My favorite superhero is Elastigirl, the mom in the cartoon movie “The Incredibles.” She’s tough, smart, practical and not afraid to tell her 300-pound gorilla of a husband to get a grip. Plus, she’s extremely flexible, which is a key attribute in top performing mothers, as they say in HR parlance.

There’s a scene in the Incredibles where Elastigirl explains to her two superhero children about the importance of identity. “It’s your most valuable possession,” she tells them as she hands them black masks. “Guard it with your life.” (This may not be a direct quote; I don’t feel like watching the movie for the 29th time to find out.)

I wish I had such a black mask, and that I could shield my children with such a simple prop. It would certainly help in writing a personal blog for all the world to see.

By day, I am a mild-mannered public relations professional working in downtown Houston. By night I am the harried mother of two bright, creative, exhausting children. To protect their identities, I refer to them in this blog by the highly original pseudonyms of Boy and Girl.

I am also the wife of a talented journalist/gardener/geek/blogger named Bob who long ago outted himself on the web (I mean this figuratively). So I feel no compunctions about protecting his identity. But I will be kind to him in my writing because he deserves that.

This blog is about the things that circle around in my mind like wild animals and threaten to bite me unless I let them loose. Mostly it’s about the torn feeling that comes when I kiss my babies goodbye and get on the bus. The fact that this modern life often makes absolutely no sense. And the need to make it make sense just the same. Those are the sorts of ramblings to be found here.

I hope you enjoy reading this blog. Knowing that my friends, family and co-workers are reading it keeps me honest and makes me avoid certain topics that could get me fired or shunned. But there’s a wide world to write about, and I’m certain I can find subjects that are both safe and emotionally jarring at the same time.

So that’s the balancing act I am performing. If I just had a little black mask, this would be a whole lot easier.