Busy week!!

I have been swimming in a sea of BUSY this week.  I started working for my husband's company (The Emotional Investor) on a regular basis in January- and this week the workload has really ramped up.  I do social media relations for him and it is so constant sometimes it can be overwhelming.  I realized my goal of a weekly blog was going to be shot if I didn't do something today (so soon into the new year).  As I was thinking about it I looked at my dining room table and thought this totally describes my week.  So here it is folks, my messy "office" /dining room table with what my week has consisted of.

Chess Board- I have played chess almost ever night with my 9 year old son.  Yes he beat me in 4 moves- I'll blame it on my distracted week... and his mad chess skills.

Pile of papers #1- the pile close to the chess board is for some volunteering I am doing at my son's school.  It has been fun, but thank goodness it will be over on Tuesday!!

Pile of papers #2- some administrative stuff I need to do, but hired my daughter to do- total cheap child labor works for me (at least in my house).

Computer- of course the ever so important computer where all work magic happens.

Laundry- clothes laying all around drying because I realized I should have done laundry two days ago, but finally found time this morning (and remembered).

Newspapers- unopened newspapers.  I think they'll just end up in the recycle because I don't have time to read them and they just keep piling up.

Cups/plates- all my water drinking and snacking that has taken place while working.

Sticky Notes- I am constantly writing notes for things I have to do.  My husband keeps trying to convince me to do an electronic version, but I like the physical post it notes (especially the ones with the pictures of a big eyed frog)

Sweat band- If you look closely you can see my head sweat band I just washed.  Yes I use it- but only when I'm working out at home (or rocking out to some 80s tunes).

Mess- The table is a mess which is indicative of my house.  My whole house is just a mess (except my closet which I love that it is my clean place to stand and take a deep breath).  I need to do some serious cleaning and pull in some of the kids for that cheap labor I was talking about earlier.

Jay asked if I wanted to go out tonight .  ummm YES!!    I need a good Friday night out and we both agreed NO WORK talk... we'll see how well we do with that.

Have a good weekend and please take time to RELAX, I know I will!

Pinterest- love/hate

I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest.  I use Pinterest to get my creative juices going.  I usually take an idea from a pin and then make it mine own- whether from using multiple pins or just coming up with something on my own.  I love it because I love, love, love  being creative and it inspires me to do that.  The problem is sometimes the ideas that I find and/or come  up with don't turn out the way I see them in my head.... fail.    I haven't had luck with very many of the recipes on Pinterest especially, except these knock you naked brownies, which are to DIE for- yummmmm.  I could use some about now.

I have found that the Pinterest pins that do work make me very happy, probably happier than they should, but it is so rewarding to make something or organize something and have it work.  Here are a few of my favorites that I have gotten off Pinterest, that I LOVE- please share what has worked for you!  I know it would probably be more entertaining if I put the ones that didn't work, but honestly my mind doesn't even think about taking a picture of it if it isn't working.

US MAP on board.    I added my own touch by putting the places we've lived in red and the places we vacationed in blue (just using gem stickers from JoAnns).  Also I don't own a Silhouette so I found a United States place mat the size I liked and cut that up- I have learned to improvise.   I also went to Home Depot to get the wood and had them cut it for me (don't own a saw).   I love this and it looks so good down in my basement with all our vacation pictures.

Jewelry Organizer and Earring holder- I have tried different ways to organize my earrings and necklaces and I found this to be my favorite so far- both functionally and aesthetically pleasing.  The necklace holder did cause some stress while making and took way longer than I had thought (the key is a make sure you use a good cork board on the back) but I fiddled with it enough and got it to look good and hold my necklaces.

Be The Good - got the idea off Pinterest and a friend of mine made it for me.  I LOVE it because the wood she used is from a barn that was over 100 years old and I have a special love for mustard  yellow, plus it's a good messages for my kids (and me) to see daily.  Here is her etsy site with some cute subway art or you can email her (shopsistersecrets@gmail.com).

To sum it up, I am grateful for Pinterest (remember showing my gratitude is my goal this year) even those times it doesn't work out- I think they make the times they do turn out that much greater.

Kids playing nicely?!???

I have mentioned before that I am the fifth of six kids in my family.  It was nice being in a big family growing up because if one sibling didn't want to play with me (B-A-R-B-I-E-S -my older sisters would spell it out - before I could spell- and run to their room to play without me) I could look to another sibling to play with.

My kids don't have that luxury.  Granted I think I play with them WAY more than my parents ever played with me (different times and seriously with 6 kids my mom should have been taking a hot Calagon bath way more often then she did- I don't actually think she ever did).  I worry because I feel like my children argue all the time.  If it's not one of them telling on the other, then it is one hitting the other, copying the other, touching, breathing, looking .... ugh you get my point.    The mantra I tell them is, "it stops with you"... which I don't know if it ever gets through to them because their response is, "no it stops with her, if she would just ...   

This last weekend we were all suppose to be busy doing our "Saturday Jobs".  My kids each had 3 jobs, plus picking up their room and school area- which without dillydally would take them 45 min. tops.   As I was busy running around trying to get my hundreds of Saturday jobs done (okay, maybe not 100s, but it felt like it) I noticed it was getting later in the day and my daughter's Saturday jobs weren't done.  Great, I am super busy and now I get to nag (despite what my kids might think I loathe nagging, but I can't find another way around it).  I was just about to nag her when...what to my wondering ears should I hear- the two kids playing together. As in nicely talking, laughing and playing together.  The conundrum-  What to do??   I need the stuff done and on most days I could probably just do it.   I was a little overwhelmed Saturday-we were getting ready to have a group of friends over that night, so I had some cooking, and other cleaning to do.   Here I complain that they don't get along and now what do they do when I NEED them to be doing their jobs... get along. (don't worry I will be watching for patterns of manipulating, but for now it was genuine happy times together).  

After some deep breaths I decided to let it go.  (Am I the only one who is constantly singing the Frozen song when I hear myself say let it go?)   I reworked in my mind what "jobs"  really needed to get done and I let my kids have their moment together.  It makes my heart happy to see and hear them getting along, so if it means my floors don't get cleaned, I'll take it.

This is a picture I have hanging up in my house because I loved that moment it was taken when they were being silly together.