invested my time in finishing it so that I kept my word. I love reading - it's one of my favorite things to do in the whole wide world, so to be spending time reading a book I did not love made me wake up and smell the coffee.

I realized there is no sense in doing something I don't want to do. My time is more valuable than that. So, I will only be writing about things that mean something to me and that do not cause me any more stress than I already have.

So, here's what I've come up with. I hope you'll stay along for the ride.

*Stick to the basics. The name Laughing Through the Chaos says it all. That's what I strive to do - to be able to laugh at myself and to be able to laugh through the tough stuff. And I hope I can help you do the same.

*Keeping it well-rounded. I may be a mommy blogger, but I don't always want to talk about all things mommy. There's plenty of other things that make me who I am, so I'll be talking about other stuff, too.

*Provide more information and resources relating to postpartum depression/postpartum mood disorders. I've become very passionate about this in the last year and a half, and I want this blog to be a place you can come for resources, support, and information.

*I want to use my blog to make a difference when it comes to certain social causes. I've been honored to use my blog as a way to get the word out in the past about an amazing non-profit group called The Fresh Air Fund (a group that provides inner-city kids with the opportunity to experience things they may never have the chance to do otherwise, such as fishing, chasing butterflies, or camping in the woods), and I hope to bring awareness about other organizations that mean something to me as well.

*I'm cutting way back on product reviews and giveaways, but - at the same time - I am not going to close my blog off to them completely. I am aiming to make product reviews few and far between, and they will only make it on to the blog if I'm absolutely crazy about them, and if I think they will benefit you in some way as well.

*On a related note, I am hoping that by cutting back on reviews and giveaways, it will allow me more time to create a sense of community among my readers. That could mean more interactive discussions in the comment section, actually having time to respond to some of your comments on an individual basis, and being able to visit some of your blogs. I continue to be amazed by the sense of community there is when a few of us all say that we've gone through the same thing.

So, that's where I'm headed. Those are my goals, and I think it's good to step back and re-evaluate them from time to time.

Thanks to all of you for actually caring about what I have to say and for sharing your own experiences along the way as well. You rock my face off. :)

The lowdown on my Vegas vacation

Time for a recap of my recent trip to VEGAS, baby!

It was a girls weekend filled with decadent food, nights on the town, relaxation and friends.

I arrived at the Venetian and was absolutely floored by how fancy it was. Paintings on the ceilings, glitz and glamor everywhere, little Italian men walking around the indoor fountains playing the accordian - it was unbelievable. And then I got to the room, which looked like THIS:

Cushy, heavenly blankets and pillows...















... a living room to hang with the girls...















... and one incredible bathroom...















Yes. That is a TV in the bathroom. Facing the tub. And yes, I watched TV in the tub while I ate a Krispy Kreme donut. At 1 in the morning.

My roommates, Rachel and Summer, arrived shortly after I did, and we wasted no time in getting ready for our night out.

Here's Rachel and I getting all glamorous.



















We clean up rather nicely, wouldn't ya say?














So, after we got all beautimous, it was off to the SITS dance party, in our own private ballroom. But first, we all got to walk the red carpet (seriously - they had a freakin' red carpet!) and stop for a pose.



















Here's a bunch of us hotties getting down with our bad selves at the party.













(Rachel, Kathy, me, Jen, and Summer)

After the SITS party it was on to Club Tao, which was THE "it" place to be since Kim Kardashian was there for her birthday. We saw her throw a fit before the party (surrounded by her massive bodyguards), and some shrimpy guy was standing in front of her videotaping the whole thing. She's so tiny! And gorgeous, of course. I didn't have my camera with me, but here's a picture of Kim, just for good measure.



















Come to find out, K Fed was there that night, too. I'm so heartbroken I didn't get to feast my eyes upon that. (Kidding, I'm kidding...seriously.)



















The next day was filled with speakers, a catered lunch, and then another evening out on the town, but toned down quite a bit. No celebrity sightings and no mobs of crazy drunk people.

This, my friends was my delectable dessert at lunch. And yes, I was so excited about it that I took its picture. Do you SEE that huge piece of curled chocolate. H-E-A-V-E-N.


















In between lunch and our night out, I had some time to myself, so I went frolicking about, pretending I was in Italy. I never did get my gondola ride, but one of the Italian gray-ponytail-toting accordian players did say it was time for "my song" and proceeded to play The Chicken Dance for me. Anyway, isn't this just a heavenly sight? And to think - the sky is not even real - it's a painting. Loved it...















After my time pretending, me and some other hotties hit the town for dinner and some shopping for the kidlets. Here's me and the girls, posing with the likeness of the hotness known as The Rock. Mmmmm.














Me, Kristi, Bobbi, Alicia, Margarita, and Connie

Hands down, my favorite part of the whole weekend was getting to meet friends for the first time, and getting to meet so many new friends. The girl time was the best. And the break from reality wasn't bad, either.

Thanks to Tiffany and Heather for putting together one heck of a weekend for all of us!

Pondering the meaning of it all.

So, I got back from Vegas last night, and I'll tell you all about that soon. I promise. And as for pictures, I was not loving the idea of lugging out my inconveniently sized Canon camera, so I'm going to have to jack some pictures from my friends who are brilliant and carry cameras the size of iPods that are not cumbersome.

There will be pictures and stories to follow, for sure, but you're just going to have to wait. I'm mean - I know. I hate waiting, but you're not the boss of me, so you can't make me do anything. :)

Lately I've been thinking about the direction and purpose of my blog, and I've realized that here and there I've gotten distracted and in some ways I've gotten away from some of the most important reasons I started blogging in the first place.

I've enjoyed doing some reviews and giveaways, but I've had several things on my to-do list of reviews lately and it's become overwhelming and stressful to me, and no longer fun. So, I'm going to finish what I committed to because I feel strongly about keeping my word and following through with my commitments, and then I'll be cutting way back on things related to reviews and giveaways.

So, forewarning - I've procrastinated and have 3 CD reviews that are all due today, one product review that is due, and a book review as well (see what I mean? In over my head much?) so this week you'll be seeing more than usual of that, but I want you to know it's just because I need to FINISH these things. To get them off my plate, and then I can focus on what I really want to do with this blog.

Plus, I feel like the majority of you don't come here to read about products or win things because that's not the primary focus of my blog. I hope you come here because you want to read what I have to say, and hopefully some of it resonates with you.

I feel the need to prioritize things and establish a clear direction I want to go in. It's like I've had a little blog ADD or something, and I just need to step back, decide what needs to stay, what needs to go, and what is worthy of my time.

I promise it will all be worth it.

Gotta go figure out some plans for dinner, but watch for more stuff on Vegas later this week!