Many of my new 'friends' were strangers in the community with whom I had little in common before children - shop keepers who appreciated a baby's smile, old people who recalled when their children were young. And of course there were new mommy friends too. Some met through other friends or via a random conversation in the playground that led to coffee and playdates. I was stung once in a while too by moms who didn't return my calls when trying to set something up (though they had seemed enthusiastic at the swings). I learned to negotiate the hurt.

Now that my boys are older - almost 5 and 6 - they do not possess the chubby baby charm that causes strangers to spontaneously open up. And I hardly take them to the playground anymore. They are in school during the day then prefer to play with friends or roam the park when the weather is nice. I find that I have more time for 'me' things like going to the Y with a neighbor, volunteering at school, giving knitting lessons, writing, and having tea. (Housecleaning should be in that list somewhere, but it hasn't made it as of yet.) And of course I enjoy the virtual community that I find through writing (and reading) here and through my other collectinve blog.

Just a few days ago my virtual community expanded again. I finally joined Ravelry! For those of you who are not familiar with this wonderful site, it is an online knit and crochet community with free patterns, 'stuff' organizers, and a place to post and share pictures of your projects, beloved and disappointing both. I am surprised and pleased by how much I am loving it, and how connected I am feeling to strangers - fellow crafters - who share similar knit related travails and triumphs. In the midst of the overwhelming routine that sometimes dominates mommydom, it is nice to know that there are people and places to reach out to at a moment's notice, that I can smile at a grandmother's advice or become inspired to start a new knitting project just by turning on the computer.