Photo Friday – Mother’s Day Brunch
Thursday was Mother’s Day Brunch at Will’s preschool. The kids sang some songs and made beautiful cards for us. It was great to see Will sing with everyone and be excited to share things with me.
Breathing Space
May 09 2013 Leave a Comment
We have been blessed with a beautiful stretch of weather for spring time in the Pacific Northwest. After a long wet winter of being trapped indoors it has been nice to get out and dry out our webbed feet.
In our school district the kids get out early on Wednesday so the teachers can have planning time, meetings and conduct other administrative activities. We are lucky to live in a neighborhood that has a big bus stop with lots of kids who like to play together. Most days Jack and Will beg to play with everyone after the bus. With sports and other activities, some weeks we aren’t able to play after the bus, except for Wednesdays.
The last four Wednesdays have been nice and sunny, some warmer than others, so the kids have spent them outside creating fun games. The moms have a “play date” too, sitting, chatting and soaking up some Vitamin D. Last year I felt like I needed to come home every Wednesday and work in the afternoon, but recently I needed the camaraderie and relaxation time to refresh my brain. I have plenty of work to do at home, but sometimes you just need a break and a glass of iced tea.
Our last six weeks has been filled with so much change – Jim’s job, losing Mulligan, juggling new work projects and more — that any break is found and cherished time. I have also really come to value my friends in the neighborhood. We talk about most anything, from school politics and teachers to what Julie has been watching on Court TV.
We all need our breathing space, chance to refresh our batteries and our brains and talk about silly things like People Magazine and TMZ.
What do you do to refresh your brain and create a breathing space for yourself?
Photo Friday
Mar 22 2013 2 Comments
Photo Friday – Sarah’s New Workshop
This morning I gave my first workshop presentation about connecting and dialoging using social media, specifically using your personal Facebook page. I have been working with Zach and Charlie from HowURun on this series and we brought it to on of their clients today. Very exciting morning for me. Zach thanks for taking the photo.
When Forward Is Backward
Mar 12 2013 Leave a Comment
On Saturday night we sprang forward into daylight saving time, losing an hour and horribly disrupting my body clock. I began Sunday morning lamenting my distaste for this tradition.
Sure we now have light later into the evening up here in the Pacific Northwest. After spending months of dark mornings and early sunset evenings, it is finally light enough in the evenings that kids can play outside for a bit after school. However it takes my body a week to adjust to the change. I find myself more tired than normal. And it may be affecting Jack too; he was extra tired last night.
I did some reading on daylight savings time to better understand the reasoning behind it. It was originally started during World War I to decrease energy consumption in the evenings. It was used again during World War II and finally instituted during the 1970s energy crisis permanently.
Although I understand the justification for it and like having the extra light in the evenings, the act of shifting our clocks twice a year seems odd. Wouldn’t it be easier just to pick a time and keep it? In the fall after we shift the clocks back an hour it gets dark very early in the evening, which seems a bit counterproductive.
So here I sit, waiting for my body to catch up to the clock.
Photo Friday
Feb 22 2013 Leave a Comment
Photo Friday – Orange Hat
We were skiing this week at Mt. Bachelor. On Tuesday we went into Bend to see the town. On our walk Will decided he didn’t want to wear his hat. Don’t you think it looks good on me. Thanks for capturing it Paul.
Guest Posting Today
Feb 14 2013 Leave a Comment
Today I have a guest post over at my friend Katie’s blog Being 5. She is a very funny Seattle area blogger with three kids. I am thrilled to be featured there today with a post about ten random things.
Resolution vs. Goal
Jan 02 2013 4 Comments
Are you a resolution person or a goal setter?
The other morning The Today show featured a story on New Year’s resolutions. It highlighted how most people don’t follow through with their resolutions and how most people are unable to keep them for more than a month. The reporter then added that her “resolution” was to learn some Spanish. I was surprised that a national reporter would confuse a resolution with a goal.
It bothered me that a something like that would not only clear editing and production on a national news program, but that it would be featured. Generally I think people miss represent the term resolution. A resolution is the act of resolving to make a change to a pattern or habit in your life, like drinking less soda or exercising more. A goal is completing a task or trying a new thing. They are distinctly different.
I am a goal person this time of year. If there is something I would like to change by making a resolution I just tend to do that whenever I feel it is necessary. I like to look at life positively and goals help me do that. Resolutions remind me that I have habits or behaviors that I don’t like. By setting goals I move forward through life completing tasks and trying new things instead of dwelling on issues. Last year I wrote about my goals for 2012 and I have to say I did pretty well. I didn’t complete them all, but I made considerable headway.
So — are you a resolution person or a goal setter? Do you make them and keep them?
Getting Out of My Comfort Zone
Oct 30 2012 7 Comments
Later this week I am boarding a plane en route to my first out-of-town blogging conference. Being a naturally shy person I am a bit nervous about walking into a situation where I don’t know anyone and need to network with other bloggers and brands. This got me thinking about other times I stepped out of my comfort zone and proved to myself and others that I, in fact, can be comfortable in these situations. Here are eight of my “comfort zone” milestones:
1. Proving my high school chemistry teacher wrong. I had the opportunity to go to Europe for a month and miss the first three weeks my junior year of high school. My chemistry teacher told me there was no way I was going to pass his class, if I missed that much time. Not only did I pass, but I got the only A second semester.
2. Going to college. I went to a college where I didn’t know anyone. None of my friends or even others from my high school went there.
3. Moving to Seattle to start my life over. My aunt offered me a place to live, but I had no job and no friends when I arrived here. I found a job and made some friends, then I met Jim.
4. Asking Jim out. We met at a bar and he gave me his business card. On Monday morning I emailed him and asked him out. Truth be told, he was going to call me that morning anyway.
5. Being Jack’s advocate. The first year of Jack’s life was so hard, in and out of doctor’s offices, and many visits Children’s Hospital that eventually led to two feeding tubes and re-learning to eat. It would have been very easy to sit back during Jack’s first year of life, but together Jim and I fought for him. We had to be a strong voice for him and convince his doctors to care as much as we did.
6. Starting the blog. When Will started to have feeding problems and we got the diagnosis about his eyes, I needed an outlet. I wanted to provide a support vehicle for other families going through similar situations since that support was hard to find when we were going through it ourselves.
7. Making new friends. Since Jack was born and I stopped working, I fell into a bit of friend limbo. But since he started school I put myself out there and have found a great group of women who I am fortunate to call my friends. Friends are such an important part of your life.
8. Going to a blog conference. For the last year I have been working to make the blog into a business and generate income. Going to blog conferences can not only afford me the opportunity to learn tips and techniques, but allows me to network with brands and other bloggers – an experience that will prove invaluable and worth the step outside the comfort zone.
I am linking up with Northwest Mommy today for Monday Listacles.
FYI – Jack took the photo of me.
Photo Friday
Oct 05 2012 Leave a Comment
Photo Friday – Happy Birthday to Me!
Today is my 38th Birthday. This morning Jim arranged for coffee and breakfast. The boys made cards and gave me a beautiful set of rings with their names on them. I got to have lunch with some friends and Jim is taking me out tonight. It has been a great day!
Having Your Space
Aug 15 2012 2 Comments
Recently I have come to cherish my little office space in our house. It is my space to go and work or write in peace, hopefully. Sometimes I have a helper or two visit me.
My office wasn’t always set up in a way to make it useful for me. It was the catch-all for furniture and items we didn’t want to get rid of but didn’t know what to do with. About a year ago, Jim and I decided to really redo my office to make it work for me. Now I have a big desk/work space, plenty of shelf space for books and files for papers and a little TV to keep me company (I like to work with the TV on; I like the background noise). That is not to say that everything has its place.
After working on the kitchen table or couch for at least a year and then having my own space for a year, I realize how important it is for people who work from home to have a space of their own. It doesn’t have to be a big elaborate office — a simple desk can work too. But it just should be a space that is all yours. That way you don’t spend half your work time setting up your space or cleaning it up to feed your family.
In your space should be things that help you work, like note pads, office supplies, storage for reference materials and a comfortable spot for your computer. If you like background noise, having a TV or radio in your space is good too. The most important thing is to make it your own.
I love my little space that looks out onto the front yard and my hydrangeas. Jim has built me two great storage boxes for my papers, since I tend to pile papers. What is your workspace like? Do you have a great view? What one special thing is in the space that makes it yours?
