In May 2009, I ripped an article out of Real Simple and mailed it to my mom: 10 Questions to Ask Your Mother. I don't remember doing this. But I must have, because on my birthday this year, she returned it to me with answers to all ten questions typed out. It is one of the most special and treasured gifts I've received. Unless you live under a rock, you probably know that it's Mother's Day weekend. You don't have to skip the brunch, the flowers, the cards, but maybe you could work at … [Read more...] about Questions to Ask Your Mother
Why The First One Was Hard
I called a dear friend this week to congratulate her on her first pregnancy. We laughed about normal pregnancy things, and she joked, "How did you do this TWO times?" It's funny how your body forgets the physical sensations of pregnancy as time goes on. It's what I like to refer to as pregnancy amnesia - you conveniently forget the crappy parts, otherwise you would never voluntarily do it again. I was a pretty calm pregnant person with straightforward pregnancies. I learned to trust … [Read more...] about Why The First One Was Hard
Word Games: Finding Time to Play
By the end of the week, my brain has been feeling short circuited. The overload of how jam packed my days are starts to catch up with me. I spend the first half of the week being incredibly efficient and productive but by the time Thrusday afternoon rolls around, all I want to do is turn off the part of my brain that is prioritizing, managing, and assessing. No matter how much I plan to cram into the last days of the week, I find that the motivation just isn't there. Until recently, I would … [Read more...] about Word Games: Finding Time to Play
Our Home Tour on Homepolish
When we first moved into our new home/old house last July, there were a few quick and easy updates that we wanted to take care of right away. But quick and easy is relative, because for something to be quick and easy, you have to make quick decisions. And quick decisions are not my forte. I would find myself sucked into an online shopping vortex skimming endless pages of butt-ugly light fixtures certain that "THE ONE" I was searching for must be on the next … [Read more...] about Our Home Tour on Homepolish
How to Make an Instagram Photo Wall
I'm not in the habit of using my blog to share projects, but when I posted a picture on Instagram of my new photo wall, it generated some interest. So, I'm sharing how I did it. But first why. I am not really a photo person. I can't explain this except that I have an inherent need to buck trends. It's like my own weird way of expressing my individuality. When everyone else in the world switched to digital and was ramping up their photo taking, I did the complete opposite letting mine … [Read more...] about How to Make an Instagram Photo Wall
Tuesday Morning Pep Talk
Have you ever just had one of those days? When no matter how hard you work or how much energy you put into something, it just doesn't go your way? I had of those days. So I wrote myself this note to shake me out of the overwhelmed, I suck, I'll-never ever-ever-make-any-progress-on-this-mountain, place. Maybe if you've had one of those days, you need a little shaking too. My Tuesday morning pep talk: you're going to be okay you are okay they don't hate you even if it feels like it, … [Read more...] about Tuesday Morning Pep Talk
Three Sources of Clutter & What to Do About Them
I haven't read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, but I find its rise in popularity very interesting. I'm happy for the attention clutter is getting, because I truly believe that when we fill our lives with the irrelevant, there isn't room for much of anything else. I am one of the best pile eradicators around. And I am committed, often to my family's dismay, to minimizing the role that stuff plays in our lives. But I worry about clutter's new-found popularity, because it feels to me … [Read more...] about Three Sources of Clutter & What to Do About Them
The Ferris Wheel Theory
Every now and then modern life and all the things I want to do and need to do, start to feel like more of a burden than a privilege. As soon as I get one thing figured out, under control, giving it the attention it needs, something else pops to the surface that I've been neglecting. It's a never-ending game of whack-a-mole and my arms get so so tired from carrying that hammer around. But over the last year or so I've started to employ what I call the Ferris Wheel Theory. The idea is that … [Read more...] about The Ferris Wheel Theory